Beautés empoisonnées!

This screwball comedy brings together some great dramatic actors in unaccustomed comedic roles. The results are mixed (but mostly good), with some terrific slapstick and some pure drivel. Maxine (Sigourney Weaver) and Paige (Jennifer Love Hewitt) are two very slick con artists who find rich patsies and marry them, only to divorce them for big settlements after enticing them into indiscretions. When they get nabbed by the IRS for not paying their taxes, they must score one more time to climb out of their financial mess. The target is chain smoking billionaire William B. Tensy (Gene Hackman) who is dying before our eyes of lung disease. The only question is whether Maxine can get him to propose before he keels over. Meanwhile, Paige is running her own scam on Jack (Jason Lee) who owns a bar resting on prime real estate worth $3 Million.

It is mostly pratfall humor, with lots of sight gags and general nuttiness, which is often uproariously funny. The whole idea that the diminutive Paige could have been spawned from the Amazonian Maxine is implied comedy at its finest, leading us to conclude that Paige's father could only have been a midget.

Gene Hackman completely steals the show as the wheezy billionaire. Hackman, who is one of our national treasures as a dramatic actor, shows magnificent range, and he turns out to be the best comedian of the bunch. Sigourney Weaver is also in rare form brandishing some bodacious outfits and undergarments. She is especially funny as Olga, trotting out impressive broken English and even doing some vocals accompanied by a Russian balalaika band. Ray Liotta gives a lighthearted and funny performance as a chop shop owner who can't get over his love for Maxine, even though he knows she scammed him. Jason Lee's understated nice guy portrayal serves as the perfect counterpart to Jennifer Love Hewitt's bratty vamp. The perennially cute Hewitt still can't seem to transition into grownup roles. No matter how sexy they make her up (and they do quite a good job with her considerable attributes), her pubescent mannerisms and delivery still make her come off as a teenage harpy. In her defense, this is what the role required, but it doesn't do much to move her out of her character rut.

Overall, there is a lot of good fun here that is often dissipated by puerile absurdity. Still, there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, mostly delivered by Weaver and Hackman, that make this a better than average comedy. I rated it 7/10. Fans who like seeing Sigourney and Jennifer in sexy outfits will not be disappointed.

A movie that proves that what you see is not necessarily what you get, as a mother/daughter team con one well-heeled member of the opposite sex after another, in `Heartbreakers,' directed by David Mirkin and starring Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt. Yes, the con is on, as mom takes ‘em to the altar, daughter seduces ‘em (getting caught in the act by mom, of course), and mom settles for a divorce and some big bucks. For the women, it's like having the goose that laid the golden egg, and all is going well; the bucks are rolling in and Cupid's path is being littered in their wake with the carnage of the men they've despoiled. Then Page (Hewitt), much to the chagrin of her mother, Angela (Weaver), decides it's time to strike out on her own and take down a score for herself. But as fate, luck, chance or what-have-you would have it, at that moment the IRA steps in and not only wipes out their bank account, but hands them a bill for back taxes that far and away exceeds the amount already confiscated. At that point, what's a girl to do, but find another mark. Only this time, it has to be one rich beyond their wildest dreams. And with that, the hunt is on.

An amusing, and at times hilarious comedy, the fact that it works as well as it does can be attributed to two things, by category: Weaver and Hewitt; and Ray Liotta and Jason Lee. For what the movie lacks in originality is made up for with the performances of the aforementioned four. As far as the women, such a pair of femmes fatales you've never seen; Hewitt has it and flaunts it, but she's still overshadowed by the gorgeous Weaver. Looks aside, however, what really makes it cook is their shared if-you-see-me-comin'-better-step-aside, take-no-prisoners attitude, a Mae West meets Kate Hepburn persona that gives their con its zing. Weaver plays it to the hilts, saucy, seductive and sharp as a tack. And not to be outdone by her co-star, Hewitt stays right there with her, by giving a performance that makes you believe that this is a young woman who could actually pull this stuff off. Together, their antics on screen are reminiscent of Lemmon and Curtis in `Some Like It Hot,' or Caine and Martin in `Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.' There's a refreshing lack of pretentiousness about them that really makes them fun to watch.

As for the guys, Liotta gives a sharp performance as Dean, a guy with a hard edge and a soft spot for Angela, and Lee does a notable turn as Jack, a regular guy who finds himself in the eye of Angela and Page's storm. Lee has an especially engaging screen presence, and some of the most memorable moments of the film are in the scenes he shares with Hewitt.

Last, but far from least, Gene Hackman scores some guffaws as billionaire tobacco magnate William Tensy. He gets a bit tongue-in-cheek with his character, who with his tobacco stained teeth and smoker's cough is at the same time hilarious and repulsive. When Angela demurs his attempted kiss, you'd swear you can smell his breath and the reek of smoke from his clothes. And you have to give Hackman credit for this one, because to play this role all vanity had to be stuffed in the closet for the duration.

The supporting cast includes Anne Bancroft (Barbara), Jeffrey Jones (Mr. Appel), Nora Dunn (Miss Madress), Julio Oscar Mechoso (Leo), Carrie Fisher (Mrs. Surpin), Ricky Jay (Dawson's Auctioneer) and Elya Baskin (Vladimir). Director Mirkin must be given credit for his imaginative approach to some fairly unoriginal material, and for making up for it's lack of substance by extracting some top performances from his actors. The real strength of `Heartbreakers,' however, is the fact that it never takes itself too seriously. If you look deep enough, you may find some insight into human nature, but for the most part this is a movie that was made with nothing but fun in mind. It's entertaining, there's some laughs and some nice moments, and it's easy on the eyes. If you let it, it's a movie that will let you off the hook for awhile and show you a good time. And for my money, that's not such a bad deal. I rate this one 7/10.

Much to my surprise, this movie is actually very funny and entertaining! It's about a mother/daughter con team of Max and Page (played by Sigourney Weaver of `Aliens' and Jennifer Love Hewitt of `Can't Hardly Wait') who prey upon wealthy men with the mom as bait and the daughter as cheating material to end the marriage in a fraudulent divorce. Therefore, they get half of everything he owns, which tides them over until the next poor sucker is tracked down. And these are supposed to be the good guys (or girls)? Just like `Hannibal', you end up rooting for the main characters, regardless of their motives. While this seems to work fine for them on a rich chop shop owner named Dean (Ray Liotta of `Goodfellas') and tobacco tycoon William Tensy (Gene Hackman of `Enemy of the State'), they run into a unexpected problem when Page falls for a bar owner named Jack (Jason Lee of `Chasing Amy') and actually grows a conscience on their supposed `last con'. Meanwhile, Dean tracks the two down and uncovers their scam. Due to the hilarious performances by Liotta and Hackman, and the amazing turn for Hewitt (from the dreadful `Party of Five'), this movie stayed on track and kept the laughs rolling. While this could've fizzled in so many spots, it managed to turn itself into one of the most surprisingly enjoyable comedies in a while, possibly due to director David Mirkin's (Romy and Michele's High School Reunion') fast-paced, yet lighthearted touch.

A black comedy with the accent on sexcapades. I caught this one quite by chance on cable and intended to switch channels if I found it boring. I didn't switch--not that it's something you should rush out and see, but it's got some very funny bits of business supplied by Gene Hackman (as a disgusting old man) and Sigourney Weaver, funny when she's impersonating a Russian chanteuse.

It's a tepid variation on the "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" theme and this time it's a mother-daughter team who make an unforgettable pair of schemers. A scantily clad Jennifer Love Hewitt is a bit irritating as a vampish daughter who can't make up her mind whether to pursue Jason Lee or not. Lee seems willing to take whatever he can get from her, regardless of her abusive treatment.

Much of it is very amusing if you can accept the fact that none of the characters are exactly likeable. Gene Hackman has a comic field day as a man with a hacking cough, dingy teeth and deathly pallor who finds himself being pursued by Sigourney Weaver who is after his wealth--what else? One of the funniest scenes has Weaver (with thick Russian accent) having to get up and perform with a balalaika band at a night spot.

Moves at a brisk pace with some funny pratfalls and plot twists that will keep you watching until the predictable fadeout. Good light entertainment for a rainy day.

Director David Mirkin used to write for "The Simpsons," which explains why Danny Elfman did the main theme for "Heartbreakers" - a movie that, success-wise, has more in common with The Greatest TV Show Ever than with Mirkin's earlier "Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion," and not just because Shawn Colvin makes a guest appearance here as well. Don't get me wrong, it's not nearly as clever - but it IS often as funny. Plus you get to look at Jennifer Love Hewitt a lot.

Mother/daughter grifter duo Sigourney Weaver and JLH are on the verge of splitting up, but agree to do One Last Big Score (isn't it always the way) in order to get out of trouble with the IRS and part sufficiently loaded; Gene Hackman, as a chain-smoking pensionable zillionaire ("His liver spots are positively luminous") is their mark in Palm Beach and also the source of a lot of the fun. In fact, he and an under-used Ray Liotta come close to swiping the film from the leads, but Sig and Love make a good team, each complementing the other - Weaver's the better actress, but Hewitt holds her own; and though the former's attractive, the latter - even in her blonde disguise - is smokin' (something the film never forgets - you get to look at Jennifer Love Hewitt a lot).

The Robert Dunn/Paul Guay/Stephen Mazur script won't win plaudits from the PC brigade; "Heartbreakers" is often a farce in a good sense, but the female characters come off for the most part not as morally upright as their male counterparts (though Hackman's moneybags is by far the most repellent person here). Pacy for sure, and often funny if not always in what the late British DJ Kenny Everett's Cupid Stunt character called "the best possible taste" (witness the oral sex gags early on), there's a distinct slowing down as the tale unfolds and Jen's growing feelings for a potential mark (Jason Lee) makes it more sentimental than cynics would like; the first half of the movie is funnier and edgier than the second. But you get to look at Jennifer Love Hewitt a lot.

In the end, "Heartbreakers" has a tone a bit too much like the likes of "Are You Being Served?" to be a must-view for all; the movie sometimes comes across like a "Carry On" film. Only with a budget. And good performances. And decent writing. And funny. And with a fine soundtrack. Okay, so it's not much like a "Carry On" film, but it does make for a good two hours' watching; Weaver fans will get a particular kick out of her rendition of "Back In The U.S.S.R.", and Hackman fans will enjoy seeing him upstage everyone except for Hewitt's anatomy; I gave this 7 out of 10, but I should have given this an 8 purely on that count. This is one movie that lives up to its title.

And did I mention you get to look at Jennifer Love Hewitt a lot?