Heartbreaker (L'Arnocouer)- Movie Review

Alex Lippi (Romain Duris) has an odd occupation. He gets paid to break up relationships. Assisted by his sister Melanie (Julie Ferrier) and her husband Marc (Francois Damiens). Together, they construct elaborate schemes aimed toward getting the women to recognize their own doubts about their relationships.

The team employs an intricate strategy, gathering extensive intelligence on their targets before they put their plans into action. There are also rules. The team will not break up a happy couple. This presents a problem when Alex agrees to take up a challenge named Juliette (Vanessa Paradis). Heavily in debt and faced with a moral dilemma, Alex complicates matters by falling in love with his target.

Heartbreaker might be considered a chick flick. I guess I have to admit that up front. But I liked it. The film had great dialogue and well developed characters. The comedy was subtle, but fresh. While the plot was predictable, I enjoyed watching it develop. The ridiculous schemes that this team hatches makes for some interesting interactions and sets the foundation for some great situational comedy. It is a light, fun and unique story.

Duris is an odd male lead. His physique resembles Mick Jagger, and he isn't much better looking (at least in my opinion). His ability to pull off a romantic quixotic role is a tribute to his skills. It didn't hurt that he appeared to have genuine renaissance qualities that filtered through to his character. Damiens adds some buffoonish fun. Ferrier was hilarious in her chameleon-like roles. The three made a convincing team. Paradis has a Madonna-thing going. I wasn't as enamored by her performance, but she was solid. She did have great chemistry with Duris.

Heartbreaker is a 2010 French film. The film skillfully injects several other languages into the film as part of the fun. I watched an unrated version. The film has some mild nudity and a few adult situations and language, but is fairly tame. Teen audiences should be fine. The film also features a great sound track. Even the music I was unfamiliar with added to the light, romantic mood of the film. At one hour, 45 minutes, the film felt just the right length.

Heartbreaker will appeal more to female audiences. At its core, it's a chick-flick. The sharp, witty humor will win quite a few men over, too. While it is predictable at times, the situations offer some unique opportunities for fresh laughs. Strong dialogue, good character development and a skilled cast give life to an excellent screenplay. 7.5/10.

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