heartBREAKeRS
Caution: dangerous curves ahead
Rating: 6/10
Running Time: 123 minutes
UK Certificate: 15
On DVD
Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt dont come even close to matching the hilarity levels of Steve Martin and Michael Caine in classic con-com Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, but they are a helluva lot nicer to look at. So, as the mother-and-daughter team of swindlers in Heartbreakers, both actresses devote the bulk of their time to squeezing in and out the most revealing outfits the wardrobe department could possibly get their hands on. Well, youve got to play to your strengths, right? Things works like this: mum Max (Weaver) ensnares wealthy idiots with her slightly-wrinkly but nonetheless womanly ways, lures them into quickie weddings, and then swiftly catches them in the act with daughter Page (Hewitt). The pair then make off with the hefty divorce settlement and start all over again on the next rich sucker. Latest victim is Gene Hackman as wheezing verge-of-death squillionaire William B. Tensy, who doesnt take long to fall for the charms of Max and her bizarre fake Russian accent. But wait! Whats this? Partner-in-crime Page has suddenly grown some scruples after running into loaded pub owner Jack (Jason Lee) and becoming torn between taking him for all hes worth and falling deeply in lurrrrve. The question, not entirely surprisingly, is will there finally be a little honour among these thieves? Of course its pretty disposable stuff, likely to be memorable only to all the oglers out there who JLH happily accommodates with her extensive array of itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny dresses and bikinis. The romance between Hewitt and Lee seems rushed and therefore a little unbelievable, and the couple of attempts at drama land well wide of the mark. But its also got some decent laughs, and youd need to have undergone a humour bypass op not to chortle at least a couple of times.
It's Got: Ray Liotta providing an unexpectedly impressive comic turn as a previous victim who tracks down the dastardly duo before eventually getting in on the act.
It Needs: To be a little shorter director David Mirkin tends to over-egg the pudding a little.
DVD Extras JLH interview, a trailer, TV & radio spots, and a photo gallery. DVD Extras Rating: 5/10
Summary
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with less laughs but much, much more cleavage.