Directed by Pascal Chaumeil, (3.5/5).
My first foreign rom-com, and it was simply charming. It’s no Love Actually or Notting Hill, but it sure was a pleasant way to spend two hours. Think afternoon delight; not necessary, but you’re really glad it happened.
A particularly basic premise that has certainly been done before, a French Lothario (Duris) is employed by concerned family members to end sad and vacuous relationships before they take the leap of faith and commit to their wedding vows. He has his rules of course, but when a rather cordial mobster demands he pay up his debts (or else), he must go against his cardinal rule and break up a happy couple.
The settings are beautiful, it’s all European coastline from Morocco to Monaco. The cast are lovely to watch as they hop around trying to breathe some much needed life into the rom-com genre. I suspect the US rights have already been snapped up and Heartbreaker is lying in the wings just waiting to be poorly remade, as happened most recently with the wonderful French film Pour Elle, but I digress.
Excellent performances are delivered by the two lead actors, particularly Duris, who gives the best Dirty Dancing recital since, well Patrick Swayze (may he rest in peace). The supporting cast brings the tone down a little (unless I’m missing some particularly funny French wordplay) as they are constantly engaged in activities that seem entirely irrelevant to the story.
Despite seeing the end a mile off, you aren’t disappointed when this fairy tale comes to a predictable close. It is handled so well and with such an appropriate style that expectations are fulfilled and you are left neither wanting nor expecting too much more. I guess when it comes down to it, everyone looks so fantastically French that you feel a great deal of sympathy for the twinkle-toed antagonist when all seems lost (ha!) and rejoice when it is all back on course again.
If you have no problem with subtitles I would highly recommend this film, as I didn’t feel anything was lost in having to read the story, although some of the translation seemed slightly ill-fitting to the facial expressions. Maybe it’s just me? Hollywood take note; Heartbreaker is the perfect example of a light-hearted romantic comedy.
Heartbreaker
