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When it comes to romantic comedies, the last year or so has been pretty weak. There have been a couple of lovable Hollywood chick flicks—but not very many. Fortunately, though, French director Pascal Chaumeil has made up for Hollywood’s chick flick deficiency with Heartbreaker (L’arnacoeur), a fun little flick that’s hard to resist.
You’ve heard of professional matchmakers—people who get paid to connect couples. But Alex Lippi (Romain Duris), on the other hand, is a professional heartbreaker. With the help of his sister, Mélanie (Julie Ferrier), and her tech-savvy husband, Marc (François Damiens), he gets paid to break up couples by seducing women and making them realize just how unhappy they are.
Their latest job, however, could prove to be their greatest challenge yet. The client (Jacques Frantz) is a wealthy flower tycoon who will do anything to end his daughter’s engagement. But with the wedding just a matter of days away, Alex will have to work quickly.
The team rushes out to Monaco, where Juliette (Vanessa Paradis) is preparing for the wedding. But they soon face their next challenge: Juliette and her fiancé, Jonathan (Andrew Lincoln), seem to be the perfect match.
Heartbreaker is a light and often even madcap rom-com, following Alex, his cunning sister, and his bumbling brother-in-law as they pull out all the stops in their attempt to get Juliette to fall in love with Alex and break off her engagement to her all-too-perfect fiancé. Along the way, they face one wacky obstacle after another—from Juliette’s attempts to avoid Alex to the arrival of her wild and boozy friend, Sophie (Héléna Noguerra). And they usually handle them in the most amusing of ways. The job also provides plenty of intrigue and suspense—so although you may think you know where the story’s headed, it will still keep you guessing until the end.
Meanwhile, the characters only add to the film’s charm. Though Juliette and Jonathan are rather bland, Alex and his cohorts have more than enough personality to make up for it. Ferrier’s Mélanie is the brains of the operation, controlling the situation with her closet full of disguises, while geeky, awkward Marc is just in it for the opportunity to spy on beautiful women—and Alex is an easy-going guy who loves his job almost as much as he loves his expensive suits. Still, it’s easy to see why he’s so good at what he does. Duris’s Alex is smooth; he’s suave; and he’s adorably boyish—like a subdued French Russell Brand.
With its amusing story, its lovable characters, and its gorgeous seaside setting, Heartbreaker is a perfectly light and breezy rom-com. It’s sweet, and it’s silly—and it’s far more entertaining than most recent Hollywood chick flicks.
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