4/5 Wow! I've never heard that one before. You really blow me away with your creativity
  by C. CRADDOCK (Bakersfield)
Director David Mirkin can direct comedy, he proved that in "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion" but for me "Heartbreakers" ran well out of the gate, but mid way through the race, it faltered. And it breaks my heart.

"Heartbreakers" is about a mother-daughter pair of grifters: Max (Sigourney Weaver) and Page Conners (Jennifer Love Hewitt). (Get it? They are con artists, and therefore they're 'conners.') Max claims she is saving herself until she gets married. She celebrates heartily at the wedding reception, and then, just prior to consumation on the honeymoon, she conks out. Meanwhile, Page has ingratiated herself into the mark's life. She has a job as his receptionist, for example. When he returns to work still unsatisfied he is vulnerable to Page's full décolletage press. Mom barges in to find the mark in flagrante delicto. She sues for divorce, along with a healthy settlement.

So far, so good. I enjoyed the twisted mother-daughter dynamic between Weaver and Love Hewitt.

-------------------------------
Max Conners: Maybe you'd like a spanking?
Page Conners: Just try it. I dare you!
=========================================

Kind of like "The Joy Luck Club" meets "The Grifters." When they move to Palm Beach, Florida, in search of new targets, that's when "Heartbreakers" stumbles. Max sets her sights on billionaire William B. Tensy (Gene Hackman). Mirkin uses one running gag: he is a chain smoker with a hacking cough. This soon gets tiresome. What is it with Mirkin and the whacky nomenclature? Casting Hackman as a smoker with a hacking cough? People who live in glass mirkins should not throw stones.

For some reason Max affects a Russian accent for this con, if for no other reason than to cry about deportation, thus hastening the mark's marriage proposal. Sigourney is no Streep, and maybe that's the point of one amusing scene in a Russian restaurant where she fails miserably to convince Native Russian Speakers of her authenticity. But, like Hackman's hacking cough, the faux accent also became annoying in short order.

Ray Liotta was good as the mark "Dean" in the first act, but when he returns he mostly just gets in the way. A few jokes hit their mark, but many miss. The best thing about the second part is the ongoing war/romance between Page and Jack Withrowe (Jason Lee).

-----------------
Jack Withrowe: Hi. Can I get you a drink?
Page Conners: Wow! I've never heard that one before. You really blow me away with your creativity.
Jack Withrowe: Well, I...
Page Conners: "Well, I, uh..." Your recovery's even better! Do you even care at all who I am? I mean, I could be the Antichrist or have the intelligence of a thermos, but unfortunately *those* are not the matters the male ***** ponders. So please tell me, why did you walk all the way over here to ask to get me a drink?
Jack Withrowe: Well, because... I'm the bartender.
===========================

When she finds out he is not only the bartender, but the bar owner, she sets her sights on him as her next mark. Of course, she never expected to fall for the guy, though her mother warned her. Mothers. What would we do without them?

--------------------
Max Conners: How do I look?
Page Conners: If I were a guy, I'd do you.
==============================

Somehow though, I get the feeling that the marketing department wasn't 100% behind Sigourney Weaver, especially if you look at the box cover. The picture doesn't even look like her.

----------------------------
Max Conners: You will respect your mother and do the con.
Page Conners: Keep dreaming, witch!
Max Conners: You are not too old to spank!
========================================

Nora Dunn and Kevin Nealon, both former SNL cast members, have funny cameos.
Anne Bancroft plays Max's con artist mentor. Director David Mirkin even pulls a Hitchcock as Jack's lawyer. Zach Galifianakis (who is on fire since "The Hangover") and Sarah Silverman play Jack's friends, but talk about wasted resources. They just sit there while those of lesser comedic gifts flail about helplessly.

----------------------
Max Conners: I'm sorry, Page. I'm a terrible mother. I'm a terrible everything.
Page Conners: [comforting her] You're finally seeing things clearly.
===================================

The Hangover [Theatrical Release] (2009) .... Zach Galifianakis was Alan Garner
Runaway Jury (Widescreen Edition) (2003) .... Nora Dunn was Stella Hulic and Gene Hackman was Rankin Fitch
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997) David Mirken: Director
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) .... Jennifer Love Hewitt was Julie James
Chasing Amy: The Criterion Collection (1997) .... Jason Lee was Banky Edwards
GoodFellas (1990) .... Ray Liotta was Henry Hill
Postcards from the Edge (1990) .... Gene Hackman was Lowell Kolchek (written by Carrie Fisher)
Annie Hall (1977) .... Sigourney Weaver was Alvy's Date Outside Theatre
Shampoo (1975) .... Carrie Fisher was Lorna Carp
The Graduate (1967) .... Anne Bancroft was Mrs. Robinson

----------------------
Dean: No more conning! No more! If you're gonna be my wife, you're gonna live a respectable life, chopping cars!
=============================



5/5 All that matters here is Jennifer Love Hewitt
  by Hewittophile
This is a must-have for any hetero male who can't wait for it to come around again on cable TV. Forget all the bad reviews; all that matters is that Jennifer Love Hewitt is painfully hot in this movie. Actually it's a half-decent film that rises above the level of sex comedies aimed at the 18-35 knuckle-dragging audience. But that doesnt' matter. Yeah, it's light fare but you won't care. The cast is full of A-listers (Gene Hackman, Sigourney Weaver, Ray Liotta, Jason Lee, Anne Bancroft, Nora Dunn, Sarah Silverman, Carrie Fisher) who turn in professional performances, but you might not even notice. Hackman is so adept as a hacking, liver-spotted geriatric that you might be grossed out, but you'll get over it. All that really matters is the amazing Hewitt bouncing around in an endless series of slinky micro dresses. I have a friend in the film/video industry who tells me that all the studio execs wish JLH was their girlfriend, and after seeing *Heartbreakers* I'm not surprised.

A definite desert-island pick.

3/5 Funny, a riot, on a difficult theme
  by Pork Chop (Lisbon, Portugal)
HEARTBREAKERS offers a story rarely touched upon, is a good comedy, a
riot, in fact, such that many may not be able to not laugh out loud,
mainly from the curious aspects in the dialog, other times from the
quality of the acting, especially from Ray Liotta, and Gene Hackman,
both marks of the confidence ladies played by Sigourney Weaver, and
Jennifer Love Hewitt.

The marketing of the movie is succesful in the sense that the movie
delivers exactly was promised, in terms of comedy, quality acting
from veteran, proven successful actors, that relaxes the audiences,
and leaves them wondering how realistic is the behavior shown on
screen.

The controversial theme has a dual edge to it, with some finding it
objectionable to laugh at dispicable, insidious behavior, which is
the entrapment of single moderately wealthy to rich men, creating
incidents for divorce, and laughing all the way to the bank,
afterwards.

Other behaviors also covered are several examples shown in the
movie, such as freeloading at restaurants, hotel rooms, gas stations,
reinforcing the above analysis.

These pro's are experts in creating totally believable circumstances,
manipulating their mark's thought processes, to forgone conclusions,
which they carry out in public, or even among themselves, quite
surprisingly or not.


The cinematography is not too far from TV-like, but still has the
necessary ingredients to please most audiences, with a nice
wide-screen format, and a momentum that never lets down in terms of
action.

The critics to this movie, as well, may touch also upon the exuberant
youth projected by Hewitt, sometimes excessively so, compromising the
overall project's credibility in terms of acting, but also in terms
of the type of audience this picture will command, probably those
below 17 years of age. This stems from condoning the behavior of the
two ladies. I would not underestimate Hewitt, despite this.

Other questionable, or unnecessary aspects is the excess libido that
is relentlessly demonstrated on screen, suggesting that nobody can
shield themselves from their basic instincts, or avoid being played
on that basis, which is obviously a flawed theory. Some may find
HEARTBREAKERS somewhat sleazy, although the goal is to underline the
comedy aspect, the easy laughs that for some, may find gets old fast
over 90 mins.

Apart from the greed shown, thoughtless adultery is suggested as part
of ladies behavior as a necessary evil in their setups, which may
also be objectionable to some.

The only morality in this story, is Liotta, despite his own mobster
type of persona, vocabulary, mannerisms tells the ladies "Do you have
any idea how much therapy you need ? ", later telling them one thing,
but doing another, when he plays into their hands, as he is
manipulated and capitulates to their domination.

For those who appreciate comedy, even on a difficult theme like this
one, HEARTBREAKERS will win them over, if not for the charisma,
professionalism, and skill brought into the picture by Weaver,
Hewitt, and Hackman. Funny, a riot over 90 mins.

3/5 Doesn't quite get off the ground
  by magellan (Santa Clara, CA)
This film has its moments, mainly the occasional funny one-liner, but unfortunately it never quite seems to get off the ground. I like all the main actors/actresses, but there's very little on-screen chemistry between them, although they do things to Gene Hackman that you normally don't get to do to him on-screen. The concept of two beautiful, scamming sisters is funny enough, but as I said, the movie just doesn't quite make it work. And Sigourney Weaver's fake Russian accent during part of the movie is as phoney as a two-dollar bill, although I'm a fan of Weaver, who Hollywood never could seem to figure out how to make a lasting star. If you're a fan of Weaver or Hackman (who is good as an eccentric old tobacco billionaire), you'll probably still want to see it, but wait for it to come out on HBO. Actually, the funniest thing was the commentaries on the DVD about how the movie was made. That did provide some comic relief and insight into the movie.

3/5 FUNNY FOR HALF ITS LENGTH, THEN A FOG OF INDECISION
  by Shashank Tripathi (Gadabout)
For a chick-flick, the film does well to aim no higher than some shallow raunchy old fun. There is enough air in the beginning romp to draw you in. It is only when you find yourself predicting exact lines and jokes that you begin to wonder if there is much meat left past the first hour.

As the mother in a mother-daughter con-woman pair, Sigourney Weaver is by turns comical and lascivious. Subjective opinion: I found her significantly more fetching than the younger Jennifer Love Hewitt, who is pesky as usual but teenagers and brain candy diehards may find her entertaining in that lightly adoloscent way. Liotta I simply feel sorry for, what a tragic waste of Goodfellas calibre talent. Gene Hackman serves reliably as an aging stumblebum, but gets no more than ten minutes of actual screentime.

The theme has an unmistakable halo of the much sharper Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, which leaves one hoping for that clever twist that never quite materializes. Instead the film breaks into a half-bummed pondering of profound issues: the need for the mother to Let Go, the importance of true love that trumps a grifter's dayjob, and suchlike. All of which is ham-handed and tacked on to the last hour in a rush.

At best a fluffy rental for evenings when nothing else is on. Know that you are watching a light chick-flick and you will do fine.