Heartbreakers (2001)

Strong and Moving!

just watch it!

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

To borrow the quote from songwriter Engel Franz, "The smile that made a dream begin, clouds your vision you been living in, she whispers oh such pretty lies, don't believe her for when she look into your eyes, love just isn't there, cause she doesn't care, Brother beware, Oh Brother beware, Brother take care, cause the Female of the species is Deadlier than Male." Watched this movie about a Mother Daughter con artist team of Sigorney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt. They take multiple alias from former jobs, mainly marring men and leaving them when the settlement is reached. Their coming off their last swindle from Body shop/Chop shop crook Dean Cummano (Ray Liotta) who as far he knows woke up to a mess. Max Conners,(Weaver) catches Dean in a compromising position with his newly hired secretary played by of course her Daughter Page (Hewitt). Max expeditiously gets the divorce from Dean with the usual hefty settlement her half of the money. The con is complete! Page has lunch with her divorcée Mom discussing her firm butt in addition being an expert with a deck of cards (loaded deck) wants to branch off on her own. The barracudas The Conners go to the bank to withdraw what's coming to them. An IRS examiner (Anne Bankcroft) stops them and says," You owe us several hundred thousand dollars in taxes forgetting to file the past 7 years. Even with the cash settlement it isn't enough. The two cons are in a bind with 90 days to pay or become love slaves in a jail wearing orange jumpsuits. Time for another hustle.Speaking of wardrobe, kudos to the set designers and clothing departments as Weaver and Hewitt look stunning throughout the picture. Off to Palm Beach, Florida where cons and Hollywood decided that rich widowers and bachelors live seeking female companionship., i.e. Some Like It Hot. Page and Mom agree this is their last con together in hopes of cashing in and paying off the IRS and having enough leftover for Page to go on her own. Their next target is the Millionaire tobacco King Willaim Tensy (Gene Hackman) who is perfectly cast as a "Hacking Man" who has an advanced case of emphysema where he literally drops to his knees in a coughing rage during a high value auction. Max portrays a Russian woman and makes her move on Tensey as he quickly falls for her . Meanwhile Page in her mini dress walks into Bar outside of town on the way to Tensey's estate waiting for a call from Mom as to put a tire trap of nails on the road for Tensey's Rolls Royce to run over causing him to crash and have Max save him and then do her love hustle on Tensey in hopes of Marriage and a big payoff. At the bar a young gentleman offers Page a drink Jason Lee (Jack) who is scolded by the Hostile Page and when her speech was done Jack simply said he is the Bartender and she backed off. The call was made by Mom to leave and set the trap. Smitten by his encounter with the feisty vixen Jack follows Page and runs over the nails and crashes his station wagon. One thing leads to another as the two discover each other naturally against Mother's wishes as work has to be done in marrying Tensey first. The story gets more involved with Weaver showing her singing talents at a Russian restaurant and Hewitt's secret meetings with Jack and their dialogue about watching the stars is laughable. Great performances by Nora Dunn as the suspicious house keeper to Tensey who also gets swindled. Anne Bankcroft as the sturdy IRS examiner shows a confidence that can never be unraveled. Ray Liotta shows his comedic timing and fishing skills by firing his gun in the water telling the in-laws he's a College Professor who teaches College S--T! Wasted appearances by Sarah Silverman and Zach Galifianakis as they had a few straight lines a piece as Jack's Buddy's at the bar. Jason Lee appears to be a bit wooden and colorless but it works well being the straight partner for Hewitt's nasty lines and comebacks.The thimble rig chain of events will lead up to a wedding day for one of the woman. Good to see sex predator Jeffrey Jones who has a short cameo and put on a few pounds as the Hotel manager. I truly enjoyed this canard of chicanery with Weaver and Love Hewitt who has an uncanny resemblance to Hallmark channel's Lacey Chalbert. By the way when dining out add a little chard of glass on your plate for a free meal.

Heartbreakers (2001) starring Jennifer love Hewitt, Sigourney Weaver, Ray Liotta, and Gene Hackman is a very funny well done comedy about conwomen mother and daughter. I loved the casting, Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer love Hewitt play their roles very well and they have good on screen chemistry as a team. Ray liotta is alright I guess, his role is super duper important but he's alright, and then Hackman is funny in what little of a role he has. The script has its definite funny moments and I was never bored with what was happening, I never checked to see if the film was getting close to being over. What these women do is one of them will start seeing a very wealthy man, eventually marry him, and then the other will seduce the man hours or a day after, the other woman walks in on it, then divorces him and they get a huge load of money to play around with. I thought it was a pretty well thought out good premise. The movie has some real romance mixed in not just conning and pretending. What real romance did happen was natural seeming and the chemistry worked. Overall, this is a pretty funny film that I think just about anyone would enjoy and it's got an A list cast that does a great job with the well put together writing. 8/10 for Heartbreakers.

Sigourney Weaver is a national treasure. She has given us what are by now legendary performances: Ripley from the "Alien" series, Katherine from "Working Girl", among others. This one here is also a match for those: She is witty, sexy, and a force of nature. Since she's playing multiple characters, it would be easier to refer her as mother.We are introduced to her act when she's just celebrating her wedding to her latest conquest, and from the looks of it, she's something special. Eventually, we realize what the act is, as she walks away with a nice settlement and meets her partner in crime right when she's leaving town: Jane, her own daughter, the result of one trick gone wrong a few decades before.Jane is ready to move on the professional leagues, but mother is a bit overprotective, in spite of what she makes her own kid do. Complications arise, and what was to be their last job together goes bust. Soon, they are in Palm beach, trying to find the biggest fish which will lead them to retirement. Watching them evaluate their prospects is hilarious. These pro's have an interesting set of standards.Soon, the target is chosen, and Gene Hackman, given a hideous makeup job turns out to be them the most unappetizing of their victims. He looks like a living dead who survives from puffing constantly on tobacco. The close ups are both entertaining and disturbing, since his complexion and his teeth-coloring is as close as you get to a corpse with the ability to speak.Any movie would not be fun if there were no complications, and soon mother is facing ghosts from her past, Jane is having second thoughts about what is happening with her life. This begins when she meets a local bartender who has better prospects she originally believed. Add to the developing mess, a faithful maid, unexpected proposals, maimed statues, and the power of true love.The laughs keep coming, and eventually everything is resolved, this is one of the best pieces to see because true nature never quite leaves mother, and she finds a way to turn into a winning hand. "Heartbreakers" is a classic comedy of the best kind.

This is one of my favorite comedies. I Highly recommend it! I have laughed so much with Ulga Yevanova. It is a perfect Russian accent. And the dinner with Hackman was also hilarious! She is still in a very good shape for 51 (now she's 61). Gene Hackman was so funny as billionaire tobacco magnate William Tensy. Hewitt was brilliant! The ending is exciting! It is so difficult to find a good movie on TV now a days. But this one was a really good surprise. Funny. Romantic. Sexy. I just love it! Great performances! Ray Liotta also shines. I hope I can watch more movies like this on TV.This is one of my favorite comedies. I Highly recommend it! I have laughed so much with Ulga Yevanova. It is a perfect Russian accent. And the dinner with Hackman was also hilarious! She is still in a very good shape for 51 (now she's 61). Gene Hackman was so funny as billionaire tobacco magnate William Tensy. Hewitt was brilliant! The ending is exciting! It is so difficult to find a good movie on TV now a days. But this one was a really good surprise. Funny. Romantic. Sexy. I just love it! Great performances! Ray Liotta also shines. I hope I can watch more movies like this on TV.