Starring Sigorney Weaver, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ray Liotta, Gene Hackman, Jason Lee, Kevin Nealon, Nora Dunn, Anne Bancroft. Directed by David Mirkin. Angela (Weaver) is marrying New Jersey chop shop owner Dean (Liotta) and passes out on their wedding bed after a lot of champagne. The next day, his secretary Wendy (Hewitt) displays her ample assets in his face, and he can't help himself. But his new, quickly recovered wife walks in on them in the middle, and a quickie divorce and settlement follows. It turns out Angela is Max, and Wendy is Max's daughter Page, and they have been running one of their scams where Max quickly marries a man with some money and just as quickly divorces him, taking away a nice settlement for a few months work. Page wants to strike out on her own, and thinks she is ready. An IRS agent (Bancroft) catches the women and takes all their money out of their account, and slaps on an additional $200,000 plus still owing. To pay the bill, Max and Page head off to Palm Beach, and set their sights on tobacco billionaire William Tensy (Hackman), a wheezing, disgusting senior on the brink of kicking the bucket. While there, Page stumbles on a sweet, unasuming bar owner Jack (Lee) who she discovers also has a firm $3 million offer on his bar. But things get complicated when Page begins to like Jack, and Dean arrives back in town looking for Max. Heartbreakers is an often funny, almost screwball comedy about trust, romance for profit, and love getting in the way of business. It asks that the viewer not look too deeply into it, because it is a very cynical view of romantic relationships. Max got pregnant with Page when Max allowed herself to start to have feelings with a guy, and he did the "conceive and leave" men sometimes do. Max admonishes Page for the sin of closing her eyes while kissing Jack, an indication she may actually be feeling something, and that is the worst sin in their business. Max hammers into Page that no man can be trusted, and there aren't any good ones out there. She even goes out of her way to convince Page the sweet and decent one she has is no good, telling herself she is doing it for Page's own good. But the two apply more manipulations between themselves than on their hapless marks. I thought I was cynical. But I am digging too deeply. Some of the things that go on, and some of the character reactions are not particulary believable, but it is not that big a problem. The film is written and directed in a breezy way, with good lines, and fun and trashy costumes. It is not a satire, and any time it starts to veer into anything serious or sappy, someone falls in the mud or on the floor, or utters a sarcastic line. The film is also aided by a strong cast with able performers. Liotta is quite good, and his character is given some of the best lines while receiving only a fraction of the screen time, shooting fish in water, constrasting his mob lifestyle as far less twisted than the manipulative one between Max and Page. Weaver plays the aging grifter with grace and class, and is quite convincing as one who could induce a man to take leave of his senses and marry on the spur of the moment. One of her funniest moments is her Russian accented version of Back In The U.S.S.R. Jennifer Love Hewitt is there primarily because she can attract a young audience, and she pouts well and looks good in plunging necklines. But she acquits herself surprisingly well, showing an affinity for physical comedy and a decent ability in her occasional sensitive romantic moments. Hackman is appropriately repulsive as the tobacco apologist, but his character begins to get annoying as a heavy-handed anti-smoking advertisement, and his untimely end is welcome. Lee's character is sometimes a little too sweet and naive for words, although the occasional sarcastic remark helps diminish this tendency. Accepting the film for what it is, a breezy, funny, not-to-be-taken-too-seriously comedy, Heartbreakers is an entertaining film. If you would like to respond, please click the E-Mail Press Here To Go To The Review List Page