It's nothing new for the French, drawing inspiration from American genre staples: Truffaut and Godard were offered the chance to direct Bonnie and Clyde based on their accomplishments, and before he made Joan of Arc, Luc Besson was a perfect mixture of Spielberg and Tarantino. Of course, these gentlemen did their job with a postmodern wit that suited the transition. Play it straight, as first-time feature director Pascal Chaumeil does with Heartbreaker, and the result is a bit more messy.
Though improperly translated (the original, L'arnacoeur, is a pun based on the French words for "heart" and "con man"), the title summarizes the main character quite accurately: Alex (Romain Duris) is a professional heart-breaker, an actor whose job is to make sure women get out of unhappy relationships, all with the help of his sister and brother-in-law. His latest target is Juliette Greco (Vanessa Paradis), who is getting married within a week. Apart from timing issues, something else get in Alex's way: he falls in love with her...
If this were an American rom-com (unsurprisingly, one of the three screenwriters is a Yank), the right director would find the appropriate tonal approach for the silly but potentially entertaining story. Alas, Chaumeil plays everything depressively straight, from trashy opening to schmaltzy end, burdening a very Hollywood-like tale - fans of the late Patrick Swayze might find some enjoyment in a repetitive homage to Dirty Dancing - with typical French seriousness. The leading actors are another problem: Paradis simply doesn't have the comedic chops to carry an entire film, while Duris, though charismatic in certain parts, lacks the (positive) smugness the role so desperately needs (imagine George Clooney in his ER years playing the character).
Good things? Well, the locations - Montecarlo and surroundings - are a joy for the eyes, and the supporting players add some of the missing humor, which would be enough, were this an American film. Sadly, that isn't the case, and so Heartbreaker will go down as a misfiring blueprint for the inevitable Hollywood makeover. Hopefully, the new version will be better...
4,5/10
Though improperly translated (the original, L'arnacoeur, is a pun based on the French words for "heart" and "con man"), the title summarizes the main character quite accurately: Alex (Romain Duris) is a professional heart-breaker, an actor whose job is to make sure women get out of unhappy relationships, all with the help of his sister and brother-in-law. His latest target is Juliette Greco (Vanessa Paradis), who is getting married within a week. Apart from timing issues, something else get in Alex's way: he falls in love with her...
If this were an American rom-com (unsurprisingly, one of the three screenwriters is a Yank), the right director would find the appropriate tonal approach for the silly but potentially entertaining story. Alas, Chaumeil plays everything depressively straight, from trashy opening to schmaltzy end, burdening a very Hollywood-like tale - fans of the late Patrick Swayze might find some enjoyment in a repetitive homage to Dirty Dancing - with typical French seriousness. The leading actors are another problem: Paradis simply doesn't have the comedic chops to carry an entire film, while Duris, though charismatic in certain parts, lacks the (positive) smugness the role so desperately needs (imagine George Clooney in his ER years playing the character).
Good things? Well, the locations - Montecarlo and surroundings - are a joy for the eyes, and the supporting players add some of the missing humor, which would be enough, were this an American film. Sadly, that isn't the case, and so Heartbreaker will go down as a misfiring blueprint for the inevitable Hollywood makeover. Hopefully, the new version will be better...
4,5/10