Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Heartbreakers Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 15, 2016

“Heartbreakers” has every opportunity to become a flavorless collection of antics and quirks concerning the world of con artists and their elaborate schemes. And yet, under the direction of “Simpsons” vet David Mirkin (who also helmed the delightful “Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion”), the feature turns into a surprise. Sure, twists and turns await viewers, remaining true to the spirit of criminal misdirection, but “Heartbreakers” stuns with its robust sense of humor, never fearing a chance to sample silliness as it explores an extended sham. Lively atmosphere and a deep appreciation for the absurd keep the picture not only approachable, but downright hilarious at times. While excessive length takes the wind out of its sail in the third act, the movie remains a delight, offering wonderfully spirited lead performances from Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt.

A second-generation con artist who’s built a life marrying and quickly divorcing hapless men, Max (Sigourney Weaver) is trying to teach daughter Page (Jennifer Love Hewitt) everything she knows. After pulling off a particularly tricky con targeting career criminal Dean (Ray Liotta), Max is ready to slow down, while Page is eager to strike out on her own. However, significant tax issues drain their savings, requiring one last big score to set them up for life. Relocating to Florida, the women set their sights on decrepit tobacco mogul William (Gene Hackman), with Max transforming into an assertive Russian woman to help woo the older man. Page, trying to establish herself as a crook, works her own scheme, making a play for Jack (Jason Lee), a bar owner potentially worth millions. While Max struggles to entice William, Page finds herself falling in love with Jack, creating emotional confusion that threatens the once simple plan.

While con games are nothing new, “Heartbreakers” attempts to define itself through character development and comedy. Max and Page are extensively explored in the screenplay, with their mother-daughter relationship given room to breathe, grasping their subtle antagonisms as Page desires to break free from her second banana role in Max’s business of marital fraud. The ladies are broadly designed, but they retain emotional texture, bonded by their iffy vocation but gradually growing apart, making the last score with William important for their bank account and the friendliness of their future relationship. What’s surprising here is how deeply the actresses dive into their roles, with Weaver relishing a chance to play a duplicitous seductress, while Hewitt works overtime to shed her goody-goody reputation to portray a blunt instrument of sexuality, and one with a mean streak. The dynamic between Page and Max makes up the majority of “Heartbreakers,” which is a nice surprise, as Hewitt and Weaver share true chemistry and timing, creating a believable domestic relationship to go along with all the exaggerated tomfoolery.

Adding to the mix is Gene Hackman, in a rare comedic turn where the actor actively participates in slapstick. Playing a yellowed tobacco magnate who’s become a slave to his own product, Hackman is greatly amusing, coughing his way around the frame as William participates in a strange courtship of Max, believing he’s romancing an adventurous Russian woman. Hackman steals scenes while Mirkin embraces comedic emphasis, encouraging the star to pursue his instincts. And for those who enjoy a little “before they were famous” excitement, Sarah Silverman and Zach Galifianakis appear as Jack’s employees, trying to support their friend during his tumultuous romance with Page.

“Heartbreakers” speeds along when fully involved in the con, greeting suspicious supporting characters (Anne Bancroft and Nora Dunn appear as knowing women) and frequent mishaps as Page juggles Max’s needs with her own. Broadness is always welcome (along with cigarettes -- this has to be one of the smokiest movies in the last 20 years), offering the sight of Page on her knees, with her hair deliberately caught in Dean’s pants zipper during a calculated seduction debacle, and Max eventually works up the nerve to perform “Back in the U.S.S.R.” inside a Russian restaurant, wowing William in the process. Costuming also adds the film’s visual presence, with Weaver gifted her own credited designer to bring Max’s vivid outfits to life, while Hewitt plays to her strengths, marching around “Heartbreakers” in tiny dresses that emphasize long legs and cleavage, crisply identifying Page’s youthful weaponry.

Mirkin establishes pace and welcomes oddity, but he’s careful to keep the picture earthbound, following Page as she begins to fall in love with her mark, responding to his kindness and innocence. “Heartbreakers” eventually abandons outrageousness altogether to find a gooey center, and the screenplay shows considerable strain to get there, extending the effort past its expiration date as Max labors to complicate Page’s future plans. At two hours in length, the feature slackens as it tries to find a suitable resolution, eventually diluting comedy to play with tenderness, which doesn’t fit the movie’s acidic tone.

Heartbreakers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.33:1 aspect ratio) presentation handles the "Heartbreakers" visual palette comfortably, leading with a bright command of colors, offering bold primaries and warmer Floridian hues. Costuming and skintones are also satisfactory. Detail is generally capable, delivering on make-up (Hackman's ghoulish transformation is amusing to study), fabrics, and locations, with textures only slightly muted. Delineation is also periodically threatened with solidification, though no substantial problems arise. Source is in healthy shape, with only a few pockets of debris to contend with.

Heartbreakers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix shows impressive activity, making use of surrounds to achieve a feel for the locations and to fill out music moments. Dialogue exchanges are tight and crisp, making the most out of unusual performance choices, while the group dynamic is free of clutter. Scoring is defined with sharp instrumentation and a pleasing low-end, and the feature's performance sequence sounds full and detailed. Atmospherics work overtime to sell Floridian environments, sampling the presence of water and wildlife.

Heartbreakers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Deleted Scenes (22:44, SD) showcase a lot of connective tissue the movie ultimately didn't require, highlighting additional interplay between Max and Page, Max and William, and Page and Jack. Also included is the full "Back in the U.S.S.R." performance from Weaver.

• Making Of (22:12, SD) is a routine featurette devoted to celebrating the particulars of "Heartbreakers," highlighting the talents of its cast and director David Mirkin's interest in comedic mischief. Interviews with cast and crew are provided, along with brief glimpses of BTS footage.

• "Laffs and Gaffes" (11:45, SD) is a strange, somewhat obnoxious merging of cast and crew commentary and a gag reel, but it never settles anywhere specific, more interested in "wacky" editing than delivering on-set mistakes.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:19, HD) is included.

Heartbreakers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Heartbreakers" loses consistency in the end, but the ride there is incredibly breezy and humorous, offering a wealth of chicanery and stupidity to help satisfy. Perhaps it's not up there with "The Sting," but the effort contains a few substantial surprises, and Hewitt and Weaver make for an exciting team of scammers, offering the production necessary shots of charisma to keep it up and running.