Lyzsi SinclairCinema release review - "Heartbreaker"
Time now for what should hopefully be my last romantic comedy review for a little while, and it comes in the form of French film “Heartbreaker”, which hits cinemas nationwide in the UK on Friday July 2nd. Starring a mainly French cast including Romain Duris (“The Spanish Apartment”), Vanessa Paradis (“Élisa”), Julie Ferrier (“Mr Bean’s Holiday”), François Damiens (“Incognito”); and with English actor Andrew Lincoln (“Teachers”, “Love Actually”) – this subtitled film is directed by Pascal Chaumeil.
Alex Lippi (Romain Duris), his sister Mélanie (Julie Ferrier), and her husband Marc (François Damiens) run a business – one that specialises in breaking up relationships. Hired by the client (usually the brother or father of the woman in question), they are paid to free these women from relationships they are unknowingly unhappy in; with Alex being the man to charm them and show them the light of freedom. With his sister and her husband Marc providing the technical and physical support he needs to get the job done, Alex has a tried and tested method, and rehearsed story in order to earn their paycheck. However, when the team are hired by a rich father (Jacques Frantz – “G.I. Joe: The Rise Of The Cobra”) to break up his seemingly very happy and in love daughter Juliette’s (Vanessa Paradis) relationship before her wedding day in a week’s time – and with Alex being chased by loan sharks for his debts – they have no choice but to take the job. With a woman who is the very definition of stubborn, and a week that proves to be the hardest Alex has ever had, will he succeed – or will love finally get in the way...?
Well what a sparkling gem of a film this was! Appropriately for my last rom-com experience for a little while, it turned out to be exactly what I wanted. The film is in French with English subtitles, so if you’re not good at reading subtitles and taking in the action at the same time, then it’s perhaps not for you. I am a fan of foreign films though and have a particular love for subtitles even on television programmes, so it was perfect for me (apart from some unfortunate issues to do with the cinema screen I saw it in). Romain Duris is not your typical heartthrob – in fact to begin with I found him a bit smarmy. With a set-up in the film that was not unlike an episode of BBC drama “Hustle” however, I was soon able to forget that and focus more on the story. Julie Ferrier and François Damiens who played his sister and brother-in-law, were a fantastic accompaniment to his character – with each bringing different qualities to the comedy mix. I think this was a strong point in fact, that the film was far more comedy than romance. The moments that made you laugh, REALLY made you laugh, and any romantic stuff was subtly done, and without the cheesiness that you would expect from maybe a Hollywood film.
Before I went to see this film, I saw a film poster that said that it was ‘utterly chic’ – and although I went in there with low expectations, that is a statement I can completely agree with. Nothing was over-played, nothing was too predictable – and even with a scene that involved Duris and Vanessa Paradis re-creating the infamous dance scene from “Dirty Dancing”, it didn’t come across as clichéd or over-the-top. Paradis had a character that was very stubborn and unwelcoming of situations that did not please her, and her softening at the end wasn’t so much as would jeopardize the character that had built up during the main portion of the film. I understand a change of character during a film usually makes up the main story, but sometimes it suits a story much more when the change is as understated as this, which really plays to “Heartbreaker” and its strengths.
Julie Ferrier was fantastic as Alex’s sister Mélanie, and brought the right amount of discipline and comic timing to her role. It was François Damiens however who was wonderfully successful at stealing screen-time for all the right reasons. His role wasn’t massive, but his lines all carried a fantastic comedy to them – and one scene in particular where he bashed Juliette’s nymphomaniac friend Sophie (Héléna Noguerra) over the back of the head with a statue, in order to stop her ruining Alex’s plan – was really unexpected, and therefore hilariously funny. That’s the kind of laughs I love in film, ones that you just don’t see coming. Another example of this was a scene where Alex (Duris) was on the phone trying to settle his debts, with the camera panning up to reveal him being dangled over the edge
off of a balcony by a beast of a loan shark. Had I been drinking a beverage, I can guarantee stuff would have shot from my nose.
This film also looked beautiful as well. None of the hideous advertising or product placement that seems to dominate films lately was present, and the costume design was suited well to each character, helping to build a better understanding of them. The locations were also a strong point, beautiful scenery helping to bring the story along. Not that the story needed any help, with a set-up that was effortless and easy to understand. Andrew Lincoln played Juliette’s English husband-to-be Jonathan – and although he barely had any screen-time, it worked in his favour. Getting to know his character even more, would have resulted in the audience feeling torn as to whom Juliette should go for, it was much better that the character we followed was Alex - and Alex alone.
Juliette featured as a secondary character with a story you wanted to follow – but it was Alex that took the lead. The wedding scene at the end was played out straight – none of the faffing around I’m used to seeing in a Hollywood rom-com, with lots of tortured expressions and long pauses that seem to go on a lifetime. It was a relief that Juliette’s character was able to make her decision quickly – and actually made the story more worthy. The subsequent ending scene was little predictable, but was definitely great without the long boring “I love you because…” speeches that tend to litter the end of romantic comedies all too often. Sometimes no words at all, are all that are needed.
Overall then, a fantastically funny and well-played out story, with a cast and director that know exactly what they are doing, and what the audience need to see. As I said before, if you’re not good with subtitles then it’s perhaps not the film for you, but otherwise I’d definitely recommend this film as it’s more than worth a watch. There are lots of laugh-out-loud moments, and nothing too sappy that would be enough to put you off your popcorn. Make sure you stick around for the credits also, as a final unexpected big twist is unveiled (I’m not going to ruin it for you, although I nearly missed it myself). “Heartbreaker” gets a solid 8/10 from me - and a return visit to the cinema when it comes out on Friday July 2nd. Flix Out.
Alex Lippi (Romain Duris), his sister Mélanie (Julie Ferrier), and her husband Marc (François Damiens) run a business – one that specialises in breaking up relationships. Hired by the client (usually the brother or father of the woman in question), they are paid to free these women from relationships they are unknowingly unhappy in; with Alex being the man to charm them and show them the light of freedom. With his sister and her husband Marc providing the technical and physical support he needs to get the job done, Alex has a tried and tested method, and rehearsed story in order to earn their paycheck. However, when the team are hired by a rich father (Jacques Frantz – “G.I. Joe: The Rise Of The Cobra”) to break up his seemingly very happy and in love daughter Juliette’s (Vanessa Paradis) relationship before her wedding day in a week’s time – and with Alex being chased by loan sharks for his debts – they have no choice but to take the job. With a woman who is the very definition of stubborn, and a week that proves to be the hardest Alex has ever had, will he succeed – or will love finally get in the way...?
Well what a sparkling gem of a film this was! Appropriately for my last rom-com experience for a little while, it turned out to be exactly what I wanted. The film is in French with English subtitles, so if you’re not good at reading subtitles and taking in the action at the same time, then it’s perhaps not for you. I am a fan of foreign films though and have a particular love for subtitles even on television programmes, so it was perfect for me (apart from some unfortunate issues to do with the cinema screen I saw it in). Romain Duris is not your typical heartthrob – in fact to begin with I found him a bit smarmy. With a set-up in the film that was not unlike an episode of BBC drama “Hustle” however, I was soon able to forget that and focus more on the story. Julie Ferrier and François Damiens who played his sister and brother-in-law, were a fantastic accompaniment to his character – with each bringing different qualities to the comedy mix. I think this was a strong point in fact, that the film was far more comedy than romance. The moments that made you laugh, REALLY made you laugh, and any romantic stuff was subtly done, and without the cheesiness that you would expect from maybe a Hollywood film.
Romain Duris, Julie Ferrier, and François Damiens made a great on-screen team...
Before I went to see this film, I saw a film poster that said that it was ‘utterly chic’ – and although I went in there with low expectations, that is a statement I can completely agree with. Nothing was over-played, nothing was too predictable – and even with a scene that involved Duris and Vanessa Paradis re-creating the infamous dance scene from “Dirty Dancing”, it didn’t come across as clichéd or over-the-top. Paradis had a character that was very stubborn and unwelcoming of situations that did not please her, and her softening at the end wasn’t so much as would jeopardize the character that had built up during the main portion of the film. I understand a change of character during a film usually makes up the main story, but sometimes it suits a story much more when the change is as understated as this, which really plays to “Heartbreaker” and its strengths.
Dirty Dancing must get a lot in royalties from rom-coms, but it was done well in this film...
Julie Ferrier was fantastic as Alex’s sister Mélanie, and brought the right amount of discipline and comic timing to her role. It was François Damiens however who was wonderfully successful at stealing screen-time for all the right reasons. His role wasn’t massive, but his lines all carried a fantastic comedy to them – and one scene in particular where he bashed Juliette’s nymphomaniac friend Sophie (Héléna Noguerra) over the back of the head with a statue, in order to stop her ruining Alex’s plan – was really unexpected, and therefore hilariously funny. That’s the kind of laughs I love in film, ones that you just don’t see coming. Another example of this was a scene where Alex (Duris) was on the phone trying to settle his debts, with the camera panning up to reveal him being dangled over the edge
This film also looked beautiful as well. None of the hideous advertising or product placement that seems to dominate films lately was present, and the costume design was suited well to each character, helping to build a better understanding of them. The locations were also a strong point, beautiful scenery helping to bring the story along. Not that the story needed any help, with a set-up that was effortless and easy to understand. Andrew Lincoln played Juliette’s English husband-to-be Jonathan – and although he barely had any screen-time, it worked in his favour. Getting to know his character even more, would have resulted in the audience feeling torn as to whom Juliette should go for, it was much better that the character we followed was Alex - and Alex alone.
Juliette featured as a secondary character with a story you wanted to follow – but it was Alex that took the lead. The wedding scene at the end was played out straight – none of the faffing around I’m used to seeing in a Hollywood rom-com, with lots of tortured expressions and long pauses that seem to go on a lifetime. It was a relief that Juliette’s character was able to make her decision quickly – and actually made the story more worthy. The subsequent ending scene was little predictable, but was definitely great without the long boring “I love you because…” speeches that tend to litter the end of romantic comedies all too often. Sometimes no words at all, are all that are needed.
Andrew Lincoln was likeable, but not too dominant in this film which worked...
Overall then, a fantastically funny and well-played out story, with a cast and director that know exactly what they are doing, and what the audience need to see. As I said before, if you’re not good with subtitles then it’s perhaps not the film for you, but otherwise I’d definitely recommend this film as it’s more than worth a watch. There are lots of laugh-out-loud moments, and nothing too sappy that would be enough to put you off your popcorn. Make sure you stick around for the credits also, as a final unexpected big twist is unveiled (I’m not going to ruin it for you, although I nearly missed it myself). “Heartbreaker” gets a solid 8/10 from me - and a return visit to the cinema when it comes out on Friday July 2nd. Flix Out.
Abstract Magick
Cinema Herald
Just from the trailer, I was looking forward to checking this movie out but now after reading your review, I'm really looking forward to it.
Thanks for inviting me over. I hope to come here again.
Cinema Nut
Film News and Reviews...
I read your stuff whenever I'm on here and really enjoy it too :]