The main characters of “Heartbreakers,” a new situation comedy directed by David Mirkin, are not the impressive cast of seasoned actors, but instead the physical assets of the curvy teenage star, Jennifer Love Hewitt.
The plot of the movie surrounds a mother-daughter con team who seek out rich men for the mother to marry and then the daughter to seduce. When the mother discovers her man with someone else, she goes straight for his wallet in a divorce.
Paige, played by Hewitt, is the daughter in the team. She is introduced wearing a “dress” that covers neither her underwear nor her bra. These skimpy outfits continue throughout the movie and seem to hold the most attention of the camera despite the fact that this movie is categorized as a comedy and not soft porn.
Sigourney Weaver plays the mother, Max. Although she is the more sophisticated of the two, the excessive use of push-up bras by her character is also very apparent.
The men in the story are a strange grouping of actors who do their best with a poorly written script. Gene Hackman, who has played roles that range from evil villain to comedic stooge, plays a sickly tobacco king who the con team targets because of his wealth and his deathly cough. Although the make-up artist does a very good job making Hackman look sickly with his liver spots and brown teeth, this role does not allow him much artistic interpretation beyond hacking up a lung.
Ray Liotta departs from his gangster image, playing a previously jilted husband of Max who discovers her con scheme as she is pursuing Hackman. The script generously donates the majority of the humor in the movie to Liotta, who seems to handle it well. Who knew that this tough guy had a funny side?
A kindly bartender, played by Jason Lee, sweeps Paige off her feet and makes her a “respectable woman.” The mild, lovesick character does not showcase Lee’s talents as a comedic actor. Implementation of Lee’s cynical humor could have added much to this movie.
Liotta and Weaver dominate the comedic performances of the cast. Because neither are typically cast in these roles, it was refreshing to see their ability to handle such a script.
Hackman and Lee were both given such poor roles that their comedic talents were not able to shine. Hewitt makes a feeble attempt at humor once or twice in the movie but never strays far from her typical role as the pretty girl with a big chest.
The biggest downfall of “Heartbreakers” is its running time of more than two hours. Much of the sappy, romantic endeavors between Lee and Hewitt could definitely have hit the cutting room floor. Overall, “Heartbreakers” is destined for a quick shot to the video store.
