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Romain Duris, Vanessa Paradis, Julie Ferrier, François Damiens, Héléna Noguerra ... see more see more... , Andrew Lincoln , Jacques Frantz , Amandine Dewasmes , Jean-Yves Lafesse , Jean-Marie Paris , Tarek Boudali , Philippe Lacheau , Geoffrey Bateman , Natasha Casheman , Franck Massiah , Hiromi Asai , Sophie Jezequel , Audrey Lamy , Dominique Gaffieri , Elodie Frenck , Julien Arruti , Camille Figuereos , Nina Melo , Adina Cartianu

HEARTBREAKER is an action-packed romantic comedy pairing two of France's biggest young stars: Romain Duris (THE BEAT THAT MY HEART SKIPPED, PARIS) and actress/singer Vanessa Paradis (GIRL ON THE BRIDG... read more read more...E). A smash hit in France, the film was also featured at the Tribeca Film Festival. Charming, funny and effortlessly cool, Alex (Duris) is a professional heartbreaker who for a fee can turn any husband, fiance or boyfriend into an ex. Alex has one ironclad rule: He only breaks up couples where the woman is unhappy. His latest job will put that rule to the test. The target is Juliette, a beautiful heiress who is set to marry the man of her dreams. With ten days until the wedding, Alex has been hired by her father to carry out his most daring seduction yet that risks him being caught by his ruthless personal creditors, angry exes, and the beautiful and independent Juliette herself. But worst of all, will he discover to his own cost that when it comes to love, the perfect plan doesn't exist? This fall no one will be able to resist HEARTBREAKER. -- (C) IFC

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67% liked it

14,621 ratings

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69% liked it

74 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 44 min.

Directed by: Pascal Chaumeil

Release Date: September 10, 2010

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DVD Release Date: January 11, 2011

Stats: 718 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (718)

  • katykern8261
    September 16, 2011
    katykern8261
    Directed by Pascal Chaumeil, Quad Productions, 2010. Starring Romain Duris, Vanessa Paradis, Julie Ferrier and Andrew Lincoln.

    Genre: Comedy, Romance

    Question: Ladies, this question goes out to you. What could a guy do that would make you fall in love with him? I know a har... read mored question to answer. I have my thoughts but I am going to keep those to myself. However, I just watched a film called Heartbreaker (I know the title doesn't evoke much confidence in finding true love) and found that sometimes it's what we do that makes the guy fall in love with us first. When that happens, we allow the thought to be possible and then all bets are off. We fall and we fall hard!

    Heartbreaker is a French film (L'arnacoeur). I know, not my typical movie genre, but I might have mentioned I am expanding my movie tastes. Plus, I am finding it easier to read subtitles and still see and enjoy the movie. There weren't any movies available at the time at the theatre yesterday that I wanted to see. I waited until the evening to check my Netflix Instant Play queue. Heartbreaker was on my list. It was recommended to me after I posted my last foreign film - Sarah's Key (a French film) so it was on my queue. I watched the preview - yes, I did - and I was intrigued. I remembered it was a comedy (and a romance) and I could really use a comedy these days so I hit PLAY.

    For more of my review: http://www.tiredofpreviews.com/2011/09/heartbreaker.html
  • itsjustme2004
    March 7, 2011
    itsjustme2004
    This was a fun movie, with a unique premise..which led to enjoyable (if at times predictable) story lines. The acting was very good. A little slapstick at times. Really good soundtrack, too. Just an all round nice chick flick.
  • lewiskendell
    January 24, 2011
    lewiskendell
    "Women in couples come in three categories: happy, knowingly unhappy, and unhappy without admitting it."

    Heartbreaker is a breezy French romantic comedy about a suave man travels about, being paid by wealthy people to break up relationships or engagements between women and the m... read moreen that they don't love or who are undeserving. He's hired by parents, siblings, and friends to keep the women from making mistakes. With the help of his sister, brother-in-law, and the information they gather about their marks, they efficiently make the women fall for Alex, and in the process, make them realize that they don't love their partner.

    They only intervene if they see that the woman is truly unhappy, and they never act on the basis of race or nationality. Alex doesn't sleep with the women, it's all strictly business. That is (there's always a catch) he's hired to thwart an upcoming marriage that seems perfect from the outside, and meets a woman who becomes more than just another job.

    There's nothing particularly new or brilliant about Heartbreakers, but it's pleasant enough. It's amusing at times (mostly thanks to the comic relief of the sister and brother-in-law characters), and whoever wrote the script has a definite love for Dirty Dancing. The movie is referenced almost constantly, and there's even a spot-on recreation of a dance scene, near the end. So if you're a big fan of Dirty Dancing, the novelty of that should be a point in Heartbreaker's favor.

    Overall, this was an okay movie. There are much worse movies of the type, that's for sure.
  • LWOODS04
    January 11, 2011
    LWOODS04
    Cast: Romain Duris, Vanessa Paradis, Julie Ferrier, François Damiens, Héléna Noguerra, Andrew Lincoln, Jacques Frantz, Amandine Dewasmes

    Director: Pascal Chaumeil

    Summary: Alex (Romain Duris) and his sister, Mélanie (Julie Ferrier), and her husband, Marc (François Damiens... read more), earn money by breaking up relationships. But when Alex falls for a client's (Jacques Frantz) daughter, Juliette (Vanessa Paradis), he has to decide if he'll bust up her wedding to Jonathon (Andrew Lincoln), who's truly perfect for her.

    My Thoughts: "I don't care how predictable it was, I loved it. The comedy, the actors, the cliche's, and the romance. I loved it all. Very funny film with a couple odd characters (the sister and her husband) that I thought were great and funny. Romain Duris, is cute, charming, and was great in his role as Alex. Vanessa Paradis was great in this as well, playing a strong independent woman with a tough exterior. Loved the car scene with the Wham song.. also the restaurant scene where they payed tribute to 'Dirty Dancing', it was fun. I was surprised there was American music in the film. It's a great movie for those who don't mind subtitles, (there is some english in this as well) and who love rom-coms."
  • gator681
    December 7, 2011
    gator681
    In "Heartbreaker," Alex(Romain Duris) is the front man for a business that he runs with his sister Melanie(Julie Ferrier) and brother-in-law Marc(Francois Damiens) that specializes in breaking up unhappy couples, even if they are not aware of it themselves. As successful as they... read more are, Alex is deeply in debt due to his taste in expensive suits. And Berber villages do not build themselves. So against their better judgment, they take on the job of breaking up Juliette(Vanessa Paradis) and Jonathan(Andrew Lincoln), despite the fact that he is so perfect that they all want to date him. By contrast, she has a gap in her front teeth and loves George Michael and "Dirty Dancing."(Sorry, but I have not been able to get those two songs out of my head the last couple of days.) Regardless, Alex has a week to work his magic in Monaco before their wedding.

    "Heartbreaker" is a moderately appealing movie that works its familiar charms well. Romain Duris makes a good lead, as he is sexy enough to pass as god's gift to women, ironically playing a character who does not live up to the full potential of the characters he plays. Admittedly, the 'seduction by liberation' business is ethically dubious.(As Marc crudely puts it, they seek to open a women's eyes, not her legs.) Even though I am not thrilled about outside intervention except in the case of violence and abuse, I suppose it could work, assuming the woman has never been exposed to true happiness before. In any case, what is truly important are the crazy things we do for love.
  • michaelneumann
    September 29, 2010
    michaelneumann
    Heartbreaker is essentially the cinematic equivalent of a Hostess cupcake, or some similarly low-grade sweetness that maybe does the job but you kinda wish you opted for something healthier / better-tasting. But, a French version of said low-nutrient snack. It takes a ridiculou... read mores premise and runs with it: a crack team of ?break-up? specialists are paid to enlighten women by seducing them and having them realize their present relationship is too toxic to resume. If this were an American film, it?d star Katherine Heigl and Matthew McConaughey, or some such pairing emblematic of bad romantic comedies vomiting out of Hollywood these days. But, this is France. Charm happens in France, at least to us American viewers. Romain Duris plays Alex Lippi, the ?heartbreaker? at the head of the team (who looks remarkably like Jemaine from Flight of the Conchords, with a dash of Sacha Baron Cohen), and after a necessary montage showing his prowess of seduction, he and his team are entered into the impossible gig: to break up what seems like a good relationship. Vanessa Paradis ? Mrs. Johnny Depp herself ? plays the romantic foil, a fiancé of Mr. Perfect, etc. etc., and her father doesn?t want to see this marriage come through. The entire plot is shoddily predictable, replete with easy jokey targets such as George Michael and ?Dirty Dancing? as running gags, and would be utter dreck if/when it?s Americanized with aforementioned clichéd actors forefronting it. But the film is given panache with Duris? animated hilarity, and makes those easy targets genuinely funny. Lippi is a force in this film, and you watch it mainly because of him. The whole team actually provides the bulk of the film?s funny, featuring ?that one contortionist girl from Micmacs? and ?the one guy who looks kinda familiar from that one movie, or something.? Anyway, Paradis herself is a rather empty and not wholly interesting foil, but it didn?t matter. The movie and its script were beyond saving, try as Duris might. But, happily enough, I did get something out of this wasteful confection of a movie: I need to be on the look out for more films starring Romain Duris.
  • hypathio7
    September 28, 2010
    hypathio7
    Charming, but nothing very original. Duris is Alex, a man who is hired to make women fall in love with him so they will break off relationships with men they don't realize are making them unhappy. His sister Melanie, played by the beautiful Ferrier, and her husband Marc, played... read more by the very funny Damiens help Alex by gathering intel, doing surveillance, staying close in disguise, and generally making magic happen with each of Alex's targets. The use of espionage in getting close to the women and playing with their hearts is the most refreshing thing that kept the movie from being a total cliche. Ferrier and especially Damiens provide the most hilarious bits that are much needed to keep the movie from dragging.

    Most of the movie consists of Alex and his team's difficult assignment in putting a stop to a wedding that is a week off involving Paradis as Juliette. Her father has mysterious reasons for trying to break up Juliette and her British fiance Jonathan, played by Lincoln. Juliette has a horny ex-best friend that keeps trying to convince her to go astray, but Juliette is a good, classy young lady. Her fiance is a rich philanthropist who seemingly doesn't have any faults and they both are happily in love. Eventually Alex is persistent enough in manipulating Juliette that she does fall for him, and of course the manipulator finds himself thinking of the woman as a real person and not his target. The relationship between the two leads at times reminded me of It Happened One Night or Roman Holiday. The ending is ripped right from It Happened One Night.
  • Nutterjr
    October 24, 2011
    Nutterjr
    Not all European cinema is worth a watch, especially the ones that copy the Hollywood box-office recipies. If it wasn't for a rather charming Romain Duris, this film would be a disaster.
  • danieljparsons
    September 22, 2011
    danieljparsons
    A bog standard romance flick where the man falls for the girl he's only supposed to be 'interested in' for a bet/job/dare (here he's attempting to break up an engagement as part of his job - a 'heart breaker'). I am very, very fond of Romain Duris and he is excellent here, as he ... read moreis in everything, and it's great to see he has a flair for knockabout comedy to match his gift for drama (I especially love the moment he tries to recreate a dance from Dirty Dancing). But his good work aside, there's nothing new here, and it's depressing to learn that the French are just as good at making generic, run-of-the-mill romance movies as the Americans and the British are. Entirely skippable.
  • DocHalister
    September 7, 2011
    DocHalister
    I love this hilarious picture which I've now viewed multiple times. Compare to the hit American film "The Wedding Crashers"; but this doesn't collapse as badly toward the end. RT's official description of this film doesn't suit me, so here's mine: A three-person TEAM is in the... read more specialty business of breaking up unhappy marriages by seducing the wife. At least...seducing her to the point where she realizes she still has "market value" and can opt out of her marriage. It's all done in the silliest ways only these very ingenious screenwriters could have dreamed up. The team member with the role of "seducer"(Romain Duris) isn't exceptionally handsome or hunky--no Cary Grant. But his highly resourceful teammates set up elaborate situations that make him really look good; and within these circumstances the seducer does display some talents of his own. Right there's the main charm of the movie: The preposterousness of the seductions, and the need for tactical shifts when problems with the original plan arise.

View All Heartbreaker (L'Arnacoeur) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Roger Moore
December 8, 2010
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

Laugh-out-loud silly and well worth seeing before Hollywood remakes it with somebody like Matthew McConaughey in the title role. Full Review

Wesley Morris
September 23, 2010
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

It has neither a cynic's conviction nor idealist's perseverance, and its ideas about what a woman wants seem cribbed from bad paperback fiction. Full Review

Joe Morgenstern
September 17, 2010
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

Chaumeil's comedy cum scenery -- mainly Monte Carlo -- gives the mercurial Romain Duris a chance to show his chops as an homme fatal. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
September 16, 2010
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Alas, it turns out to be just as bad as any routine French romantic comedy -- illogical, inconsistent and sloppily written, a charmless, tasteless, witless waste of time. Full Review

Peter Rainer
September 13, 2010
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

The travelogue component of Heartbreaker is its best selling point. Full Review

Stephen Holden
September 10, 2010
Stephen Holden, New York Times

Yes, Heartbreaker is diverting, intermittently charming and occasionally funny, but it is also a jumble of jammed-together notions. Full Review

Kyle Smith
September 10, 2010
Kyle Smith, New York Post

A sweetly ingratiating fuzzy navel of a movie... Full Review

Kenneth Turan
September 9, 2010
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

Slick entertainment is rarely as, yes, slickly entertaining as it is in Heartbreaker, a French romantic farce that is commercial cinema at its most successful. Full Review

Owen Gleiberman
September 8, 2010
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Heartbreaker is like a caper comedy meets The Bodyguard -- it's winsome and accomplished fluff. Full Review

Melissa Anderson
September 7, 2010
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice

There's trouble in Paradis-and in a script that prizes frenzy over any actual feeling. Full Review

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    • Alex: And to attain our goal.....anything goes.
    • Alex: I break up couples for a living.
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