Heartbreaker
24/11/15 Filed in: DVD
My latest French film is Heartbreaker. Or to give it its French title, L'Arnacoeur, which is a phonetic play on words, the actual word being arnaqueur, being somebody who practises arnaque, which is a word for a swindle or a con.
Alex, with the help of his sister and her husband, operate a rather unusual business. Basically they break up relationships, which may sound somewhat harsh, but we're led to believe that it's only where the woman is at risk of marrying somebody unsuitable. Needless to say somebody, usually the woman's father, pays them to perform this service.
His ultimate challenge arrives in the form of Juliette (Vanessa Paradis) who is hopelessly in love with her soon to be husband, a rather boring Englishman - from a French perspective, if you want boring in a love-related scenario, I guess casting an English bloke doesn't need much thought!
Alex, with the help of his sister and her husband, operate a rather unusual business. Basically they break up relationships, which may sound somewhat harsh, but we're led to believe that it's only where the woman is at risk of marrying somebody unsuitable. Needless to say somebody, usually the woman's father, pays them to perform this service.
His ultimate challenge arrives in the form of Juliette (Vanessa Paradis) who is hopelessly in love with her soon to be husband, a rather boring Englishman - from a French perspective, if you want boring in a love-related scenario, I guess casting an English bloke doesn't need much thought!
Juliette's father is the paymaster, and Alex poses as her bodyguard. But she's a tough nut to crack despite the team's well researched knowledge of her likes, including the film Dirty Dancing, from which he emulates the famous dance scene ending with Juliette held above his head.
For a French film it actually has all the hallmarks of a formulaic Hollywood RomCom, and it's just as predictable. But it's fun, and with much of the action taking place in Monaco there are some fine backdrops. I also found that comprehending the French was a little easier than with the more traditional French films. Perhaps the dialogue is more simplistic.
For a French film it actually has all the hallmarks of a formulaic Hollywood RomCom, and it's just as predictable. But it's fun, and with much of the action taking place in Monaco there are some fine backdrops. I also found that comprehending the French was a little easier than with the more traditional French films. Perhaps the dialogue is more simplistic.