If the ultra-annoying Hitch happened to be a French film (Le Hitch?), it might be welcomed with the same double standard as this slapsticky rom-com, one that pays its discerning arthouse audience the added compliment of forcing them to read subtitles. Already, the remake script is probably being FedExed to Will Smith, who's no doubt getting jiggy over the role of Alex (Duris), a rakish entrepreneur in the unusual private business of breaking up soon-to-be-married couples. What, pray tell, will happen to Alex after he jets off to Monaco with his team in pursuit of the lovely, sphinxlike Juliette (Paradis), set to wed some guy with a plane? What will happen to his own heart?
Yes, sultry breezes and the occasional flash of nudity distract from the ol' fork-plunged-in-the-thigh gag; Heartbreaker flaunts its impossibly attractive cast with a flourish of escapism. But it should be noted that its star, Romain Duris, is miscast; he's more a puppy than a lady-killer, and you can't help but wonder how long it took him to cultivate that chin growth. (Duris's vulnerability makes him a fascinating quantity in crime films.) The movie's most telling moment comes when he and Paradis lovingly ape the choreography of Dirty Dancing; here's a film that definitely wants to play Hollywood dress-up.---Joshua Rothkopf
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