Heartbreakers

  • Review Date: May 19, 2003
  • PG-13
  • Genre: Comedy
  • 2001
 Review

Common Sense Media says

Not terrible, it just doesn't work very well.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this is yet another example of the MPAA's comedy rule, meaning that material that would get an R rating in a drama gets a PG-13 rating because it is supposed to be funny. The movie contains continual sexual humor that can get very raunchy, including references to group sex. There is no nudity and nothing too graphic onscreen except for the statue. It has very strong language, especially for a PG-13, smoking (comic) and drinking. As noted, the main characters are con women with no concerns about stealing from anyone and everyone.

  • Mild comic peril, comic disposal of corpse.
  • Very strong sexual references and situations for a PG-13, more than most Rs.
  • Very strong language for a PG-13.

What's the story?

Sigourney Weaver plays Max, a con woman who marries wealthy men, denies them sex, and then sues them for divorce when they make a pass at her partner, Page (Jennifer Love Hewitt), who is also her daughter. After they take New Jersey chop shop owner Dean (Ray Liotta), Page is restless and wants to go off on her own. When they run into a little problem with the IRS, they agree to take on one last big con together and head off for Palm Beach. Max wants to go after tobacco man William Tensy (Gene Hackman), but Page is drawn to a sweet bartender named Jack (Jason Lee) who owns some land worth $3 million. Max's challenges include a ferocious guard dog of a housekeeper (Saturday Night Live's Nora Dunn), and Tensy's constant coughing and terrible tobacco-stained teeth. Page's challenge is keeping her plan secret from her mother and keeping herself from falling in love with Jack.


Is it any good?

 

HEARTBREAKERS isn't a terrible movie, but it just does not work very well. We like the characters too much to enjoy their greedy behavior but we do not like them enough to care whether they end up happily. Weaver and Hewitt are at their most delectable in outfits that Erin Brockovich could only dream of. If there were ever an Oscar for cleavage, this movie would be the one to beat. Aside from the cleavage, the best reason to watch the movie is to see Weaver and Hewitt doing their bombshell best and Hackman's odious performance as the mark who just might not be worth marrying to get $20 million.

Max and Page are awful to just about everyone and have no sense that their behavior hurts other people. They are selfish and amoral, operating entirely out of expediency with no thought for the consequences for themselves or others. The script tries to make us believe that this is all because Max is trying to protect Page from being hurt, but that is a con job that we just don't fall for. And despite a few con-job twists, the script is just weak and unoriginal. In real life, these con women would not fool Forrest Gump.


Explore, discuss, enjoy

Families can talk about how Max tried to protect Page from hurt, and whether that is wise or even possible. What does it mean to say, "you might as well get hurt in your own healthy ways?" What was it about Jack that made Page think differently about herself and about the possibilities? What do you have to think about the world to be able to rob everyone you meet? Why did it take Page so long to tell Jack her real name, and what did it mean when she did?


This review of Heartbreakers was written by
Educator
November 5, 2011
 
Love Jennifer Love Hewit movie should be for 12 and up to see
okay well i seen this movie and yes liked it but its really a movie for the younger ones to see but ofcourse 12 and up is the right age for them to see it Jennifer Love Hewit is so beautiful she shines in this movie the rating PG- 13 there are some curse words she kisses the guy alot and just warning your kids how she dresses in the fim real sexy but all in all its still a cool movie that i totally apporve of no im not a parent im a 26 year old woman and if i had children then lets just say they would need to see this movie with me but hey its a nice movie for 12 and up !
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Adult
December 31, 2012
 
Cute but iffy for younger viewers!
Heartbreakers is a fun, laugh out loud teen comedy for the older crowd. It's not the best, but it's good for what it is. Jennifer Love Hewitt is great as usual and is very close to her on-screen mom Sigourney Weaver. Together they are con women who cheat men for their money. When Page (Hewitt) flirts at a bar and meets a nice guy but learns he's got $3 million dollars to his name, she tries hard not to fall in love with his sweet charm. While her mother is out milking a rich guy for all he's worth, the IRS are on their tails and they must make some quick decisions on weather to go through with it or not. It's a very good idea for a movie, but it's just a bit too silly for my taste and the acting isn't the best. There is a lot of sexual content throughout, different and uncomfortable sexual situations to watch out for including skimpy outfits. Not recommended for the PG-13 rating...I would suggest 15+ viewers. Not much violence but lots of language with some strong words thrown in. Lots of smoking, some drinking and a bar scene. If you're hesitant, give it a watch first because some content is iffy for anyone under 15.
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This review of Heartbreakers was written by
Studio:MGM/UA
Director:Mike Mitchell
Cast:Gene Hackman, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ray Liotta, Sigourney Weaver
Genre:Comedy
Run time:123 minutes
Theatrical release date:March 23, 2001
DVD release date:October 2, 2001
MPAA rating:PG-13
MPAA explanation:sex-related content including dialogue

This review of Heartbreakers was written by
 

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