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Parents' Guide to

Heartbreakers

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Not terrible, it just doesn't work very well.

Movie PG-13 2001 123 minutes
Heartbreakers Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 14+

Based on 2 parent reviews

wonder dove
wonder dove Adult
December 31, 2012
age 15+

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.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
1 person found this helpful.
caffinegirl85
caffinegirl85 Adult
November 5, 2011
age 12+

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 !

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 2 parent reviews

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?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (1 ):

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.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • 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?

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