Heartbreaker

One of the more depressing laws of cinema is that any successful foreign-language film will immediately be snapped up for an American remake. Invariably everything that made the films distinctive and interesting in the first place mysteriously vanishes during the Hollywoodization. Such a fate probably awaits Heartbreaker, a huge hit in France. I suspect it will remerge as a cliched American romcom - probably with someone like Seth Rogen as the oddball brother-in-law and a pretty-but-blan leading man - all those sharp corners surgically removed. The other possibility, an R-rated raunchfest, is actually even more depressing as it would miss the whole point.
Alex has a most unusual job. He, with the help of his bolshy sister and her husband, specialize in breaking up couples. Not just any couples, mind. Happy couples are off limits. They only accept assignments where unhappiness is already lurking in the wings, ready to make an entrance. A montage shows an array of friends and relatives giving their reasons for hiring Alex to extricate a woman from her current relationship. It's the sort of premise that could lead to a catastrophically tacky, ill-judged film but luckily, the French version breezes along on the charm and charisma of Romain Duris (a man who manages to look endearingly rumpled even when wearing expensive suits), who has an unpredictable presence even in a romantic comedy. The supporting cast is agreeably spiky and there's the refreshing sight of a leading lady who is beautiful even with that gap between her front teeth. OK, the result is never in doubt (it *is* a romcom after all) but it takes an enjoyably offbeat route, with both Wham! and Dirty Dancing having unexpectedly important roles to play ...