Heartbreaker (L'arnacoeur)

Romain Duris as Alex and Vanessa Paradis as Juliette in HEARTBREAKER 

directed by Pascal Chaumeil. Photo Credit: Magali Bragard An IFC Films release

Set against the beautiful backdrops of Morocco and Monaco, screenwriters Laurent Zeitoun, Jeremy Doner, and Yoann Gromb combine French comedy, romance, espionage and action.

The ravishing heiress Juliette Van Der Becq (Vanessa Paradis) is about to marry the Brit jet setter Jonathan (Andrew Lincoln) in 10 days. Her father, millionaire industrialist Van Der Becq (Jacques Frantz) hires Alex Lippi (Romain Duris) and his professional couple-wrecker spy agency to break them apart. Operation Juliette, however, soon proves to be a real challenge.

The feature's success lies in the talented performances of Duris and Paradis. Duris, one of the top actors in Europe , anchors the leading part effortlessly with strategic tears and poetic talk that don't fail. There are a lot of great scenes. The one where Alex proves his utility as a bodyguard and retrieves Juliette's car and purse is awesome. While working for the spy agency, Mélanie (Julie Ferrier) and Marc (François Damiens) provide great comic relief.

Director Pascal Chaumeil allows the story to develop rapidly with interspersed laughter and crisp lines scene after scene.