Sigourney Weaver is a national treasure. She has given us what are by now legendary performances: Ripley from the "Alien" series, Katherine from "Working Girl", among others. This one here is also a match for those: She is witty, sexy, and a force of nature. Since she's playing multiple characters, it would be easier to refer her as mother.We are introduced to her act when she's just celebrating her wedding to her latest conquest, and from the looks of it, she's something special. Eventually, we realize what the act is, as she walks away with a nice settlement and meets her partner in crime right when she's leaving town: Jane, her own daughter, the result of one trick gone wrong a few decades before.Jane is ready to move on the professional leagues, but mother is a bit overprotective, in spite of what she makes her own kid do. Complications arise, and what was to be their last job together goes bust. Soon, they are in Palm beach, trying to find the biggest fish which will lead them to retirement. Watching them evaluate their prospects is hilarious. These pro's have an interesting set of standards.Soon, the target is chosen, and Gene Hackman, given a hideous makeup job turns out to be them the most unappetizing of their victims. He looks like a living dead who survives from puffing constantly on tobacco. The close ups are both entertaining and disturbing, since his complexion and his teeth-coloring is as close as you get to a corpse with the ability to speak.Any movie would not be fun if there were no complications, and soon mother is facing ghosts from her past, Jane is having second thoughts about what is happening with her life. This begins when she meets a local bartender who has better prospects she originally believed. Add to the developing mess, a faithful maid, unexpected proposals, maimed statues, and the power of true love.The laughs keep coming, and eventually everything is resolved, this is one of the best pieces to see because true nature never quite leaves mother, and she finds a way to turn into a winning hand. "Heartbreakers" is a classic comedy of the best kind.

Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt play a mother and daughter con team. As a light comedy, this is a half hour too long. And as a light comedy, Ray Liotta is too angry and too threatening. He doesn't have the light touch to have fun with the material.Weaver and Hewitt are not the most obvious cons. I don't know if Hewitt has ever told a lie in real life. She doesn't seem to be the type, and that's the problem. The most important contribution from Hewitt seems to be her curves in tiny tiny dresses and what keeps trying to pop out of them.I have a serious need to compare this to 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'. That one had two all-time comedic masters in Steve Martin and Michael Caine working. This one has two actresses who dabbles in comedies. In that one, it wasn't the cons but the wacky antics that was important. No matter how hard they try, nobody can do physical comedy in the same league.Gene Hackman plays a gruff tobacco magnate. He's not a terribly funny comedian. Jason Lee plays the bar owner who falls for Hewitt. I can't fault anybody for the attempt, but I just don't see much in the mean-spirited personality to like. Nobody is likable here and I want Jason Lee to run away as fast as possible. At over 2 hours, this is an impossibly long unfunny comedy. If it wasn't for Hewitt's impressive curves, there would be nothing to recommend.

How did well-established professionals like Sigourney Weaver, Gene Hackman, and Ray Liotta become involved in this trash? Sure, it's watchable. Sure, Jennifer Love Hewitt is sexy. Sex comedies can be a lot of fun--but this? Weaver plays a woman who uses her body to lure male suckers into marriage and is teaching her daughter to do the same.Nothing wrong with being a whore, I guess, if you are supplying a useful product at a reasonable price. But in this case the two women are felons, deceiving men in order to get all of their money, and doing it over and over, marriage after marriage.Okay, lots of funny movies have been made about rascals, both male and female, who marry foolish or stupid people in order to get their money. But these woman are much worse than mere rascals. They are congenital liars, lying even to each other and to people (such as love interest Jack) whom they love. They're such liars and cheats that they cannot even order lunch in a restaurant without making it a con job.They are also sluts. Hewitt spends virtually the entire movie in micro short dresses that make her body look like a statue of a fertility goddess, all in order to tease. Weaver similarly flaunts her body to tease and cajole men, over and over.We are supposed to overlook this behavior because--for example--Hewitt's character really loves Jack, though she has an astounding way of showing it. As for Jack, he is monumentally stupid not to see her for what she is.Nevertheless, the last 20 minutes of the movie goes to great lengths to make us believe that these two women are, after all, lovable. There is that tender moment (with the inevitable tinkling musical accompaniment), when Hewitt pledges her love to Jack. And then--oh, wonderful!--that moment when mother and daughter embrace. Weaver really is a good mom after all! Oh, thank goodness! She's just like everyone else's mom! Apparently I am one of the few reviewers of this film to find it offensive.

Let's face it, this is a SEXY movie. What with Sigourney Weaver proving that it *definitely* doesn't end at 40, or even 50, and Jennifer Love Hewitt putting a raft of young lads through puberty in a collection of tight skirts, each seemingly shorter and lower-cut than the previous one, there is plenty to gawp at for young and old. Just don't let the tongue hang out too much.At the same time it also manages to spin a good (and funny) yarn with two strong female leads, while reminding us all of the old adage that anything that looks too good to be true probably is.Add to that an in-form Gene Hackman, a wonderfully bitchy cameo by Anne Bancroft, and Ray Liotta proving once again that he may have a second career in screwball comedy, and it all adds up to a very enjoyable way to spend an evening.The script is tight, with no obvious flaws, and the action moves along at a decent pace. The writers also had the good sense to play it mainly for laughs and allow the actors to manage the pathos. The only obvious weakness is Jason Lee, whose California surfer-dude delivery just doesn't gel with a guy who would do astronomy, let alone pull a material hottie like Page.But hey, any movie that can let a bloke look at JLH in that pink dress for 10 minutes without getting a right hook from his beloved deserves a 9.