HEARTBREAKER: Chemistry In The House (Tribeca 2010)

"It took much longer to get him (Romain Duris) than any woman I've ever known," says HeartBreaker director Pascal Chaumeil, only half-conscious of his double entendre in English, as he speaks of his lead actor's initial reluctance to attempt this romantic comedy with Vanessa Paradis in a post-screening Q & A session. "It was essential to find the right couple. Chemistry is everything."

Lucky for Chaumeil, the magic potion is there between Juliette, a former wild child now turned straight arrow (who is incarnated by the gap-toothed iconic French singer Vanessa Paradis), and Alex, a scruffily handsome (think Adrian Grenier) professional break-up artist.

Alex, aided by his sister and her husband--Julie Ferrier and Francois Damiens in plum turns--is hired to stop Juliette (headed fast for the alter with a man-who-looks-great-on-paper) from making a terrible mistake. If all this sounds somewhat predicable, rest assured that it is, but it doesn't stop the film from highlighting the considerable charms of both Paradis and Duris, as well as the lovely towns of Monte Carlo and Paris.

--Suzanne Lynch