You can take a French boy out of France, but you can't take France out of the French boy. Usually — but this time, the formula doesn't apply, because nifty French romance "Heartbreaker" has all the trappings à la Française but ends up being a glossily plasticized Hollywood-style product.
Director Pascal Chaumeil may have based the story on a French novel ("L'Arnacoeur") and called in resident heartthrob-cum-Gallic-brood-artist Romain Duris ("The Beat That My Heart Skipped," "Paris") to man the guns, but despite his best intentions, "Heartbreaker" feels like Ben Affleck and Jennifer Aniston could appear at any minute (and in fact, the film is already slated for an American remake). From the frame compositions to the dialog to the more than frequent allusions to Wham! and "Dirty Dancing," this isn't a mere flirt. It's an obsession.
Accordingly, Duris never gets the opportunity to immerse himself in his signature ennui, though his trademark three-day (or four- or five-day) stubble and skinny, French Paradox physique are deployed to full advantage.