Stylishly directed, very well-acted, offbeat, adult film with good, complex characterizations and a terrific music score that pushes it forward. The only problems are a certain lack of direction (in the sense of destination and purpose), and some implausible scenes (the behavior of the French woman is rather totally unrealistic). Still, the film is never boring and deserved better than it got from the public. (***)
18 Reviews
Exploring male friendship in the 80s
CincySaint27 October 2022
Heartbreakers has been a white whale for me for some time. I saw it several times in the 80s but since then have searched streaming sites and even tried to watch a Spanish dubbed version on MGM. But the new released Blu-Ray finally makes it available with solid picture quality and a clear stereo soundtrack.
The film revolves around the relationship of Blue, a struggling artist, and Eli who is unhappily successful. As the movie unfolds, layers in their relationship including romantic jealousy, a supportive power dynamic, and mutual career jealousy are revealed. The dialog is authentic and honest.
What I value in the film are its exploration of the depth Blue and Eli's friendship and a presentation of both sides of the conflict between art and commerce. In many instances, the characters express writer-director Bobby Roth's conflicted feelings about art and grasping for "success". It's a complicated subject that's handled with nuance and no judgement.
Peter Coyote is excellent as the up and down Blue who revels in life but is also frustrated by his relative lack of success. Carol Wayne, best known for her many appearances on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show as the Matinee Lady in the Art Fern's Tea Time Movie sketches, adds depth to the ensemble as the centerpiece of Blue's art work. Carole Laure is believable as the object of Blue and Eli's affections.
The film is a time capsule of 80s styles and culture. Many of the things you love or hate about that decade are present. The soundtrack of R&B and blues is rudely interrupted by Pat Benatar's "Love Is A Battlefield" which sounds like an early mix to the point that it's almost unrecognizable as her.
Heartbreakers is a rare film that explores male friendships, artistic vision and success, and what is ultimately important to each of us in life.
The film revolves around the relationship of Blue, a struggling artist, and Eli who is unhappily successful. As the movie unfolds, layers in their relationship including romantic jealousy, a supportive power dynamic, and mutual career jealousy are revealed. The dialog is authentic and honest.
What I value in the film are its exploration of the depth Blue and Eli's friendship and a presentation of both sides of the conflict between art and commerce. In many instances, the characters express writer-director Bobby Roth's conflicted feelings about art and grasping for "success". It's a complicated subject that's handled with nuance and no judgement.
Peter Coyote is excellent as the up and down Blue who revels in life but is also frustrated by his relative lack of success. Carol Wayne, best known for her many appearances on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show as the Matinee Lady in the Art Fern's Tea Time Movie sketches, adds depth to the ensemble as the centerpiece of Blue's art work. Carole Laure is believable as the object of Blue and Eli's affections.
The film is a time capsule of 80s styles and culture. Many of the things you love or hate about that decade are present. The soundtrack of R&B and blues is rudely interrupted by Pat Benatar's "Love Is A Battlefield" which sounds like an early mix to the point that it's almost unrecognizable as her.
Heartbreakers is a rare film that explores male friendships, artistic vision and success, and what is ultimately important to each of us in life.
Nice to see a movie where everybody shows at least a little bit of vulnerability.
mark.waltz14 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
What's amazing about that too is the fact that these are narcissistic characters, the ultimate example of the "me" era, but obviously only that way because they believe that's how expected there supposed to come off. The story focuses on two men, mainly Peter Coyote as an artist named Blue and Nick Mancuso as his tied at the waist pal Eli, who works for his father. In spite of the title, these two seeming ladies man really are not, both deep down searching for love and making the rounds of various beautiful women in their efforts to find the perfect one.
The main female part is played by Carole Laure, the gallery owner where Coyote's artwork is being displayed. Both men fall for her in different ways and it's obvious that she has definite commitment issues, usually seen as a men's problem in films like this so that's a nice twist. The fact that all of these characters seem confident on the surface but all are pathetically insecure makes for interesting character development.
The early to mid 1980's was an interesting time as the culture of the young was changing from the frivolous seventies to a more ambitious eighties. You hear that definitely in the music, and the use of a lot of reverb in the songs played over the drama expresses the emotions of a confusing time with lots of changing social issues.
The alluring Kathryn Harrold is really good as Coyote's live in girlfriend who moves out when she feels that their relationship isn't progressing and that he doesn't appreciate her. Ironically it's a very similar role too Kathleen Turner's part in "The Accidental Tourist", both actresses discovered while playing vixen Nola Dancy on the daytime soap opera "The Doctors". As a time capsule back to nearly 40 years ago, this is fascinating, and it works well as a character study of how supposedly perfect people in their esteem have quite a few failings that are keeping them from reaching their best.
The main female part is played by Carole Laure, the gallery owner where Coyote's artwork is being displayed. Both men fall for her in different ways and it's obvious that she has definite commitment issues, usually seen as a men's problem in films like this so that's a nice twist. The fact that all of these characters seem confident on the surface but all are pathetically insecure makes for interesting character development.
The early to mid 1980's was an interesting time as the culture of the young was changing from the frivolous seventies to a more ambitious eighties. You hear that definitely in the music, and the use of a lot of reverb in the songs played over the drama expresses the emotions of a confusing time with lots of changing social issues.
The alluring Kathryn Harrold is really good as Coyote's live in girlfriend who moves out when she feels that their relationship isn't progressing and that he doesn't appreciate her. Ironically it's a very similar role too Kathleen Turner's part in "The Accidental Tourist", both actresses discovered while playing vixen Nola Dancy on the daytime soap opera "The Doctors". As a time capsule back to nearly 40 years ago, this is fascinating, and it works well as a character study of how supposedly perfect people in their esteem have quite a few failings that are keeping them from reaching their best.
Breaks my heart this one didn't break through
meredith.marcellus5 April 2000
This sometimes lyrical, sometimes harrowing, exploration of male friendship is unique in its honesty and the fearless, fully revealing perfomances of both its male stars--Nick Mancuso and Peter Coyote. They open both light and dark sides of their characters in relationship to each other and to the women in their lives. Then one women becomes the focus for both, threatening to destroy years of common bonds. In today's more-fortuitous indie market, this haunting little beauty might have had the exposure it merits. It opens a window on man-to-man talk through which few of us are ever allowed to look.
"I want a relationship!"
sc80317 May 2008
I picked this up for 50 cents at a local video store. I usually browse the VHS section for the worst movies I can find. This one was a winner.
Okay, first things first -- the gaudy script, bold color-scheme, and acting are all charming as hell in how terrible they are. And the soundtrack by Tangerine Dream just rocks. Seriously, this soundtrack rules; I imagine every track must be titled something like, "Big Dreams (Coke Theme)". Of course, the film relies too heavily on the music. The music sets the emotional themes, provides segway (and montages!) and kicks in every 3 minutes. For real... every single scene change is accompanied by music (albeit bomb-ass '80s synth music with hard-core percussive filters!).
This movie is watchable because it is awful and cheesy (the dance scenes are totally precious). For some reason every woman in this movie takes her top off before kissing one of the male leads. And yes, it seems almost every woman in this movie takes her top off.
The characters are developed so poorly it is remarkable. This is largely the fault of the awful, awful pacing, but everyone in this movie just seems like such a shallow cheeseball. The relationships in this film are about as realistic as those in a bad pre-teen novella. Really one-dimensional stuff. The characters are like... slightly more developed than in a softcore porno, which is funny because the actors seem better than the script or film itself.
Which is what makes this stuff so weird and watchable. The script, story, pacing, and characters are all ludicrous, unrealistic and laughable, whereas the soundtrack, set, color scheme, unintentionally funny tag phrases, and cast are all decently charming (although I suspect they were conceived in a very earnest and serious coke-filled frame of mind). As a serious piece of film, this sucks pretty bad. But if you want something ridiculous, with weird early '80s and gaudy LA pomp... it's worth a watch -- especially if you are good at clever, sarcastic MST-3K comments. I just wouldn't pay more than a couple of dollars for it.
Oh, and despite my references to cocaine, there is none of it in this movie. But it's pretty obvious that the whole production was just FUELED by it.
Okay, first things first -- the gaudy script, bold color-scheme, and acting are all charming as hell in how terrible they are. And the soundtrack by Tangerine Dream just rocks. Seriously, this soundtrack rules; I imagine every track must be titled something like, "Big Dreams (Coke Theme)". Of course, the film relies too heavily on the music. The music sets the emotional themes, provides segway (and montages!) and kicks in every 3 minutes. For real... every single scene change is accompanied by music (albeit bomb-ass '80s synth music with hard-core percussive filters!).
This movie is watchable because it is awful and cheesy (the dance scenes are totally precious). For some reason every woman in this movie takes her top off before kissing one of the male leads. And yes, it seems almost every woman in this movie takes her top off.
The characters are developed so poorly it is remarkable. This is largely the fault of the awful, awful pacing, but everyone in this movie just seems like such a shallow cheeseball. The relationships in this film are about as realistic as those in a bad pre-teen novella. Really one-dimensional stuff. The characters are like... slightly more developed than in a softcore porno, which is funny because the actors seem better than the script or film itself.
Which is what makes this stuff so weird and watchable. The script, story, pacing, and characters are all ludicrous, unrealistic and laughable, whereas the soundtrack, set, color scheme, unintentionally funny tag phrases, and cast are all decently charming (although I suspect they were conceived in a very earnest and serious coke-filled frame of mind). As a serious piece of film, this sucks pretty bad. But if you want something ridiculous, with weird early '80s and gaudy LA pomp... it's worth a watch -- especially if you are good at clever, sarcastic MST-3K comments. I just wouldn't pay more than a couple of dollars for it.
Oh, and despite my references to cocaine, there is none of it in this movie. But it's pretty obvious that the whole production was just FUELED by it.
This film is a lost gem for Peter Coyote fans.
mmkennedy20 June 2000
Perhaps this excellent film could not easily be appreciated in its time. I was one of the few people I know of who thought this film was terrific when it was first released. I first saw it in at the Dallas Film Festival in 1984; then in 1999 on cable TV. Fifteen years later I realized it was even better than I had originally thought!
Viewing it in 1984, I saw it as a breakthrough film depicting a view of the dark side of the new young, hip culture of its time. The values and attitudes that are now emblematic of the 80s are all well-represented in this film.
But wait! That's not all that this film is about. In retrospect, it's a coming of age film that very subtly reflects the transition from the 1970s to the 1980s. We see the freewheeling spirit of the 70s while at the same time a longing for meaning and depth that being a free spirit alone cannot bring. Interestingly, the primary relationship is between two people who are seeking true friendship.
"Heartbreakers": Whose hearts are breaking? Mine for one. I am so disappointed that it took 15 years to be able to see this film again. The upside is that with so many new TV venues it's likely to be screened now more than ever so no one has to miss it for as long as I did. If you're a Peter Coyote fan, don't miss this one!
P.S. I wish this film would be released in video so it could be even more accessible.
Viewing it in 1984, I saw it as a breakthrough film depicting a view of the dark side of the new young, hip culture of its time. The values and attitudes that are now emblematic of the 80s are all well-represented in this film.
But wait! That's not all that this film is about. In retrospect, it's a coming of age film that very subtly reflects the transition from the 1970s to the 1980s. We see the freewheeling spirit of the 70s while at the same time a longing for meaning and depth that being a free spirit alone cannot bring. Interestingly, the primary relationship is between two people who are seeking true friendship.
"Heartbreakers": Whose hearts are breaking? Mine for one. I am so disappointed that it took 15 years to be able to see this film again. The upside is that with so many new TV venues it's likely to be screened now more than ever so no one has to miss it for as long as I did. If you're a Peter Coyote fan, don't miss this one!
P.S. I wish this film would be released in video so it could be even more accessible.
Bros being Dudes the Movie
akoaytao123416 February 2024
I want to like it since it is trying to paint another section of Male 'Buddy' themes that has not been done to death but this film about two men in their own mid-life crises does not land.
Primarily, it centers about two friends. One: a newly single 'kink' painter, adjusting with his new life as his career is going upwards but alone. Another is a rich kid, who is aging out of his playboy days.
For me, it fails primarily since it just too hateful against its female character. They are mostly carnal objects or dull one dimensional characters that is used to counterpoint the titular heartbreakers. It really weakens to its wonderful viewpoint of two men finding meaning in their existence as they drew close to middle age and is about to be pushed out of their carefree lifestyle. As they try escapades that somewhat funnily closes by to homoerotism or I like to call them 'homieroticism', its becomes clear that maybe their are not as well equipped as they taught they where.
2/5 for mostly the promising premise. This needs to be remade.
Primarily, it centers about two friends. One: a newly single 'kink' painter, adjusting with his new life as his career is going upwards but alone. Another is a rich kid, who is aging out of his playboy days.
For me, it fails primarily since it just too hateful against its female character. They are mostly carnal objects or dull one dimensional characters that is used to counterpoint the titular heartbreakers. It really weakens to its wonderful viewpoint of two men finding meaning in their existence as they drew close to middle age and is about to be pushed out of their carefree lifestyle. As they try escapades that somewhat funnily closes by to homoerotism or I like to call them 'homieroticism', its becomes clear that maybe their are not as well equipped as they taught they where.
2/5 for mostly the promising premise. This needs to be remade.
Fascinating film, historically and topically
photoe15 December 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I graduated high school in the 1980s so I can attest to the authenticity of this film. The difference between this and a brat pack film is that this film really captures the adult ambiance of the 80s without trumping it up with teen coming-of-age clichés. These are sexually predatory adults crashing into each other.
There is a ruthlessness to the casual nature of the relationships in this movie that you rarely see addressed in film, and in a non-judgemental fashion. In a way, the fact that such a film can even be made is testament to the time it was made in, because no film today would set up this kind of behavior without punishing it in the plot later. That feel and philosophy is what is so early 80s above all. Instead of sermonizing, this film lays the situations out almost as if the characters have to survive their own petty foibles. Its not a comfortable film, and Coyote does a harrowing job of portraying an artist seemingly bent on self-destruction. I've always known Coyote as a mellow older actor. Seeing him in this showed me a whole different angle.
The film addresses an even more rarely-covered topic, that of the art world, and the battle between poor, message artists, and rich, decor or abstract artists. Coyote gives some beautiful speeches on the topic while heckling a wealthier competitor at his opening. The film also accurately portrays a gallery owner and painting model as characters. This could only be in the film because it was directly related to the writer/director's life. It is super real, except perhaps in Coyote's change of fortunes, although he was doing something similar to Nagel, who did end up rich painting women in the 80s.
I have a bit of a envy for the warehouse district these guys were living in, before the housing bubble made these places worth millions. Medium to giant painting studios, with an art scene coffee shop nearby filled with locals. It shows you what an art district in a city like LA, SF, Seattle, Portland was actually like before the gentrifying latecomers showed up and kicked everyone out. The crime of central LA wasn't really shown, though this film just predated the most pronounced rise of gang drive-bys that peaked in the late 80s/early 90s. Colors, the 'first' modern gang film, came out in 1988.
There are some flaws in the pacing and purpose of the film, and some off acting here and there, but it's an example of a director who just set out with a low budget and captured a lot of mood and a lot of the time in which it was made, and now its a super-valuable time capsule. It's also the only film I can ever remember covering sexual competition between men, more specifically men under 30 in an age when AIDS and herpes were just around the corner.
I say its a 6 for execution, and an 9 for intent, average out to 7.5. Kudos to the THIS network for broadcasting it. Oh yeah, it does have an awesome 80s ambient synth soundtrack mixed in with some other fare.
There is a ruthlessness to the casual nature of the relationships in this movie that you rarely see addressed in film, and in a non-judgemental fashion. In a way, the fact that such a film can even be made is testament to the time it was made in, because no film today would set up this kind of behavior without punishing it in the plot later. That feel and philosophy is what is so early 80s above all. Instead of sermonizing, this film lays the situations out almost as if the characters have to survive their own petty foibles. Its not a comfortable film, and Coyote does a harrowing job of portraying an artist seemingly bent on self-destruction. I've always known Coyote as a mellow older actor. Seeing him in this showed me a whole different angle.
The film addresses an even more rarely-covered topic, that of the art world, and the battle between poor, message artists, and rich, decor or abstract artists. Coyote gives some beautiful speeches on the topic while heckling a wealthier competitor at his opening. The film also accurately portrays a gallery owner and painting model as characters. This could only be in the film because it was directly related to the writer/director's life. It is super real, except perhaps in Coyote's change of fortunes, although he was doing something similar to Nagel, who did end up rich painting women in the 80s.
I have a bit of a envy for the warehouse district these guys were living in, before the housing bubble made these places worth millions. Medium to giant painting studios, with an art scene coffee shop nearby filled with locals. It shows you what an art district in a city like LA, SF, Seattle, Portland was actually like before the gentrifying latecomers showed up and kicked everyone out. The crime of central LA wasn't really shown, though this film just predated the most pronounced rise of gang drive-bys that peaked in the late 80s/early 90s. Colors, the 'first' modern gang film, came out in 1988.
There are some flaws in the pacing and purpose of the film, and some off acting here and there, but it's an example of a director who just set out with a low budget and captured a lot of mood and a lot of the time in which it was made, and now its a super-valuable time capsule. It's also the only film I can ever remember covering sexual competition between men, more specifically men under 30 in an age when AIDS and herpes were just around the corner.
I say its a 6 for execution, and an 9 for intent, average out to 7.5. Kudos to the THIS network for broadcasting it. Oh yeah, it does have an awesome 80s ambient synth soundtrack mixed in with some other fare.
Captures the time perfectly
PayOrPlay15 August 2002
Heartbreakers captures its place and materialistic time perfectly. It is a career peak for both Peter Coyote (projecting the charisma of a young Henry Fonda) and for the underappreciated Max Gail as his artist-nemesis. Carol Wayne, who was relegated through her career to playing arch-bimbos of the 60's pre-feminist variety (especially as Johnny Carson's frequent sidekick on the Tonight Show), turned in a moving performance here; sadly, she drowned not too long after this picture was released. This is well worth checking out, especially if you want to recapture what it felt like to be a single guy in LA in the early 80s.
You feel for both of them
auke11 January 2006
Heartbreakers is a slow moving film about two friends who share more than friendship. They share a mutual feeling of wanting to outperform the other as well. Businesswise this is not a problem as one of the two is an artist. But where women are concerned, they want the one the other is having. After a slow build-up everything comes together when they share the same women in a threesome. Where the movie goes from there seems very logical from my point of view. It's a shame that this scene is sometimes omitted, as I once realised when I was watching this on the BBC.
It's a terrific movie and I consider it Peter Coyote's best. No action scenes, no violence, just psychological content to which anyone can connect. Recommended.
It's a terrific movie and I consider it Peter Coyote's best. No action scenes, no violence, just psychological content to which anyone can connect. Recommended.
Overlooked Gem
Jennel218 June 2002
This film really impressed me when it was first released. Though it was hardly a box office hit, it (and "The Boss's Son") did contribute to Bobby Roth's reputation as a fine independent film maker. Roth captured the late 70s, early 80s LA art scene perfectly. It was a time when many people were having to temper the idealism of the 70s in order to survive. Perhaps its lack of wide success stemmed from the fact that you had to be familiar with Los Angeles at that time to appreciate it fully. Also a great soundtrack, especially the Etta James' songs.
Late Night Gem
buckaroobanzai503 March 2003
"A frustrated artist and his feckless friend, search for meaning in LA's avant-garde art set. But their friendship is threatened, when a beautiful woman enters their lives. (1984)"
I really love discovering great films like this. I saw a brief description of it in a guide which intrigued me, (see above) and watched it in the early hours of the morning. I've never been to LA during or after the early '80s, but films like this seem to me, to accurately depict things as they were back then. Many people's optimisitic and hedonistic ideals were being crushed towards the end of that decade, due to AIDS, Reganomics, and other factors too numerous to mention. The characters are all well written and acted, even some of the cameos like Max Gail's. Peter Coyote is always excellent in small films like this, especially in Polanski's 'Bitter Moon'(1992), and receives some great support from Nick Mancuso as his long-time friend. Some of the scenes featuring nudity though, do seem unnecessary, and heavy handed. This is one of those movies which doesn't need car chases, or endless explosions to hold onto a viewer's attention, because it's about something most of us are familliar with; People's relationships with each other.
Another film I liked as much as this, with a similar story was 'Twogether' (1994) starring Nick Cassavettes.
I really love discovering great films like this. I saw a brief description of it in a guide which intrigued me, (see above) and watched it in the early hours of the morning. I've never been to LA during or after the early '80s, but films like this seem to me, to accurately depict things as they were back then. Many people's optimisitic and hedonistic ideals were being crushed towards the end of that decade, due to AIDS, Reganomics, and other factors too numerous to mention. The characters are all well written and acted, even some of the cameos like Max Gail's. Peter Coyote is always excellent in small films like this, especially in Polanski's 'Bitter Moon'(1992), and receives some great support from Nick Mancuso as his long-time friend. Some of the scenes featuring nudity though, do seem unnecessary, and heavy handed. This is one of those movies which doesn't need car chases, or endless explosions to hold onto a viewer's attention, because it's about something most of us are familliar with; People's relationships with each other.
Another film I liked as much as this, with a similar story was 'Twogether' (1994) starring Nick Cassavettes.
A great character study
pevassil4 August 2018
This movie is so uncanny in that ,while relatively little plot is present, it says so much about the characters and their on the surface exciting but truly vapid lives. It is poignant and yet funny at times. It didn't fare nearly as well in critics' eyes and at the box office as it deserved to do. All the characters were so well cast--they make a most attractive ensemble--but for all these people who seem to have so much to envy, they are surprisingly unhappy, and this dichotomy is what makes this movie so moving and affecting. I've seen it perhaps 10 times and NEVER tire of watching it, because each time I glean something new!
A Great Time Capsule from the Early 80's--(Minor Spoilers)
davidwfilmguy1 September 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Bobby Roth has written and directed a gem of a film and a Los Angeles classic. I totally lived this in the early '80's. I was the Nick Mancuso character; the guy who worked in business, dressed well and had a father who was dying of cancer. My artistic friend Richard was in television and knew all the hip people as well as the right clubs, bars and restaurants to hang out in. In other words, a little like the artist played by Peter Coyote.
"Heartbreakers" is the real deal. D.P. Michael Ballhaus gets the 80's look down to a tee. The woman in this film are all beautiful and are perfectly cast. The music in the film is also totally awesome, to use a hip term from that time. Tangerine Dream and Pat Benatar round out the great soundtrack. I just can't say enough about how good this film is. I love how it captures the precise moment just before AIDS would work itself into the main stream of American culture. We see perfectly how Eli and Blue are perplexed and somewhat scared by Terry Ray and his gay boys at the art gallery. They are still free to sleep around as much they want as AIDS is still a gay disease. But that's about to change very soon.
I was able to enjoy this one on a wide screen, as one day I was playing hooky from work. My expectations were lowered as I was expecting a teenage titillation comedy, because there was a totally misleading and desperate ad campaign misrepresenting this film in the hope of getting more butts in the seats. I was very impressed at how mature and piercing the screenplay was. As I said before, this is both an '80's and a Los Angeles classic.
Sadly, I think this film is getting harder and harder to see, as the VHS tapes are wearing out (my copy is slowly dying) and I don't believe "Heartbreakers" is available on DVD yet. It's certainly time to fix that.
"Heartbreakers" is the real deal. D.P. Michael Ballhaus gets the 80's look down to a tee. The woman in this film are all beautiful and are perfectly cast. The music in the film is also totally awesome, to use a hip term from that time. Tangerine Dream and Pat Benatar round out the great soundtrack. I just can't say enough about how good this film is. I love how it captures the precise moment just before AIDS would work itself into the main stream of American culture. We see perfectly how Eli and Blue are perplexed and somewhat scared by Terry Ray and his gay boys at the art gallery. They are still free to sleep around as much they want as AIDS is still a gay disease. But that's about to change very soon.
I was able to enjoy this one on a wide screen, as one day I was playing hooky from work. My expectations were lowered as I was expecting a teenage titillation comedy, because there was a totally misleading and desperate ad campaign misrepresenting this film in the hope of getting more butts in the seats. I was very impressed at how mature and piercing the screenplay was. As I said before, this is both an '80's and a Los Angeles classic.
Sadly, I think this film is getting harder and harder to see, as the VHS tapes are wearing out (my copy is slowly dying) and I don't believe "Heartbreakers" is available on DVD yet. It's certainly time to fix that.
Heartbreakers is a very special movie
blakartist200018 January 2008
Heartbreakers is a very special movie for me being an artist myself I could relate to some of the dialog in the movie. I remember going to see this movie by myself at the age of 21. I usually go to movies by myself if I felt that it would be too strange for my date. Art films like this are strange to the typical person and I didn't have to worry about anyone else not enjoying it. I live in Chicago and at that time it was about 3 art movie theaters that would show a movie like this, which, I'm very grateful for living in a big city and be able to see it then.
I connect to this movie in every way from the title, the male friendship, the music, the attractive ladies, the story and the strange artwork. Heartbreakers is the perfect title for the film because all the characters were selfish and unapologetic with their love. The friendship with Blu (Peter Coyote) and Eli (Nick Mandcuso) seem so authentic and at that time I felt similar to my own friendship I had with someone I grew up with. The music at that time didn't impress me but now that I gotten older I have a better appreciation for it. The art gallery receptionist was very sexy She stayed on my mind for a while after seeing the movie and when I look at the movie now she still look sexy. I though the other women Blu's ex-girlfriend and Blu's muse were pretty sexy back then but now not so much but still attractive. The story had everything I wanted with romance, betrayal, friendship and payoff for perseverance. The artwork was hauntingly dark and sexy it was something I never seen before a big-breasted woman in lingerie painted in black and white Oh, that was new creative territory for me. At that time I didn't know anything about Bettie Page but recently a movie came out about her and then I put two and two together.
I bought the VHS version of Heartbreakers but I'm eagerly waiting for it to go on DVD. I guess I will have to check out this Bettie Page movie until Heartbreakers make it onto DVD.
I connect to this movie in every way from the title, the male friendship, the music, the attractive ladies, the story and the strange artwork. Heartbreakers is the perfect title for the film because all the characters were selfish and unapologetic with their love. The friendship with Blu (Peter Coyote) and Eli (Nick Mandcuso) seem so authentic and at that time I felt similar to my own friendship I had with someone I grew up with. The music at that time didn't impress me but now that I gotten older I have a better appreciation for it. The art gallery receptionist was very sexy She stayed on my mind for a while after seeing the movie and when I look at the movie now she still look sexy. I though the other women Blu's ex-girlfriend and Blu's muse were pretty sexy back then but now not so much but still attractive. The story had everything I wanted with romance, betrayal, friendship and payoff for perseverance. The artwork was hauntingly dark and sexy it was something I never seen before a big-breasted woman in lingerie painted in black and white Oh, that was new creative territory for me. At that time I didn't know anything about Bettie Page but recently a movie came out about her and then I put two and two together.
I bought the VHS version of Heartbreakers but I'm eagerly waiting for it to go on DVD. I guess I will have to check out this Bettie Page movie until Heartbreakers make it onto DVD.
Memorable and Funny Portrait of Best Friends Bumbling into Adulthood
raymond_chandler25 August 2015
Heartbreakers (1984) Bobby Roth wrote and directed this humorous yet poignant depiction of a male friendship that is tested by a femme fatale art dealer. Peter Coyote is Blue, talented LA painter who has been scraping by with the help of best buddy Eli (Nick Mancuso), heir to a struggling garment business. Carol Wayne, Kathryn Harrold, Jamie Rose, and Carole Laure are the women they spar and sometimes sleep with. The friendship between the two men is one of the most authentic and affecting I have seen on film. They complement each other well, and their loyalty to each other is expressed in quiet ways. Look for the scene about 38 minutes in, when Eli comes over and finds Blue sleeping on his layout table. Cinematography by Michael Ballhaus, with a score by Tangerine Dream. A perceptive observation of young singles resisting the demands of full adulthood, and my choice as the best movie out there about modern day painters. Highly Recommended.
"Well, Syd told me, that you think abstractionists should be executed."
"Well, Syd told me, that you think abstractionists should be executed."
about men
rand-haha19 July 2009
this movie is so emblematic of the 80's(such a phony and UNrealistic decade!),it's amazing this movie got made at all.it says so much for the short time it's on screen,that alone was worth my time.i wouldn't get too critical,though.it's all about MOOD.... .if women want to get a "peek" into the male psyche,this would be the way to go.(it's a good thing we don't do this to often)watch the movie and you'll see why.i enjoyed this movie immensely,from the raw production values,great acting (Peter Coyote especially.....BUT not to leave out the Others...)to the great soundtrack.B/T/W...if you buy the soundtrack of this movie by Tangerine Dream,some of the music is NOT on the CD!?!. i feel this movie is (or will be) an American Classic.Thank you, Mr.Roth.
very good for 80's
michelemuciaccia15 June 2008
Excellent movie films but these comments are really poor, they call impresentabili. 6.2 for a film of this sort is truly shameful, exactly the same applies to itanic vote, I am sure that most of those who have seen the film and have commented on this site have downloaded from the Internet and drew their conclusions from ignorant. But what meters of judgement you? Spoken with the alleged critics! E 'shameful read on a website of its kind ratings so low, push people not to consult more! I believe that by a good slice of the alleged critics there is a certain nostalgia for the past and a ancoramento emotional films of the 80s. the film is iperspettacolare, more realistic, a worthy successor of the series. My vote is 8.5 For comments, consider deleting the drafting and voting to raise 8.5. For those suspected reviewers, but please, go to follow the matches of rugby which is better!
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