Fun City Editions adds another '80s gem to their Blu-Ray roster this month that's been scarcely circulated since its theatrical debut: Bobby Roth's character drama HEARTBREAKERS (99 mins., 1984, R), an Orion release that fits comfortably alongside other uniquely colored projects from the studio's heyday. In fact, I'd go so far as to say this is one of my favorite releases from FCE yet, as it resurrects a movie many of us have never had the opportunity to see – a worthwhile, finely performed picture about friendship, relationships and romance, themes that are obviously universal beyond its 1984 milieu.
Roth's film follows a tortured L.A. artist (Peter Coyote) and his business-driven friend (Nick Mancuso) at a crossroads: Coyote's Arthur seeks to raise his game in order to get back his frustrated girlfriend (Kathryn Harrold), while Mancuso's Eli is tasked with more responsibilities after the death of his father. He's also infatuated with the alluring manager (Carole Laure) of the gallery hosting Coyote's new work, and as fortunes change for the latter, a romantic competition develops between them.
“Heartbreakers” ends on an inconclusive note in terms of its romantic pairings but comes to a firm, satisfying close in terms of the friendship between Coyote and Mancuso, which is what “Heartbreakers” is most concerned with. Here's a movie that's not really an Allen-esque “ensemble romantic drama” or a “rom com” – it's a film driven by its vivid portrait of male friendship and bonding, which isn't something Hollywood, today, is at all interested in. Especially considering that element, “Heartbreakers” is a refreshing, thoughtful picture with both Coyote and Mancuso embodying well crafted, believable friends having navigated a long relationship with each other, trying to maintain a baseline while dealing with affairs of the heart, set against the backdrop of the Los Angeles art scene in the mid '80s.
Roth seasons the movie with a pulsating score by Tangerine Dream and nuanced cinematography by the great Michael Ballhaus, while the lovely Laure (coming off her role in the Sylvester Stallone/Michael Caine WWII soccer fave “Victory”), Harrold and comedic actress Carol Wayne (best known for her Tonight Show “Mighty Carson Art Players” appearances) all lend strong support (Wayne, unfortunately, drowned a short time after the film was released).
“Heartbreakers” is one of those films whose plot description may not lead you to immediately want to sit down and watch it, yet I was hooked after just a few minutes and highly recommend the picture as a true discovery, especially since the film has seldom been revived outside the VHS era. Fun City's Blu-Ray hails from a 2K restoration (1.85) from the 35mm interpositive, and offers a wealth of new extras including a lengthy interview with the director; conversations, shot remotely and separately, with Coyote and Mancuso; an image gallery; isolated score; a quick introduction from Roth; booklet notes; and a commentary from Chris O'Neill and Bill Ackerman.
