Romain Duris is the con-wooman, the momentary heart-breaker for the greater good. Paired with the rib-achingly funny François Damien and Julie Ferrier (Micmacs à tire-larigots), the three work a virtually flawless operation whose one caveat involves never breaking a harmonious union. Their mission : to make every girl see the light within her mismatched relationship. Until… hunted down by terrifyingly wide-bellied loan sharks they accept a mission to break up a match made in heaven, and whose female component is nothing short but heavenly (the delightfully ethereal Vanessa Paradis). Predictably, Duris falls head over heals for his target.

But none of it feels predictable. And everything between the guy meeting and getting the girl will charm your pants off. Chaumeil, simply put, gets it right, and all in wildly good – if occasionally naughty – taste : from every ridiculously ingenious ploy to pull off the bodyguard con, to the Dirty Dancing homage, the scene-stealing wacky nympho (Hélèna Noguerra), but most especially, and judiciously, it escapes the ‘chick flick’ pitfalls thanks to its refreshingly credible leading man and his goofy acolytes.

This is as good as the genre gets :