MovieChat Forums > Heartbreakers (2001) Discussion > Still don't understand why they were try...

Still don't understand why they were trying to con Tensey?

posted 9 years ago by Dashielle89
7 replies | jump to latest

Max was able to get a billionaire to fall in love with her and want to marry her. I know he died before any of that happened, so no matter what the plan was, they wouldn't have been able to get anything out of him, but assuming he lived long enough for them to get married, why were they trying to con him and get a divorce settlement?They had Page pose as the maid and everything so she could seduce him, and Max kept talking about how they would get at least 20 million and all that. But why? I just don't get it.

They saw he was old and in bad condition. He didn't have any other children or anything, his other wife was dead, he probably didn't have anyone else to leave the money to when he died. Even if he somehow was able to live for a while longer, let's say 10 years (which is pushing it) Max would have access to his funds so she could help her daughter out and give her money while they waited for him to die, be living in a giant mansion, and then she'd end up with all of the billions. They'd really be set for life. It's not like he'd be able to make her do anything that bad in the mean time. Yeah, he's kind of gross and she'd have to clean his phlegm and whatnot, but with how much the two of them loved money, you'd think doing that for a couple of years would be worth billions. And they wouldn't have to pull a con again and risk being caught by authorities or anything to do it. She could just marry him and wait.

I like this movie but I always found that part really weird. She even talked about widow money in the beginning, but they still just kept going with their regular routine. Doesn't make any sense.

[–] Seriona1 9 years ago

It took me a second read to get what you are saying. I am assuming the mother didn't want to deal with the sexual fallout being married gives which would explain why they wanted Page to make him cheat and just bounce when done. Unless their is some kind of tax fallout being married brings.

[–] ricky_says_hi 9 years ago

Well the women deliberately go after men who are unattractive (and therefore more likely to quickly marry a beautiful woman that seems interested). So Max clearly found Tensey repulsive and only pursued him because of his wealth. Being married to him for a lengthy period of time wasn't an attractive prospect. But she was also hoping he would die soon after the wedding so she could get widow payments. Perhaps she wasn't necessarily hoping Paige would seduce him. They only bring her in as a housekeeper once they know that his current one is onto them - and it seems like a precaution to stop him from hiring someone else who might bust them too.

[–] Seriona1 9 years ago

Women are more likely to get a payout if the husband is cheating. While their best case was for Tensey to die, it is obvious they would of had to have Page go after him which was hinted when she tried to fix the spill on his pants.

[–] Lokisgodhi 8 years ago

Because they're cons, criminals. It's unacceptably risky to stick around and give the mark time to figure out what you've done to them.

There's no guarantee that Tensey wouldn't decide to divorce her six months down the road.

That he might never get around to changing his will and she'd get nothing when he died.

That exactly what happened here would happen. Someone they conned previously might show up and blow their cover, so they'd have to run and/or they'd get caught and/or killed.

They'd be set for life with twenty million as well.

It makes perfect sense.

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] paperdollz 8 years ago

I'm not a con artist or golddigger , from what I see Max was completely disgusted by Tensey....She probably couldn't fake enjoying sex with him for years . Paige wasn't into that either she did even like kissing Dean and he was cool as hell

The way this world is made we need money but I'd rather be in love & poor and having great sex than with someone I don't love , that smokes , makes me nausea . I would feel horrible waiting for someone to die too just for the sake of money.

Do you have a skeleton key made from real human bone that opens a door to a world of talking animals

[–] mikeyg24 8 years ago

What a tangled web we weave when at first we do deceive! The trick to a good con is to get in and get out as quickly as possible because the longer you try to maintain the ruse the more holes begin to show in the plot. If he were to check into her background there would be no evidence that she is who she claims. The Russian waiter figured her out on the first date so there's no way she could have kept up the con for even months let alone years. Nobody is that good at lying!

[i]We have to show the world that not all of us are like him: Henning von Tresckow[/i