The Rules of Attraction | | Cast : | James Van Der Beek, Shannyn Sossamon, Ian Somerhalder | | Director : | Roger Avary | | Studio : | Lions Gate Home Entertainment | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | October 11, 2002 | | DVD Released Date : | September 16, 2003 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | June 12, 2005 | | Summary | PURE TRASH | Content
 | This is now the worst film I have ever seen. That place was previously held by the 1976 film called "Lipstick".
It is full of undeveloped characters and a flimsy boring plot. The Director/Screenwriter makes a pathetic attempt to make this film cool through over the top scenes. He is probably bitter from years of not getting credit from his work with Quentin Tarantino and uses brutality or anything sensational or disgusting to get attention which is a cheap way to do it. Sorry, but Quentin has the ability to pull it off. Mr. Avary does not. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 24, 2005 | | Summary | Almost... | Content
| This is a film that can only be understood and appreciated by those who went away to college, and experienced such a drastic 'sub-culture', so to speak. One of which, that the individual notices he/she has grown into a their own private choas. As a result, this movie, much like the experience of this sub-culture, offers a treatment of absurdity with no tangible coherence that often builds an objective correlative or a reconcilation of the steam-line of events that take place in the individual's life.
The love triangle between Paul(Van der beek) Lauren(Sossaman) and kip pardue is meant to convey this. And people that went away for college and were introduced to this life can, I feel, relate to it and its effects, as a channel that illustrates life's harsh absurdity.
I thought the soundtrack was amazing and the acting was pretty good, however, Van der beek was over the top at times. Nonetheless, it was a nice vacation from Dawson Leery...thank god!
What's unqiue about this film is that, the resolution is more interesting than the premise, because the resolution IS THAT THERE IS NO RESOLUTION!
I must stress, if you never went away to college, you prolly won't like it. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 24, 2005 | | Summary | What the hell was this anyway? | Content
| This film is like when you have 10 food items and you try to make a big dinner out of all of it. It contains so much that it comes across as being very less about what the film thinks it actually is.
It's kind complicated so let's meet the players first: "I'm so dark and angry" Sean Bateman(Dawson's Creek James Van Der Beek), virginal innocent etc Lauren(Shannon Sossamyn from A Knight's Tale and might add: gave the worst name to a baby, yes even worse than Gwyneth's Apple, it's Audio Science, yes you heard me), bisexual Paul(Ian Somerholder, Adam from season 3 of Smallville, tv's Lost), resident college slut Lara(WB's Jessica Biel) and drama major slightly gay Victor(Kip Pardue....from somewhere).
Now let's get to the plot: Sean likes Lauren but a college lunch server likes him. Lauren likes Sean but is saving herself for her boyfriend Victor, who's in Europe backpacking(and doing every girl that's willing might I add). Paul used to date Lauren but is now after Sean due to a snafu in miscommunication. Meanwhile, Lara just wants to have everyone. And there's some minor players now and then.
The opening scene is where basically a bunch of stuff happens to our players. And in a neat rewinding scene, we follow one person's situation but then rewind but following someone else. Example: due to being quite drunk, Lauren is raped and filmed until a keg bursts in the room. We rewind the scene only following the keg out of the room, down the hall and down the stairs and back where it started and then seeing the water magically going back to ice. Then we follow someone else's actions in real time.
There's some other notable ones including a split screen conversation between Sean and Lauren and a musical montage which could be straight out of a Kubrick film set to George Michael's Faith. There's also one scene that's so heartbreaking it's difficult to watch if only your eyes would quit watching. A girl commits suicide by wrist slitting in a bathtub and we basically see only her facial reaction of the cut and the beginning of death setting in. Noteworthy piece of acting here.
The film only has one problem, besides the "I'm an important film!" feel it has: it's like it doesn't care for its characters. Yes these are people who do bad things but when they do, we're supposed to feel sympathetic to the right people. The film comes across as "ha, you actually started to like that character? Moron." One character does get her comeuppance though. Seems our resident slut didn't notice a sign on a door: "_____, the tests came back positive. Be careful"
Interesting from a performance standpoint, but film wise it's rather bad. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 19, 2005 | | Summary | Not now or ever.... | Content
| Will i ever get this movie...
I watched this one without any judgements on it before hand. Despite my best friend warning me about it. I still was like it cant really be that bad "can it?". Little did i know that i should actually listen to folks advice once in awhile. There is so much that could be going with this movie. If it werent for the constant rewinding of action every so often or the token gay guy in the movie (of course). That hasnt been done before...oh yeah. He proceeds to get spat on, thrown out of a room and called a bunch of crap that i would call my worst enemy. Not so bad for some...but other folks (me) dont care for it movie or otherwise.
The love thing going on between the lead male and female character is so crazy and confusing that it boggles my mind. how i was able to understand anything at all. James Van Der Beek keeps getting these mysterious cards filled loving, caring lines and all that. he thinks that it is the girl he wants to get Shannon Sossamyn (sp?). I'll leave the rest for you to figure out...dont wanna ruin all the surprise for you. Some people might enjoy this or wonder why i didnt care for it.
I tried getting into the movie, i really did. But i just wasnt able to enjoy it at all for more than a few minutes at a time. Keep in mind that you may want to rent this before buying it. At least in my case, i just watched over a friends place. But i do know that it is something that will NEVER, EVER add to my DVD collection. If its bought as a gift...it will get returned.
Thats my whole deal on the movie, like it or not. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 10, 2005 | | Summary | Flunkie Junkie | Content
| Have you ever gone to a party, and even though a lot of your friends were there to help liven things up, you somehow still managed to feel left out? That's kind of how I felt watching The Rules Of Attraction, it's an interesting film, with a cast of rising young talent, jazzed to look nice but in the end amounts to "not much"
Meet Sean Bateman (James Van Der Beek), a womanizing drug dealer whose quest for connection brings him face to face with Lauren (Shannyn Sossamon), a sensitive virgin looking for love but saving herself for the much sought-after Drama major Victor (Kip Pardue). All the while, Paul Denton (Ian Somerhalder), Lauren's Ex, wants to make a connection of his own--with Sean.
Based on the best-selling novel by Bret Easton Ellis'(who also penned another dark satire of life, love and the pursuit of social debauchery American Psycho), the film was written and directed by Roger Avary. But unlike the adaptation of Psycho doesn't have a lead performance that "sells" the material. Playing the younger brother of Psycho's Patrick, Van Der Beek doesn't quite have the range to pull off the self absorbed, dismissive character well. I'm not saying he needed to repeat Chistian Bale's nuances of the other movie, but it may have been better with another actor in the role. The rest of the cast is ok. Jessica Biel as Lara Lauren's roomie, Somerhalder, and Kate Bosworth as Kelly, one of Sean's one night stands are noteworthy though. Avary eploys lots of split screens and other not so unique tricks to tell this colligate tale. After a bit, these techniques grow tiresome and the comedic satire loses its potentcy
The DVD extras cause me to lower my rating even further. The revolving door of commentators don't really offer much. Having the likes of porn king Ron Jeremy and prop comedian Carrot Top pop in is just annoying, especially when you consider that Van Der Beek, Biel, and Avary are conspicuously absent. (?) Three major figures involved...not here. Hmmm... Other disc features include a Sundance Channel "Anatomy of a Scene" segment, the theatrical trailer, two teaser trailers, and both book and soundtrack promos.
I was hoping for more satire and less flash. Aside from a few notables, Rules doesn't measure up to much. Take an Incomplete |
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