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The Rules of Attraction [2003] (REGION 1) (NTSC)


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

Based on Bret Easton Ellis's often-overlooked second novel, The Rules of Attraction works better as a film than the disastrous Less Than Zero, though not as well as the canny American Psycho. Writer-director Roger Avary--who lets slip a nasty Quentin Tarantino reference that feels like sour grapes--can't quite decide whether to ditch the novel's extremely 1980s cultural references and make a contemporary-set picture or to evoke the period in which the book was written. Set on a small New England campus, the film offers a love triangle between "emotional vampire" Sean Bateman (James Van Der Beek), skateboarding "innocent" Lauren Hynde (Shannon Sossamyn) and gay libertine Paul Denton (Ian Somerhalder) that gets complicated by passing characters.

While not as hung up on time as Memento or Irreversible, the film does play its tricks, opening at an "end of the world party" to show its three leads at simultaneous low points, reversing to take stabs at each of them, then hopping back and forth in time as different narrators take over, with time-outs for a fast-forward tour of Europe by a minor character and a drug-dealing subplot to keep Avary's crime credentials in order. All in all it's a satirical piece that is removed from reality, always striking, sometimes funny or horrifying, but ultimately hard to connect with. --Kim Newman


Worthless garbage
Review date: 2008-07-16 Rating: 2 out of 10

A vile film about vile people. Repugnant, useless vermin. A more chilling indictment of the vacuity of American youth it would be hard to find. The thought that these loathsome scum are going to grow up and run the country (they are all spoiled rich brats) should give any American citizen the shivering heaves.

As a film it is just clever-clever cinematic tricks used without any insight or imagination. The performances are uniformly uninspired, the direction laughably self-conscious. Serious money was spent on this crap. Don't waste any of yours.

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Reviews


overlooked materpiece
Review date: 2008-06-06 Rating: 10 out of 10

great movie that features a stunning performance from james van der beak who shines as a drug dealer desperate to self destruct.this isnt to everyones tastes but for those who like thier films a little offbeat and rough around the edges then this is for you

if you want a half-naked Dawson, sign up
Review date: 2008-05-24 Rating: 8 out of 10

but, don't expect anything like the Creek. The film is dark, and frankly, disturbing. Do college student really abuse themselves like this? The mis-communication & fear of embarassment ring true but I'm not convinced about the drugs & beatings. At least I hope that's not what life is like now.

my favourite movie ever
Review date: 2007-09-19 Rating: 10 out of 10

the rules of attraction is a masterpiece,if you think it looks like just another dumb american teen flick your badly wrong, this movie has been rightly called the anti american pie,its a brutal satirical attack on the post american pie teen movie dark,fun,hilarious, exiting,sad,graphic and shocking its truly an incredible piece of filmmaking. Despite all its bleak darkness its still my ultimate party film and its just full of some of the greatest scenes ive ever seen in a film the extremly sad, powerfull suicide scene which is incredible even in its cut form, the backwards stuff, the "its dick"! scene, the split screen merge and victors european vacation,everyone needs to watch this classic film now!! then tell your friends about it, its about time this film got reconised as the classic it is.This truly is my favourite movie ever.

Past Perfect. Present Tense. Future Uncertain
Review date: 2007-09-06 Rating: 6 out of 10

I randomly picked this movie from the DVD rack, not quite sure what to expect and found the movie a strange one. It was only after that when I read reviews and realised that this movie was based on a book written by the author who wrote American Psycho. The way the story is narrated is somewhat similar to 'memento', where the story line is deconstructed where audience are shown the final sequence of the story in the beginning and the movie rewinds from 3 different character's perspective to help audience understand how people and events intertwine together, leading to the final scene shown in the beginning. I found this method of story telling refreshing and at times powerful. Had the story been narrated in a normal beginning-body-end form, this movie would be no different from other teen movies depicting the shallow and hollow souls of campus students in America. The movie gives a glimpse of the hedonistic and apathetic lifestyle led by college students, as they switch hopping between lectures and classes for parties and orgies. There is an incessant craving for love and sex from each other, and drugs as an alternative escapism if they don't get the former. Their emptiness is also reflected on the fact that life do not hold that much value to them as suicides are commonly used to escape from the pain of unrequitted crushes.
On the whole, this movie doesn't have many juicy storylines and does not tell me what I don't know. However the satirical take on depicting young people and the shock value it offers on some scenes (suicides, throwing up while humping a girl) does compensate for entertainment value. I think James Van Der Beek did a great job in his role and models himself as a spin off of Patrick Bateman's character hauntingly well.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Shannyn Sossamon
James Van Der Beek
Jessica Biel
Ian Somerhalder
Kip Pardue

Creators:
James Van Der Beek (Primary Contributor)
Ian Somerhalder (Primary Contributor)
Roger Avary (Writer)
Greg Shapiro (Producer)
James Deutch (Producer)
Jeremiah Samuels (Producer)
Marc Butan (Producer)
Marsha Oglesby (Producer)
Bret Easton Ellis (Writer)

Director(s):

Recording label: Lions Gate
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
EAN: 9781588176943
Binding: DVD
ISBN: 1588176940
Number of items: 1
Format: Closed-captioned, Colour, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC,
Release date: 2003-02-18
Universal product code (UPC): 031398822721
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Region code: 1
Running time: 110 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2002-10-11
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: German (Original Language)
Language: Spanish (Subtitled)

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