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The Rules of Attraction Starring James Van Der Beek, Shannyn Sossamon Directed by Roger Avary Rated R for strong sexual content, drug use, language and violent images. (edited from original NC-17 version) *1/2 out of 4 Stars, Movie Grade: C-

Theatrical Release: October 11, 2002

Running time: 110 minutes

by Kevin Lang

I left the theater after seeing Roger Avary's "The Rules of Attraction" feeling as if there was almost nothing to take away from the film. Other than interesting yet overdone editing in which the characters move and talk backwards to produce the effect of traveling shortly back in time and a an enjoyable soundtrack, the film did nothing more than try to shock the audience by blatantly attempting to contradict almost every aspect of morality that films and society are expected to adhere to. "The Rules of Attraction" offered large amounts of nudity, sex, drugs, violence, and foul language. Basically, it provided every reason for which parents would be hesitant to let their child into an r-rated movie.

The biggest problem wasn't necessarily its crudeness. Some films have used various extents of crudeness to offer a lesson or to send a message (not that everyone in the audience always gets that message), such as in the case of "Kids" or "American History X" (1998). "The Rules of Attraction" failed to do either of these things, and its story, which attempted to depict certain events in the lives of an interconnected group of college students in New England, was nothing more than a stale vehicle for its attacks on our societal norms. The film attempted to challenge every person who would frown or be detested by these things, as if the director was merely exercising his own right to show this material, which came from the pages of the Bret Easton Ellis novel of the same title.

The story started in the present on the night of a college party called "The End of the World Party," and then through scenes of reverse playback we watched the characters rewind to their recent pasts for us to relive. James Van Der Beek from TV's "Dawson's Creek" played Sean Bateman, a campus drug dealer who developed a crush on Lauren (Shannyn Sossamon). A triangle arose as Lauren's homosexual ex-boyfriend, Paul (Ian Somerhalder), developed a liking for Sean, while Lauren soon revived old feelings for Victor (Kip Pardue) who didn't even know who she was. I could go further, but I won't. The film offered an abundance of sex addicted, cocaine snorting, suicidal college students on the brink of insanity who I never really got to know and who I never ended up caring about.

"The Rules of Attraction" was a film that made me feel embarrassed for the actors in it. Some of them will undoubtedly find furthered success in Hollywood, but it's unfortunate that they had to, at some point in their careers, sleep with a movie of this nature to get there. It would be one thing if I could have walked away with a story that had left some sort of an impact on me. Instead, I left the theater trying to remember why I had wanted to see the film in the first place.

"The Rules of Attraction" Review written October 10, 2002, CTF.