If there's one good thing I have to say about your average teen fluff flick, it's that at least they don't pretend to be holier-than-thou. The makers of "She's All That" and "Never Been Kissed" didn't pretend that they were making "Richard III." "The Rules of Attraction" is unbelievably pretentious. The minute you start watching this movie, you can explicitly visualize the director doing an interview and gloating about how "this is not your average teen movie." I don't care if this were a senior citizen film--it's crap!!
Roger Avary definitely has a great style, which especially shows in one scene in which James Van Der Beek and Shannon Sosseman are talking to each other, and we see close-ups on each of their faces through a split-screen. There are also many moments in which Van Der Beek gives an evil stare into the camera, which was obviously inspired from Stanley Kubrick, who used that with method with Malcolm McDowell in "A Clockwork Orange," Jack Nicholson in "The Shining" and Vincent D'Onofrio in "Full Metal Jacket."
The problem? The story just isn't interesting. It's a complete bore! There are some slick lines of dialogue, which were obviously taken from the Bret Easton Ellis novel--one of his trademarks being his knack for extraordinary detail. In a better script with a better story, these elements could've strengthened the film, but instead it just builds a slick facade over a pretty hollow piece of cinema. When it all boils down to it, it's a simple story about jealousy, betrayal, philandering, sexual promiscuity, virginity--the same themes in every teen film!
The actors can't be to blame either. Van Der Beek perhaps gives the finest performances of his career, and has the aforementioned evil stare down pat. And he doesn't play the same lovestruck teen character, which is probably why he seemed to have been having so much fun in his performance. Shannon Sosseman (I'm sure I'm spelling her name wrong) is also perfectly cast. And the film definitely provides great eye candy with such stunningly hot actresses as Jessica Biel and Kate Bosworth. The scene where a drunken Jessica parades through the halls half-naked is definitely worth rewinding over and over again.
I liked the soundtrack, which contains some great 80's tunes like "Move Out" and "Faith." I know, I know. It sounds as if I'm actually commending the film. That shows what kind of damage a badly written script can do on a film. Not to mention the film is totally dreary and depressing in tone. The film was marketed as your standard teen film, which is evident through its trailers and TV spots, which included the great song "She Hates Me" by Puddle of Mudd. To be honest, it looked to be like a sex comedy, but as it turns out, it's far from it.
"The Rules of Attraction" is both boring and unpleasant. My instincts tell me this will receive a minor cult status, as it looks like the type of film you either love or hate. Well, I hated it.
My score: 2 (out of 10)
Roger Avary definitely has a great style, which especially shows in one scene in which James Van Der Beek and Shannon Sosseman are talking to each other, and we see close-ups on each of their faces through a split-screen. There are also many moments in which Van Der Beek gives an evil stare into the camera, which was obviously inspired from Stanley Kubrick, who used that with method with Malcolm McDowell in "A Clockwork Orange," Jack Nicholson in "The Shining" and Vincent D'Onofrio in "Full Metal Jacket."
The problem? The story just isn't interesting. It's a complete bore! There are some slick lines of dialogue, which were obviously taken from the Bret Easton Ellis novel--one of his trademarks being his knack for extraordinary detail. In a better script with a better story, these elements could've strengthened the film, but instead it just builds a slick facade over a pretty hollow piece of cinema. When it all boils down to it, it's a simple story about jealousy, betrayal, philandering, sexual promiscuity, virginity--the same themes in every teen film!
The actors can't be to blame either. Van Der Beek perhaps gives the finest performances of his career, and has the aforementioned evil stare down pat. And he doesn't play the same lovestruck teen character, which is probably why he seemed to have been having so much fun in his performance. Shannon Sosseman (I'm sure I'm spelling her name wrong) is also perfectly cast. And the film definitely provides great eye candy with such stunningly hot actresses as Jessica Biel and Kate Bosworth. The scene where a drunken Jessica parades through the halls half-naked is definitely worth rewinding over and over again.
I liked the soundtrack, which contains some great 80's tunes like "Move Out" and "Faith." I know, I know. It sounds as if I'm actually commending the film. That shows what kind of damage a badly written script can do on a film. Not to mention the film is totally dreary and depressing in tone. The film was marketed as your standard teen film, which is evident through its trailers and TV spots, which included the great song "She Hates Me" by Puddle of Mudd. To be honest, it looked to be like a sex comedy, but as it turns out, it's far from it.
"The Rules of Attraction" is both boring and unpleasant. My instincts tell me this will receive a minor cult status, as it looks like the type of film you either love or hate. Well, I hated it.
My score: 2 (out of 10)