The Rules of Attraction

Review by Clint Morris

Had there had only been one movie on my must see list this year it would have been Roger Avary’s film adaptation of 'The Rules of Attraction', an excessively twisted, but mind anaesthetizing tale from the wits of novelist Bret Easton Ellis.

He of narrative trinkets American Psycho, Less than Zero and Glamorama and the former with such cuff as Killing Zoe and the landmark Pulp Fiction.

First things first: It’s a brave move for any filmmaker to take on Easton Ellis’ material – not only because the last few film adaptations of his books have flopped – but because the subject material is so capricious.

It's almost so unexplainable that a real dab hand – an unconventional one at that – is needed to caress the unrepressed tiger with the same original craftsmanship that went into it’s literary inception in the first place.

But Avary seemed to have the vision – and we know he’s got the zest, passion and edge to pull it off – and within the first five minutes of Rules, you’ll arguably agree he’s the first person to truly share Bret Easton Ellis’s inimitable apparition.

Coupled with a band of teen stars ready to ditch their squeaky-clean images, an energised soundtrack and a meticulously tight screenplay, this director gets a free kick into that celluloid goal slapped ‘promising armoury’.

Racy, sexy, but more suggestive than superfluous, Rules is a hip combination of sex, drugs, rock, hostility, virginity, violence and college life in general. It’s central plot – as obscure as it is – starts at the end, and then rewinds itself to tell the story of how the three captured players got to that position.

James Van Der Beek plays Sean Bateman (yep, he’s the brother of American Psycho’s Patrick Bateman), a scholar at Camden College who spends most of his time dealing drugs and sleeping with women, or better still, staring unnervingly in their direction.

He has a chance encounter with the virginal Lauren (Shannyn Sossamon), and is certain that she has been leaving nameless love letters in his mailbox.

Unfortunately for him, Lauren is obsessed with someone else – the gypsy-like tripper named Victor (Kip Pardue), who has taken off to spend some time wandering around Europe. If Lauren’s going to lose her virginity to anyone, it’ll be Victor.

The third central character is Paul (Ian Somerhalder), a bisexual doormat with a requited crush on twisted Sean.

So, how well does Avary pull it off??

Firstly, with one of the sharpest screenplays to date - Avary himself wrote it.

Secondly, by using the guts of the book and at the same time giving much depth to every central character, and thirdly by filling the human form with the sensational actors he’s chosen – notably Van Der Beek, who’ll surprise the hell out of most folk with his resolute, outright fantastical approach to the perplexed Bateman.

Given the right roles from here on in, Van Der Beek may become a great film actor.

In addition, there’s some sensational music, the right mix of moodiness, and a nice flight into morbidness. There’s nothing highly explicit there, so here’s wondering whether the U.S ratings board – that were so insistent on tearing this one’s rating down – actually saw the same film or read the obviously misleading script.

Though if there’s one scene in the film that’s utterly shocking it definitely is the epigrammatic sacrificial moment.

In fact, the only downfall of Rules of Attraction is that, even after it’s near 2-hour running time, you’re still begging for more. Oh, and the fact you don’t see Psycho’s Patrick Bateman - as they were rumoured to be doing so...

As it stands, it’s not a movie for everyone, but for those peculiar buffs that have been as anxious to see this film as I have, you definitely won’t leave the theatre disappointed.

Rules of Attraction, suffice to say, is an overflowing bubbly cocktail of acid-stung cinema and novel brilliance.

Bring on the follow-up.

4 out of 5

The Rules of Attraction
Australian release: Thursday February 20
Cast: Van Der Beek, Shannyn Sossamon, Ian Somerhalder, Jessica Biel, Kip Pardue, Kate Bosworth, Eric Stoltz, Faye Dunaway.
Director: Roger Avary.
Website: Click here

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