I thought the first half of the 'The Rules of Attraction' was brilliant but...then I was disappointed in the second half, mostly because the director overindulges in the edginess of the movie and therefore, the story goes nowhere we haven't already been. Editing would have helped.
I thoroughly enjoyed the performances of the actors. Kudos to James Van Der Beek whose portrayal of the misogynistic Sean, blows the lid off of his teen idol stereotype and shows no sign of 'Dawson Leery' anywhere in this film. He definitely creeped me out...and I've known a few misogynists in my time...hey, I think I've even dated this guy! Shannyn Sossamon's touching performance as Lauren, the object of Sean's obsession, is the one humane voice of this film. I could also identify with the character of Paul, played by Ian Somerhalder, whose unrequited gay crush on Sean is all too real. Lastly, I loved Kate Bosworth's small bit, as one of Sean's pickups, where she cries when he sings and plays guitar for her. Too hilarious!
A very complex and disturbing look at Gen X's malaise. Too bad the director tries too hard to make a 'cool' movie instead of just telling the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed the performances of the actors. Kudos to James Van Der Beek whose portrayal of the misogynistic Sean, blows the lid off of his teen idol stereotype and shows no sign of 'Dawson Leery' anywhere in this film. He definitely creeped me out...and I've known a few misogynists in my time...hey, I think I've even dated this guy! Shannyn Sossamon's touching performance as Lauren, the object of Sean's obsession, is the one humane voice of this film. I could also identify with the character of Paul, played by Ian Somerhalder, whose unrequited gay crush on Sean is all too real. Lastly, I loved Kate Bosworth's small bit, as one of Sean's pickups, where she cries when he sings and plays guitar for her. Too hilarious!
A very complex and disturbing look at Gen X's malaise. Too bad the director tries too hard to make a 'cool' movie instead of just telling the story.