The Rules Of Attraction

Roger Avary’s “The Rules of Attraction,” (2002) with an underlying college theme--and with an indirect connection to the character of Patrick Bateman from “American Psycho” (2000)—is a film somehow promoted to cult status. The main protagonist, Sean Bateman (James Van Der Beek), is the younger brother of Patrick Bateman from “American Psycho.” In addition, Bret Easton Ellis wrote both the books, “American Psycho” and “The Rules of Attraction.”  This connection in no way uplifts the movie; nonetheless, for fans of the books and movies, the connections only serve one purpose: endless discussion of the book’s adaptation for the screen. Since, I haven’t read the books, and I didn’t remember the connection to “American Psycho,” I felt I did not miss anything while viewing “The Rules of Attraction.”  The writers have presented a complete product with no subtle references or missing links to “American Psycho.”

“The Rules of Attraction” is all about one night: a college “end-of-the-world party,” where we see how all the characters meet. The movie might be confusing with its beginning and ending, but, overall, it’s a straightforward ride. We are taken to the world of a drug dealer, Sean Bateman, who has probably slept with half the girls on campus. Everyone remembers Sean as the go-to guy for getting pot. As things settle down in the party, we realize that Sean wants to sleep with Lauren (Shannyn Sossamon) and would do anything to get her in bed with him. We gradually learn Sean is, after all, in love with Lauren and his sexual obsession has transformed to love. But Lauren has other plans and she wants to lose her virginity to the much sought-after Victor (Kip Pardue). Along the way, we meet another character, Paul Denton (Ian Somerhalder), who is a bisexual and has a crush on Paul.

In a nutshell, “Rules of Attraction” is a love triangle set against the backdrop of a college party. But it does present us with the complicated underpinnings of the concept of college soul mates or, rather, finding true love in a college. Some of it works, while some of it gets hidden under the flashy style used by filmmakers.

First, the film deals with the idea of faithfulness. Sean’s one line pretty much sums-up how college students view fidelity in their lives:  “Since when does fucking somebody else mean that I am not faithful to you?”   As a womanizer, Sean continues with his sexual hunger. But somehow, he feels that the next woman will get him closer to Lauren. And so he sleeps with Lauren’s roommate, Lara (Jessica Biel). In his mind, he has found a way to justify his actions, and for him the sex with other women offers no connection. But in Lauren he sees an emotional connection. On the other hand, Lauren is quite the opposite in this aspect. She is not sleeping around and waiting for the right moment. For her, she will only sleep with someone she loves and might eventually connect with. And like a faithful person, she waits for Victor, who is on a sleeping binge with other women in Europe. So, the concept of faithfulness and love is all muddled in the world of school.

Next, we see girls obsessing with their bodies. Lauren and Lara discuss Lara’s dramatic loss in body weight.  “Bulimic skinny or anorexia skinny,” says Lara. Lauren seems disinterested in wearing revealing dresses, and for her, the connection should be from the mind and not from the body. But Lara is totally different, easily succumbing to peer pressure. She obsessively thinks about getting her body in shape for big parties; and she lives her life with the thought that having a nice body leads to better sex and more partners. This probably explains Lara’s promiscuity on several occasions.

Finally, when everything winds down after the party, the disillusioned characters, Paul and Lauren, discuss the implications of falling in love.  “Not to people like us,” says Lauren.  As Paul and Lauren talk about the significance of purple letters, both realize for them falling in love was seemingly hurtful. They did not get what they hoped for, with the passion vaporizing through their thoughts. The snow signifies the transitory start to their lives again, as the night ends. In addition, the writers have also shown the harmful affects of silent love and passion; when a character gets deeply buried in depression, it only leads to an unhappy discourse.

Agreed, the characters convey the undertones associated with love within the boundaries of life in a college. But the characters are too distant, too underdeveloped, and too detached from themselves. The emotional connection is missing from any character, and you end up disliking most of them.  James Van Der Beek shines in some scenes and fails miserably in other sequences that show him losing his grip on things around him. Nonetheless, mostly his character is shown as a self-righteous drug dealer with the look of a vampire.

However, there are a few compositional choices that elevate the aesthetic aspect of the film. The filmmakers have employed the usage of a split-screen format in some scenes. The sequence showing Lauren and Sean meeting for the first time opens with two panels next to each other. We see what Lauren and Sean are doing, their response to things around them, and their subtle interaction with themselves. Two individual cameras focus on them, and we soon see them talking to each other up close. The panel divider fades away, and Lauren and Sean meet for the first time. Employing a similar technique, we see Paul fantasizing having sex with Sean; the sex is presented in the left panel, while Paul’s thoughts and actions are shown in the right panel. Compositionally, these shots make us feel as if we are watching a TV.

In spite of the inclusion of experimental techniques, mostly “The Rules of Attraction” misses the mark as anything empowering or meaningful. The script lacks depth and its characters are not worth investing in.

Video:

The movie, released in 2002, gets a 1080p transfer that looks really good. The transfer is encoded using an MPEG-4/AVC codec and presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The sharpness is mostly consistent throughout, but there is some inherit softness in some scenes. Flesh tones tend to be realistic. The colors, especially the décor in the dorm, are deep and vibrant. There is a nice layer of grain present that is never distracting. Finally, the night shots hold up well with deep blacks.

Audio:

The lossless 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track perfectly presents the dynamic nature of the film’s soundtrack. Mainly, the film is a dialogue-driven affair, and the dialogue is fairly easy to hear and understand. The rear channels kick in during the party scenes. The chase and action sequences generate enough thrills for an engrossing viewing experience. Overall, this is a good-sounding track. Also, the movie can be viewed with English and Spanish subtitles.

Extras:

The disc comes packed with six commentary tracks, along with trailers and a few promotional clips.

Parting Thoughts:

“The Rule of Attraction” could have been better with additional focus on characters and their connection to the audience.  The movie tackles a broad spectrum of things in the form of love, obsession, sex, drugs, and hopelessness, set against the backdrop of college life.  Nonetheless, the film is inconsistent in delivering its intended results and mainly runs aimlessly on for two hours.