The Rules of Attraction (2002)

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Directed by Roger Avary.

Starring James Van Der Beek, Jessica Biel, Kip Pardue, Shannyn Sossamon, Ian Somerhalder.

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Bret Easton Ellis' controversial novel about the sexual, emotional, and chemical interactions of a group of wealthy and amoral college students is brought to the screen in this adaptation from writer and director Roger Avery. Sean Bateman (James Van Der Beek) is a student at Camden College, a well-respected private school on the East Coast. Sean is attracted to Lauren Hynde (Shannyn Sossamon), a high minded and seemingly unapproachable coed, while Lauren is infatuated with Victor (Kip Pardue), a handsome but self-centered ladies' man. Lauren's empty-headed roommate, Lara (Jessica Biel), is also attracted to Victor, while he has no qualms about being involved with both. Lauren used to date affected snob Paul Denton (Ian Somerhalder), but Paul, a bisexual, currently lusts after Sean. Meanwhile, friendly campus drug dealer Rupert (Clifton Collins Jr.) finds a ready market for cocaine among his classmates; Sean, a steady customer, finds himself financially embarrassed and begins dealing drugs to help pay off his debts, while leading Paul on for his ready supply of marijuana. The Rules of Attraction also features Eric Stoltz as Mr. Lance Lawson, Faye Dunaway and Swoosie Kurtz as semi-concerned parents, and Fred Savage as one of Sean's customers. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Re:Top 5 Uses of Split Screen
by chrismorrell in Top 5

hasn't rated it.

"[quote user="mercurial"] When done right, a scene that utilizes split screen techniques can become unforgettable. Done wrong, and, well . . . %$*@! 5.) Jackie Brown - Adds that extra something during the latter half of the film. I could switch this with Kill Bill, but I personally like the use of it here a little more. 4.) Requiem For A Dream - Used throughout the film to emphasize the effects of the various drugs consumed by the characters. I'd say it worked. 3.) When Harry Met Sally - The bedroom scene in which Harry and Sally are watching television from their own separate bedrooms but split screen to appear they are in the same bed. Amazing dialogue and just plain fun. 2.) Timecode - Four interweaving stories occurring simultaneously, each a single continuous shot. Wow. 1.) The Rules of Attractions - reinventing how a split screen shot can be made; two separate stationary to tracking shots were combined in post-production to give the illusion that they merge into a single wid ... " [More]

Re:Top 5 Uses of Split Screen
by leeroy711 in Top 5

hasn't rated it.

Top 5 Uses of Split Screen
by mercurial in Top 5

loved it.

"When done right, a scene that utilizes split screen techniques can become unforgettable. Done wrong, and, well . . . %$*@! 5.) Jackie Brown - Adds that extra something during the latter half of the film. I could switch this with Kill Bill, but I personally like the use of it here a little more. 4.) Requiem For A Dream - Used throughout the film to emphasize the effects of the various drugs consumed by the characters. I'd say it worked. 3.) When Harry Met Sally - The bedroom scene in which Harry and Sally are watching television from their own separate bedrooms but split screen to appear they are in the same bed. Amazing dialogue and just plain fun. 2.) Timecode - Four interweaving stories occurring simultaneously, each a single continuous shot. Wow. 1.) The Rules of Attractions - reinventing how a split screen shot can be made; two separate stationary to tracking shots were combined in post-production to give the illusion that they merge into a single widescreen shot. Amazing. " [More]

Bret Easton Ellis: Struggling S ...
by Karina in Karina on SpoutBlog

hasn't rated it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"With an almost completely dead, holiday hungover RSS, I spent the morning leisurely slogging through this LA Times profile of 80s it-boy novelist Bret Easton Ellis. Much of the story’s 3,000 words are devoted to defenses of Ellis’ literary reputation, most notably for our purposes from New York Times film critic A.O. Scott, who praises Ellis as “a much more radical writer than he seems.” The rest of it details the oft-adapted novelist’s own attempts to break into screenwriting. Ellis’ published work has so far formed the basis of three released films: the gloriously trashy Less Than Zero, in which Robert Downey Jr. essentially plays a future version of himself; Mary Harron’s American Psycho, which broke with Ellis’ trademark moral passivity in order to turn the material into obvious satire; and Roger Avery’s Rules of Attraction, which seemed to be kind of more about Roger Avery learning how to use Final Cut Pro than anything else. Somewhere along the way, Ellis apparently “realize ... " [More]

Bret Easton Ellis: Struggling S ...
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

Only watch this film if you are ...
by madman0211 in go blog yourself...

loved it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"The Rules of Attraction, Roger Avary’s adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ second novel, is a clever look at the lives of several selfish, morally corrupt college students. Sean Bateman (James Van Der Beek) is a drug dealing anti-hero who wants to relate to the sensitive, pot-smoking virgin, Lauren Hynde (portrayed by Shannyn Sossamon) because he believes that she has been writing him love letters. Meanwhile, Paul Denton (Ian Somerhalder), Lauren’s bisexual ex-boyfriend, is pursuing Sean for his own romantic needs. When this film was originally released, it was marketed as being a typical teen sex comedy that nudged the volume up to eleven. No wonder The Rules of Attraction became such a notorious flop at the box office, it was made to be something it was not. For the record I am a big fan of this movie, and I have been since my first viewing four years ago. What I have discovered, however is that very few people find this film as pleasing as I do (w ... " [More]