Review of The Rules of Attraction (2002) by Michael R — 09 Feb 2011

I'm just puzzled as to why this movie is never mentioned by critics. It's so well-constructed and fascinating to watch. From the heavy stylization of the editing to the performances to the script, this is truly a masterpiece.

Personally, I love what it's saying about these cold and apathetic characters. Sure, it's nothing new for a Bret Easton Ellis adaptation, but that's what I love about his characters and his stories.

This is an examination of hopelessly lost and completely terrible human beings, and it feels brutally, dead-on, honest, which is what I love about it most of all. It's also an amazing satire on college and the party lifestyle that comes attached to it.

Almost every moment is brimming with wit and the dialogue barrels between characters about a mile a minute. James Van Der Beek is so great in this, it's probably the best performance I've seen from him ever and Shannyn Sossamon is absolutely terrific, she pretty much owns the movie in my opinion.

Also, you gotta love Ian Somerhalder, he actually might truly be the funniest and most interesting aspect of the whole thing. The truth is, absolutely everyone in this is perfect, in my opinion. It might be the dialogue, it could be the direction, but I honestly can't find one sub-par performance even from some of the most minor characters.

After seeing this, I now feel compelled to check out all of Roger Avary's other films.