October 11, 2002

By Veronica Mixon

It's 10 o'clock! Do you know where your children are? They're head out to the latest all night drinking and drug binge. The Rules of Attraction which is based on Bret Easton Ellis's outrageous novel about a group of privilege college kids at a small New England college is one of the big disappointments of the year.

Oscar winning writer/director Roger Avary's (Pulp Fiction, Killing Zoe) dark look at college life fails to produce one sympathetic character. His incredible cast includes James Van Der Beek as Sean Bateman, a drug dealing sexual predator who unexpectedly falls in love with virginal Lauren Hynde (Shannyn Sossamon) but beds Kelly (Kate Bosworth). Although she adores Victor (Kip Pardue), Lauren casually sheds her virginity in a drug-induced haze with a stranger who vomits on her. All of this is captured on video. Her roommate, Lara (Jessica Biel) lives only to party preferably with the football team and she deliberately derails the romantic hopes of her naïve friend. Paul Denton (Ian Somerhalder), a cynic who chases any pretty face even when it's male and Sean's friend, Mitchell (Thomas Ian Nicholas), who gets lost in Sean's violent world that includes an angry drug dealer named Rupert (Clifton Collins, Jr.).

This stellar cast of young Hollywood hopefuls obviously wanted to appear in a thought-provoking movie that would enlighten as well as shock. However, there is no real story and the individual characterizations are thin. Avary's feverish pace and reversing rewind doesn't even serve his shared sensibility (with Ellis) of unfilled sex and compulsory drugs among today's youth.

The Rules of Attraction begin with Lauren's shocking deflowering and descends from there. James Van Der Beek sheds his Dawson image easily but Sean Bateman never has an epiphany. He neither connects with the smoldering Lauren or Paul, who naively sets his sights on him. And, Sean fails to pick up the imminent danger of Rupert's threat. This is unbelievable. I kept wondering what was so attractive about this arrogant, self-centered a-hole and frankly, the film never reveals that truth. Instead, the film meanders from one drunken drug scene to the next as deluded parents (Faye Dunaway and Swoosie Kurtz) turn a blind eye and debauched teachers like Lance Lawson (Eric Stoltz) takes advantage. In fact, it was strange to see Stoltz in the role as the adult because his career is litter with young wastrels.

I thought that either Lauren, who is played with awkward beauty by Shannyn Sossamon (A Knight's Tale, 40 Days & 40 Nights) or Paul would deliver that little nugget of hope about what makes people tick but Avary doesn't bother to create an inner life for any of these people. Ian Somerhalder (Paul) is certainly one of the most handsome young actors working in film today but he's eye candy like the blonde Kate Bosworth. TV's star Jessica Biel ("7th Heaven) and Kip Pardue (Driven) still haven't found film roles that spotlight their talent. However, Clifton Collins, Jr., who has appeared in Traffic and Tigerland was excellent.

Most of the younger performers are still on hold because The Rules of Attraction won't satisfy young audiences and will scare parents to death.