THE RULES OF ATTRACTION (2002)

DIRECTOR: Roger Avary
STARRING: James Van Der Beek, Shannyn Sossamon, Ian Somerhalder

I came across this on TV today, playing in its full, uncensored glory. It had been a while since I’d seen it and I had forgotten how much I loved it. It’s decadent, lewd, amoral, and wonderful. It’s funny how Bret Easton Ellis’ novels (this and American Psycho) translate so well to the screen, creating their own little soulless realities.

The Rules of Attraction is about a love triangle — well, a lust triangle. At the centre is Sean Bateman (Van Der Beek, doing his best to murder his “nice guy” Dawson persona), a cold, sexually maniacal, campus drug dealer who is receiving anonymous love notes in his mailbox. He thinks they’re from Lauren Hynde (Sossamon), who is trying to get over her hang-ups in order to lose her virginity to the perfect candidate. Then there is Paul Denton (Somerhalder), a pretty boy student who apparently used to date Lauren but has now switched teams and has his sights set on Sean. Over the course of the film the three hopeless lovers stumble their way over mistakes and misunderstandings, trying to discover if it is possible to love (or even know) someone in such a shallow and chemically-dependent atmosphere.

This film is completely superficial, but that superficiality is the point. None of the characters are particularly admirable and the audience probably won’t find themselves rooting for any of them. That isn’t what this film is about. The point is to be detached and distant and cold, as it takes place in a time when all of those things are at the peak of their value: the 80’s. Maybe the point is to reveal the connections between us, even when connection is not what we’re looking for. I don’t know. It’s hard to look for a deep, profound message in a film that intentionally avoids depth.

What makes the film so good (maybe I should say enjoyable) is that the characters are so decadent. I’m no Dawson’s Creek fan but James Van Der Beek stole the show here, throwing out all inhibitions and embracing his amoral Sean. Shannyn Sossamon and Ian Somerhalder are two of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen but I won’t pretend that either of them are great actors, though they pull off their characters well — especially Somerhalder, who gets the dry and deadpan yet totally hopeful tone of Paul perfectly. Along with the three central characters the film boasts a magnificent slew of brief and memorable roles, such as Rupert, Sean’s crazed drug dealer, and Dick, Paul’s eccentric former partner-in-experimentation.

Aside from the performances, director Roger Avary makes a creative mark with this one. Apparently he was on board with helping Quentin Tarantino conceive of Pulp Fiction, and it shows. There isn’t a really straight narrative; some scenes are shown normally and then in reverse, backtracking to previous events that illuminate on things the audience has already seen. There’s a wonderful split-scene sequence between Sean and Lauren as they each head to class, finally coming together in a single shot. Excellent stuff.

All in all, this is a fun film: not something to necessarily be studied or admired, just to be enjoyed and quoted with your friends. Still, not really for those unwilling to abandon convention or optimism.

FINAL GRADE: B+