This movie introduces three college students who, for various reasons, feel like they lost hope for a meaningful life, but try to hang on to the pleasures of existence, such as sex and drugs. One of the three seems completely irredeemable (he even calls himself an "emotional vampire", who "feeds off of other people's real emotions"), but the other two still have some qualities that make them somewhat likable. We get a glimpse of how they see the world and people around them, and how none of their friends or family seem to lead a much more noble life than they do. If it sounds depressing, well it is, but if you're a person who at least went through times of hopelessness in the past, it might be something you can relate to; although the movie doesn't seem to offer any hope or solution.
The book the movie is based on was written by Bret Easton Ellis, who also wrote American Psycho, and you can definitely see the similarities between the characters of the two films, as well as the themes.
The highlights of the movie are the performances. James Van Der Beek, Shannyn Sossamon and Ian Somerhalder totally sell their characters; when you're watching them they don't seem like actors giving a performance, but actual people with complicated thoughts, feelings and desires. The camera work is also really good, it does a good job capturing the weirdness of the characters' state of mind. Besides that, the movie has some genuinely funny moments which mostly come from the over the top nature of some of the characters.
I only recommend it if the description above sounds intriguing to you. If it doesn't, you probably won't like it.
Rules of Attraction is a movie I like to revisit from time to time, for its unique tone and its relentlessness, and because it shows a part of the human experience that hardly any movies do, and does it in a way that is not only dark, but also entertaining.
The book the movie is based on was written by Bret Easton Ellis, who also wrote American Psycho, and you can definitely see the similarities between the characters of the two films, as well as the themes.
The highlights of the movie are the performances. James Van Der Beek, Shannyn Sossamon and Ian Somerhalder totally sell their characters; when you're watching them they don't seem like actors giving a performance, but actual people with complicated thoughts, feelings and desires. The camera work is also really good, it does a good job capturing the weirdness of the characters' state of mind. Besides that, the movie has some genuinely funny moments which mostly come from the over the top nature of some of the characters.
I only recommend it if the description above sounds intriguing to you. If it doesn't, you probably won't like it.
Rules of Attraction is a movie I like to revisit from time to time, for its unique tone and its relentlessness, and because it shows a part of the human experience that hardly any movies do, and does it in a way that is not only dark, but also entertaining.