Rules of Attraction is style over substance and style alone is not enough. Oscar winning writer and Rules director Roger Avary shows great directing leadership in his unique use of point of view shots--the audience really feels, at times, that they are part of the movie. The strong performances by the lead actors, the editing, and the cinematography make the movie fun to watch. Keeping up with the characters' present motivations can be an enjoyable challenge since the story is told in retrospect, the viewer needs to piece it together as it unfolds. However, the flimsy, transgressing plot combined weak dark comedy leave a tedious story underneath all that fancy film work.

Director Avary is self-aware here recognizing that Rules is an exercise of style complete with a wink to film buffs. For example, early on in the film, a minor character cleverly mentions the movie Man with a Movie Camera. Just like that Russian classic, Rules is more about style than about its subject.

Rules pulls the viewer into a disorienting roller coaster ride as it tumbles back and forth in time witnessing the cavorting and drug use of four affluent college students.

The movie is set at the fictional Camden University set in New England. The storyline loosely consists of secret admirer notes, love triangles, and coercion for drug money.

Avary’s avant-garde style is evident throughout the movie, and fans looking for graphic images (aka his "calling card") should not be disappointed in the plethora of sexual imagery. Even though the MPAA made cuts to the movie to change it from NC-17 to R, Avary is very happy with what remained. He should be because there really is not one frame in this film that does not contain nudity or sex in some form. (Check out Roger Avary’s website avary.com for more of his personal comments about Rules.)

Rules of Attraction is based on the novel of the same name by Bret Easton Ellis (Less than Zero). The novel unfolds through the various points of view of the different characters. Avary’s adaptation uses the same technique and pulls the audience into the movie by frequently employing point of view shots. As Rupert (Clifton Collins Jr) threatens Sean, (James van der Beek) for drug money payment he’s looking straight at the camera. However, while the shot is confrontational and compelling, Clifton’s performance is not. Clifton’s poor portrayal of a drug dealer weakens the gravity of the bleakness of Sean’s world and detracts from van der Beek’s griping performance.

In contrast, Shannyn Sossamon’s excellent portrayal of the supposedly sweet and innocent Lauren strengthens the complexity of Sean. The point of view shot of Sean and Laura meeting is great because as they gaze playfully at each other, the audience can’t help but be smitten. After all, they seem to be flirting with the viewer. (Be sure to check out the Sundance Channel program, "Anatomy of a Scene", for more analysis).

Three cheers to Avary for using a point of view shot from a woman during a sex scene. Most of the time in Hollywood films the gaze is male, either as a voyeur or as the participant. But here we get to be right under James van der Beek. But, you don’t need all that film theory background to appreciate a shot of the "Dawson’s Creek" heartthrob from that angle.

Rules of Attraction twirls you from character to character and also sends you back in time through backward filming. Many times throughout the movie, it physically rewinds and then picks up from another character’s perspective.

Avary also uses the split screen throughout the movie. As the second link of the love triangle develops, Paul (Ian Somerhalder) invites Sean back to his dorm room. What really happens that night is up the viewer as we see two scenarios unfold through split screen. In fact, there are many scenes in the movie that leave the audience wondering what really happened as the characters continually deceive each other and themselves and that is the charm of the movie.

While most of the movie takes you on a whirlwind ride, there are times that the film comes to a screeching halt. There are wasted scenes involving tangent storylines and weak comedic scenes. Paul spends a weekend in the city with his ex-lover, Richard. The dinner scene will be a comedic hit for the teen audience members, but the painfully immature humor grated on my nerves. Also, much of the comedy in the movie is hard to find humorous because it is in such close proximity to a depressing scene. Black comedy is a hard thing to achieve and Rules falls short of mastering it.

Lastly, there is a lack of development between certain characters because even though the movie is billed as a triangle between Sean, Lauren, and Paul, it is really between Sean, Lauren, and Lara (Jessica Biel). Biel gives an excellent performance as Lauren’s seemingly genuine friend who really is after her own desires. The movie really needed to develop some background to Lauren’s relationship with Paul as the third link in the triangle and skip the exploration of Victor (Kip Pardue). Lauren pines for Victor throughout the movie but we know nothing of him until near the end. We get a crash course of this character as a montage home movie details his semester in Europe. This storyline just reiterates the escapades of sex and drugs of the encompassing story makes the movie drag on.

Rules of Attraction is going to get mixed reviews. Those who can appreciate its cinematic uniqueness and can handle a meandering plot that challenges the audience will enjoy the movie. Fans of the novel have reportedly liked the movie, but do point out that the film is limited in portraying the depth of the characters. But a moviegoer looking for a strong story and standard plot trajectory with a tidy ending may be better off choosing something else for a Saturday night.

Maryanne Ciaccia, 2002