Movies - The Rules of Attraction

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	Movies - The Rules of Attraction

The Rules of Attraction (2002) is a dark satire based on the novel The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis. It was directed by Roger Avary and stars James Van Der Beek, Shannyn Sossamon, Ian Somerhalder, Jessica Biel, and Kip Pardue.

Plot

The film takes place at the fictional Camden College, a liberal arts school somewhere in New England.

In the opening sequence, we are introduced to the three main characters - Lauren (Sossamon), Paul (Somerhalder), and Sean (Van Der Beek), in turn. They are three college students at an "End of the World" party, and although they don't interact at the party, they share a certain apathy about the situations they end up in. Lauren, previously a virgin, is raped, Paul is gay bashed, and Sean recalls (in the third person), "he couldn't remember the last time he had sex sober". After the introduction of each character, time moves backwards until we meet the next character. Essentially we observe the party from three different points of view.

The story then jumps back in time, and for the remainder of the film we follow the lives of the characters and learn how they came to know each other. Throughout the film, the characters (Sean in particular) exude somewhat of an indifference toward the people and events around them. For example, despite being set at a college, not one of the characters is ever shown attending a class. Sean Bateman is the younger brother of the character Patrick Bateman in American Psycho
.

Characters

Sean Bateman - A drug dealer who decides he is in love with Lauren. He eventually sleeps with her roommate, Lara (Biel), although he doesn't feel that this makes him unfaithful - "I only slept with her cause I'm in love with you."

Lauren Hynde - A virgin who is saving herself for Victor (Pardue), her ex-boyfriend, who is traveling through Europe. She develops feelings for Sean which dissipate when she discovers him in bed with her roommate.

Paul Denton - An ex-boyfriend of Lauren's who has since recognized he's bisexual. He falls in love with Sean, who eventually rejects him.

Lara Holleran - Lauren's sexually promiscuous roommate, who, after sleeping with Sean, ends up with Victor.

Victor Johnson - Lauren's ex-boyfriend who, upon returning to school from his trip to Europe, cannot remember who she is.

Cast

James Van Der Beek - Sean Bateman
Shannyn Sossamon - Lauren Hynde
Kip Pardue - Victor Johnson
Jessica Biel - Lara Holleran
Ian Somerhalder - Paul Denton
Clifton Collins Jr. - Rupert Guest
Thomas Ian Nicholas - Mitchell Allen
Kate Bosworth - Kelly
Russell Sams - Richard 'Dick' Jared
Faye Dunaway - Eve Denton
Swoosie Kurtz - Mimi Jared
Eric Stoltz - Lance Lawson
Fred Savage - A Junkie Named Marc

Trivia

Sean Bateman's brother Patrick Bateman, the main character of American Psycho
, appears in the Rules of Attraction novel, but not in the film. Bret Easton Ellis, the novel's author, revealed in an interview that director Roger Avary asked Christian Bale (who portrayed Patrick in the film adaptation of American Psycho) to reprise his role as Patrick Bateman. Bale turned down the offer, and Avary asked Ellis himself to portray Bateman. Ellis refused, stating that he "thought it was such a terrible and gimmicky idea", and Avary eventually shot the scenes with Casper Van Dien as Patrick. The scenes, however, were ultimately cut from the final version of the film.

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