Laws of Attraction (2004)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Peter Howitt

Writers (WGA):

Aline Brosh McKenna (story)
Aline Brosh McKenna (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

30 April 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Getting married is a great way to fall in love.

Plot:

Amidst a sea of litigation, two New York City divorce lawyers find love.

Plot Keywords:

Divorce | Lawyer | Rock Star | New York City | Ireland

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Pierce Brosnan	...	Daniel Rafferty
Julianne Moore	...	Audrey Woods
Michael Sheen	...	Thorne Jamison
Parker Posey	...	Serena
Frances Fisher	...	Sara Miller
Nora Dunn	...	Judge Abramovitz
Heather Ann Nurnberg	...	Leslie
Johnny Myers	...	Ashton Phelps
Mike Doyle	...	Michael Rawson
Allan Houston	...	Adamo Shandela
Annie Ryan	...	TV Host
Vincent Marzello	...	Lyman Hersh
Sara James	...	Waitress
John Discepolo	...	Legal TV Reporter
Annika Pergament	...	TV Reporter

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content and language.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Ireland | UK | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | USA:PG-13 (certificate #40599) | Finland:K-3 | South Korea:15 | South Korea:All (DVD rating) | Netherlands:AL | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Germany:o.Al. | Italy:T | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A | Canada:PG | Czech Republic:U

Filming Locations:

Ardmore Studios - Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland

Company:

Deep River Productions

Trivia:

Frances Fisher plays Julianne Moore's mother in the movie. She is only eight years older than Moore in real life.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Audrey first meets Serena outside the rock concert Serena's bracelet on her left arm is unclasped. It's unclasped for many shots, but when Audrey gives Serena her card, the bracelet is clasped.

Quotes:

Daniel: Do you mind if I use the kitchen?
Sara: He cooks? You didn't tell me he cooks.

Movie Connections:

Features "Cribs" (2000)

Soundtrack:

The Spirits of Wine and Madame Bonaparte Reels

Screwball with snowballs

Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and Doris Day may have made better screwball comedies, but this one just about works, by downplaying punchlines and taking obvious idiocies as read, such as the leads' addictions to sweeties and their penchant for falling through doors or knocking things over. But with these traits, how is it their apartments are immaculate? A directorial faux-pas here.

Julianne Moore is wonderful as usual, playing the rather uptight divorce lawyer, impressed despite herself with Brosnan's physical attractions. She is a mistress of the personality contrasts: sweet smile against dagger-drawn eyes; disconcerted reactions with suave sophistication; professional aplomb in the courtroom, but slobbing out in front of the TV. She is not only determined to resist Brosnan but successfully compete against him, while her mother, brilliantly played by Frances Fisher, is determined to persuade her to accept his overtures. Frances Fisher almost steals the film with her over-the-top, much-married, society fashion character, distinctly contrasting with Julianne Moore's more stuffy persona (reminiscences of Edina and Saffy in Absolutely Fabulous?).

I cringed at the scenes in Ireland, but this film does not pretend to be anything other than a sweet-thing romantic comedy of deliberate game-playing. It doesn't go for stand-up jokes, but just bowls along happily in its overdose of sugar. Moore is marvelous in serious drama (The Hours and Far From Heaven) but is proving equally at home with zany comedy (see also Cookie's Fortune). Brosnan relies on his handsome looks to see him through any part, but his comedy timing is as excellent as Moore's. The characters' common clumsiness is as well-timed as anything Doris Day did in That Touch Of Mink, or Cary Grant in Monkey Business. Given that Brosnan and Moore are more often seen in adventure or drama, an outing into comedy does not go amiss and gives us a chance to see them do something different. I wasn't sure of the film to begin with, but it grew on me. As long as it is accepted as a light and frothy entertainment, with no other purpose than whiling away a Sunday afternoon in front of the fire with a box of chocolates, it's a fine movie. Does Frances Fisher ever play any other character than someone's mother?