Laws of Attraction (2004)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Peter Howitt

Writers (WGA):

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

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
Marc Turtletaub	...	Judge Withers
Gordon Sterne	...	Judge Baker (as Gordan Sterne)
Brette Taylor	...	Mary Harrison
Brendan Morrissey	...	Mr. O'Callaghan
Elva Crowley	...	Mrs. Flanagan
David Wilmot	...	Brendan
David Pearse	...	Pig Farmer
Nuala Kelly	...	Large Irish Woman
Liz Byrne	...	Stewardess
David Kelly	...	Priest / Michael
Peter Ballance	...	Check in Clerk (as Peter Balance)
Des Fleming	...	Waiter
James McClatchie	...	Soloman Steinman
Sara Gilbert	...	Gary Gadget's Assistant
Nick Hardin	...	Man in Bathroom
Brian O'Neill	...	Limo Driver
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sean Brosnan	...	Boyfriend (uncredited)
Adam Goodwin	...	Charles Perrin (uncredited)
Peter Howitt	...	Client (uncredited)
Kiva Murphy	...	Stenographer (uncredited)
Rachel Rath	...	Maid (uncredited)
Claire Michelle Scally	...	Background Artist (uncredited)
Gerry Wade	...	Court Cop (uncredited)

Directed by
Peter Howitt

Writing credits (WGA)
Aline Brosh McKenna		(story)
Aline Brosh McKenna		(screenplay) and
Robert Harling		(screenplay)

Produced by
David Bergstein	....	producer
Pierce Brosnan	....	executive producer
Julie Durk	....	producer
Toby Emmerich	....	executive producer
David T. Friendly	....	producer
Mark Gill	....	executive producer
Mark Gordon	....	executive producer
Oliver Hengst	....	executive producer
Angelique Higgins	....	associate producer
Basil Iwanyk	....	executive producer
Arthur Lappin	....	executive producer
Andrew Lowe	....	co-executive producer
Paul Myler	....	co-producer
Elie Samaha	....	executive producer
Amanda Scarano	....	associate producer (as Amanda J. Scarano)
Wolfgang Schamburg	....	associate producer
Ernst-August Schnieder	....	associate producer
Beau St. Clair	....	producer
Guy Stodel	....	executive producer
Marc Turtletaub	....	producer
Bob Yari	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Ed Shearmur		(as Edward Shearmur)

Cinematography by
Adrian Biddle

Film Editing by
Tony Lawson

Casting by
John Hubbard
Ros Hubbard
Amanda Mackey Johnson		(as Amanda Mackey)
Cathy Sandrich

Production Design by
Charles Wood

Art Direction by
Susie Cullen		(supervising art director)

Set Decoration by
Michael Seirton

Costume Design by
Joan Bergin

Makeup Department
Clare Barman	....	assistant makeup artist
Chris Bingham	....	key makeup artist: New York
Amy Byrne	....	makeup artist: daily
Rose Chatterton	....	key hair stylist: New York
Bernadette Dooley	....	chief hair stylist
Morna Ferguson	....	chief makeup artist
Hildie Ginsberg	....	key makeup artist: New York (as Hildy Ginsberg)
Elaine L. Offers	....	makeup artist: Julianne Moore (as Elaine Offers)
Barbara Olvera	....	hairdresser: Julianne Moore
Rick Provenzano	....	hairdresser: Pierce Brosnan
Bron Roylance	....	makeup artist: Pierce Brosnan
Deirdre Tormey	....	assistant hair stylist
Frank Vazquez	....	hair stylist (as Frank Vasquez)

Production Management
Mary Alleguen	....	production manager
Adam Brightman	....	unit production manager
Amanda Scarano	....	production supervisor (as Amanda J. Scarano)
Emma Zee	....	post-production supervisor
Jethro Harris	....	post-production manager: Pepper Post-Productions Ltd. (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sandra Corbally	....	trainee assistant director
Susan Drennan	....	third assistant director
Konrad Jay	....	first assistant director
Louise Murray	....	assistant director
Suzanne Nicell	....	second assistant director
Murphy Occhino	....	second second assistant director
Michael Pitt	....	second assistant director
John Wallace	....	trainee assistant director

Art Department
George Arkins	....	stagehand
Ignacio Barbe	....	trainee props (as Ignacio M. Barbe)
Sean Barcoe	....	carpenter
Ruth Barry	....	trainee art director
Simon Boyd	....	dressing props
Stephen Bream	....	assistant art director (as Steve Bream)
Stephen Broughall	....	chargehand carpenter (as Stephen Broughal)
David Byrne	....	carpenter
Deirdre Byrne	....	stores person
Stephen Byrne	....	carpenter
William Byrne	....	dressing props
Oliver Clarke	....	carpenter
Bronwyn Clohissey-Boyd	....	master painter
Darren Crimmins	....	assistant construction manager
Tom Cullen	....	props runaround
Robert Daly	....	chargehand carpenter
Stephen Daly	....	graphics artist
Conor Devlin	....	draughtsman
Tom Dowling	....	construction manager
Willie Duff	....	carpenter
Eoin Dunford	....	supervising plasterer
James Dunleavy	....	painter
Alan Dunne	....	chargehand props
Paddy Dunne	....	painter (as Pat Dunne)
Ray Fisher	....	lead man: reshoots
Anne Fitzsimon	....	trainee buyer (as Anne Fitzsimons)
David Flanagan	....	dressing props
Daniel Frayne	....	painter
Barbara Galbraith	....	stores person
Martin Goulding	....	assistant art director
Martin Goulding	....	stand-by art director
Peter Grace	....	stagehand
Jules Harris	....	trainee props
Shirley Henderson	....	prop buyer
Stanley Irwin	....	plasterer
Darren Kearney	....	chargehand
Darren Kearney	....	painter
Darren Keenan	....	painter
Noel 'Bob' Kelly	....	stand-by stagehand
Pat Kelly	....	painter
Wendy Moore Kelly	....	painter
Dave Kinsella	....	dressing prop
Eoin Lewis	....	dressing props
Richard Looney	....	carpenter
Tom Lundy	....	chargehand painter (as Tommy Lundy)
Bernard Lyster	....	trainee props
Martin Maloney	....	plasterer
Thomas McAllister	....	plasterer
John McCaul	....	carpenter
Jerome McDonnell	....	stand-by props
James McGetrick	....	dressing props
Adrienne McGrane	....	graphic artist
Nuala McKernan	....	prop master
Jim Moore	....	stand-by carpenter
Kealan Murphy	....	carpenter
Stephen Murray	....	plasterer
Derek Newman	....	plasterer
Marc Newman	....	lead man: New York
Lesley Oakley	....	draughtsman
Carmel O'Connor	....	assistant set decorator
Alan O'Donnell	....	stagehand
Ciara O'Donnell	....	trainee art director
Sean O'Donnell	....	carpenter
Anthony O'Hanlon	....	chargehand stagehand
Christy O'Shaughnessy	....	supervising painter
Thomas O'Shaughnessy	....	stand-by painter
Dave Peters	....	dressing props
Julie Philpott	....	draughtsman
Nathan Schroeder	....	illustrator
Dylan Sheridan	....	prop master
John Snee	....	props trainee
Brendan Stephens	....	painter
James Talbot	....	stagehand
Richard Tenewitz	....	construction coordinator: New York
Maurice Thompson	....	construction buyer
Jil Turner	....	second prop buyer
David Wallace	....	dressing props
Ian Wallace	....	construction runaround
Noel Walsh	....	stand-by prop
Peter Winstanley	....	stagehand
Alan Wynne	....	carpenter
Richard Tenewitz	....	construction coordinator (uncredited)

Sound Department
Mark Auguste	....	supervising sound editor
Sam Auguste	....	assistant sound editor
Tim Cavagin	....	sound re-recording mixer
Phillip A. Hamilton	....	adr recordist
Kieran Horgan	....	sound mixer
Sam Horgan	....	sound trainee
Daniel Laurie	....	adr editor
Daniel Laurie	....	dialogue editor
Michael Miller	....	adr mixer
Noel Quinn	....	boom operator
Steve Single	....	sound re-recording mixer
Lee Kerr	....	sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Gerry Johnston	....	special effects supervisor
Martin Kelly	....	special effects technician
Chris Lynch	....	special effects assistant

Visual Effects by
Paul Alexiou	....	runner: Double Negative
Andrew Lockley	....	sequence supervisor
Fay McConkey	....	visual effects producer
John Moffatt	....	digital compositor

Stunts
Donal O'Farrell	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Alan Butler	....	focus puller
Will Callahan	....	electrician: New York (as William Callahan)
Stephen Carthy	....	electrician
Peter Colavito	....	electrician: New York
Barry Conroy	....	electrician
Louis Conroy	....	gaffer
Seamus Corcoran	....	director of photography: second unit
Christopher DeBlau	....	electrician: New York
John W. DeBlau	....	gaffer: New York
Tony Devlin	....	rigging gaffer
Noel Donnellon	....	video assist operator
Noel Donnellon	....	video operator
Gerry Donnelly	....	electrician
Stephen Doyle	....	rigging gaffer
Jessica Drum	....	trainee camera loader
Jim Farrell	....	electrician
Tim Fletcher	....	electrician
Sarah Francis	....	clapper loader
Addo Gallagher	....	electrician
Craig Haagensen	....	camera operator: New York
Nils Johnson	....	key video assist operator: New York
Manny Magennis	....	rigger
Aideen McCarthy	....	daily camera trainee
Barbell Murphy	....	trainee grip
John Murphy	....	camera grip
Peter O'Toole	....	best boy
Tom Percarpio	....	best boy electric: New York
Pat Ryder	....	electrician
Gerard Sava	....	camera operator
Kevin Scott	....	generator operator
Paul Treacy	....	stand-by rigger
Bernard Walsh	....	still photographer
Barry Wetcher	....	still photographer: New York
David Worley	....	camera operator
Phillip V. Caruso	....	additional photographer (uncredited)

Casting Department
Vanessa Baker	....	adr voice casting
Sig De Miguel	....	casting associate
Brendan Donnison	....	adr voice casting
John Hubbard	....	casting: UK/Ireland
Mary Maguire	....	casting: Ireland
Tamara Notcutt	....	casting assistant
Cathy Sandrich	....	casting: USA
Wendy Weidman	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lynne Maureen Curtis	....	wardrobe supervisor: New York
Kevin Gleeson	....	wardrobe trainee
Carol Graham	....	wardrobe assistant
Barrett Hong	....	wardrobe supervisor: New York
Derbhla McClelland	....	wardrobe trainee
Gabriel O'Brien	....	wardrobe assistant
Melissa O'Connor	....	costume assistant
JP Sarni	....	wardrobe assistant: New York
Ger Scully	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Jens Baylis	....	first assistant editor
Serena Mellor	....	post-production assistant
Alexandra Montgomery	....	post-production coordinator
James Turpin	....	second assistant editor
Jason Wheeler	....	negative cutter

Music Department
Andy Brown	....	music contractor
Michael Connell	....	music editor
Karen Elliott	....	music supervisor
The London Metropolitan Orchestra	....	music performed by
Stephen McLaughlin	....	music mixer
Stephen McLaughlin	....	music producer (as Steve McLaughlin)
Andrew Raiher	....	music production assistant
Ed Shearmur	....	conductor (as Edward Shearmur)
Jeff Toyne	....	orchestrator

Transportation Department
Stephen Carroll	....	action vehicle coordinator
Thomas Hamill	....	driver: David Friendly
John Kavanagh	....	transportation captain
Matt Kelly	....	unit driver
Pat Keogh	....	driver: electrical truck
Pat Larkin	....	driver: Peter Howitt
Bobby Marsh	....	driver
Al Morris	....	unit driver
Kevin Scott	....	genny driver
Frank D. Tobin	....	unit driver

Other crew
Adam Baer	....	location scout
Jules Baker-Smith	....	assistant: Peter Howitt
Nic Benns	....	title designer: main titles
Kelly Berneathy	....	assistant: David Friendly
Tyson Bidner	....	location manager: New York
Sean Brosnan	....	stand-in: Pierce Brosnan
Renee Burke	....	script supervisor (as Renée Foley Burke)
Yvonne Burke	....	travel and accommodation coordinator
Al Cerullo	....	helicopter pilot
Joshua Chaplinsky	....	production assistant
Chris Charalambous	....	production office: Irish DreamTime
Eddie Chow	....	trainer: Julianne Moore (as Ed Chow)
Dermot Cleary	....	second location manager
Nicola Conlon	....	assistant: Pierce Brosnan
Deirdre Cook	....	production coordinator
Cathleen Dore	....	assistant production coordinator
Emer Egan	....	accounting assistant
Vadim Epstein	....	production assistant
John J. Fitzgerald	....	additional set production assistant
Donal Geraghty	....	production accountant
Alec Gibson	....	laboratory grader
Sonya Gildea	....	extras coordinator (as Sonya Supple-Gildea)
Courtney E. Hansen	....	production assistant
Tarn Harper	....	post-production accountant
Iseult Harrington	....	production trainee
Peter Howitt	....	additional script
Jim Jaffe	....	product placement
Jordana Johns	....	body double (as Jordana McDonagh)
Jordana Johns	....	stand-in: Julianne Moore (as Jordana McDonagh)
Huw Penalt Jones	....	production executive
Patric Kickham	....	computer playback designer
Karey Kirkpatrick	....	additional script
Ashifa Lalani	....	assistant production accountant
Thomas K. Lee	....	production assistant
Gerry Lundberg	....	publicist
Paddy McCarney	....	location manager
Douglas McFerran	....	additional script
Daragh McLynn	....	trainer: Pierce Brosnan
Conor O'Carroll	....	location assistant
Geri O'Kelly	....	choreographer
Andrew O'Malley	....	production trainee
Wael Omar	....	production assistant
Frances O'Reilly	....	assistant: David Friendly
Catherine O'Rorke	....	construction nurse
Kieran Patten	....	location assistant
Tony Phillippe	....	production assistant: re-shoot, New York
Seamus Porter	....	location scout
Christina Rice	....	assistant: Julianne Moore
Jane Roche	....	production executive: Hells Kitchen International
Adam W. Rosen	....	legal services
Edmund Sampson	....	assistant location manager
Amy Schwarz	....	assistant: Julie Durk
Hilary Smith	....	assistant location manager
Rachel Smith	....	production coordinator
Emily Sopp	....	production assistant
Lucy Thomas	....	set intern
Beau Tipton	....	production assistant
Alex Turtletaub	....	intern
Jean Wainwright	....	assistant production accountant
Polly Wilby	....	post-production accounting assistant
Elizabeth Zagrany	....	production accountant: second unit
Dena Zamore	....	production secretary
Dawn Bridgewater	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Matthew D. Panepinto	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Thanks
John Ptak	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Deep River Productions
• Irish DreamTime
• Initial Entertainment Group (IEG)
• Fern Valley Limited
• Intermedia Productions
• MHF Zweite Academy Film
• Mobius Pictures
• Stratus Film Co.

Distributors

• New Line Cinema (2004) (USA) (theatrical)
• 01 Distribuzione (2004) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Ascot Elite Entertainment Group (2004) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Bioscop (2005) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Nordisk Film Distributors (2004) (Finland) (theatrical)
• DeA Planeta Home Entertainment (2004) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Distribution Company (2004) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Shaw Organisation (200?) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Spentzos Films (2004) (Greece) (theatrical)
• TFM Distribution (2004) (France) (theatrical)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2004) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (2004) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2004) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD) (VHS)
• Imagem Filmes (2004) (Brazil) (DVD) (VHS)
• Medyavizyon (2004) (Turkey) (all media)
• Nelonen (2007) (Finland) (TV)
• New Line Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Oy Nordisk Film (2005) (Finland) (DVD)
• Oy Nordisk Film (2005) (Finland) (VHS)
• Paradise Group (2004) (Russia) (all media)
• Tien (2007) (Netherlands) (TV)

Special Effects

• Special Effects IRL 2000 (special effects)
• Creo Collective (additional visual effects)
• Baseblack (additional visual effects)
• Double Negative (visual effects)
• Cine Image Film Opticals (end titles)

Other Companies

• Mackey/Sandrich Casting  casting
• Clearance Domain  rights and clearances
• Courtyard Studio  video assist
• Gearbox Sound and Vision  additional ProTools systems supplied by
• J & E Post Production  post-production
• Jason Wheeler Film Services  negative cutting
• Kodak  motion picture film supplied by
• La-La Land Records  soundtrack published by
• London Editing Machines Ltd.  editing equipment
• Midnight Transfer  telecine transfers
• Momoco/Maguffin  title design: main titles
• Nats Post Production  tape transfer
• Pepper Post Production  on-line conform services
• Sylvia Fay/Lee Genick & Associates Casting  extras casting New York
• Twickenham Film Studios  re-recording studio (as Twickenham Studios)

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: In the bar, when Daniel and Audrey are drinking, the lock of hair on Daniel's forehead appears, disappears and then reappears.

Quotes:

[wakes in bed with Daniel, wearing a ring on her finger - gets out of bed]
Audrey: Oh, okay, okay, wake up, wake up.
Daniel: Morning.
Audrey: Wake up. Would you please look at your left hand, please?
Daniel: What?
Audrey: Please!
[sees the ring on his hand]
Daniel: Oh, would you look at that. Oh, you got one, too.
Audrey: Daniel, did we get married last night?
Daniel: Yes, I have a feeling we did. The details are still a little bit fuzzy but the bride was beautiful in her figure-hugging Sarena outfit and... you're not happy.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Benchwarmers (2006)

Soundtrack:

Roll Back the Dice

Fair

Laws of Attraction (2004)

** (out of 4)

Audrey Woods (Julianne Moore) is a very successful divorce attorney who spends most of her nights alone in her apartment eating junk food. Whenever she does get out of the house she's usually with her aging mother (Francis Fisher) who has had a few too many operations done to make her look younger. Audrey swears up and down that she isn't afraid of relationships but instead just can't get involved because she's too busy with her clients' needs.

While taking on a major divorce case she meets her new opposing attorney, the very handsome Daniel Rafferty (Pierce Brosnan) who has yet to lose a case. The two don't strike it off too well but their jobs force them into a business dinner where they end up having too much to drink and eventually falling into bed. Audrey blames the booze but Daniel seems to want a relationship but when their case starts to break up so does the relationship. Soon the New York media has a spotlight on the two most powerful divorce attorneys who seem to be having their own fights behind the scenes.

For starters let's get some personal feelings out into the air. To me, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn were the greatest on-screen duo in the history of film. Their romantic comedies ranging from Adam's Rib to my personal favorite Woman of the Year are among the greatest films ever made and when watching this Adam's Rib wannabe I couldn't help but notice these romantic comedies haven't changed in sixty plus years. Once again we get an attractive couple fighting, screaming, fighting some more and then realizing they are in love.

I'm certainly not a sourpuss but my God, could writers try to come up with at least one original idea when doing these types of films? Perhaps this genre has just been beaten to death so bad that those watching these films want the fighting then at the last minute makeup but to me watching films like this are becoming a very tiresome chore because by the time the opening credits are over there's really no point in watching the film because it's something you've seen countless times before. I'm not saying one should kill the other's family at the end of the movie but please, offer at least one thing that differs from the other twenty romantic comedies that are released each year.

Is Laws of Attraction a horrible movie? No, none of these films ever are but I don't see the point in watching the same thing over and over. The only difference in these types of films are the leading actors and the success of raising the screenplay out of boredom lies on their shoulders. Pierce Brosnan is a very charming actor and certainly the best thing going for this film. He isn't offered much to do but he's charm and smile at least bring some freshness to this overdone film. Julianne Moore on the other hand has always left a sore spot with me. To me, Moore can either be brilliant or fall flat on her face and that's exactly what she does her. She brought nothing new to her character and didn't have half the charm of Brosnan.

With the all too familiar story and the lack of any real chemistry between the stars there really isn't much left in the film. Francis Fisher is wasted in the tired role of an old hag who is constantly giving advice in between her plastic surgeries. Parker Posey, a wonderful character actress, comes off looking very bad in the role of a divorcée who has nothing to do but keep asking Brosnan to cut her husband's balls off. That certain male part is also a constant running joke throughout the movie and not once did it make me laugh or smile, which is a shame because I enjoy private jokes. In the end, if you walk into your local rental store and see Laws of Attraction on the shelf, run towards the classics area and pick up Adam's Rib or Woman of the Year.