The Rules of Attraction (2002)

The incredibly spoiled and overprivileged students of Camden College are a backdrop for an unusual love triangle between a drug dealer, a virgin and a bisexual classmate.

Director:

Roger Avary

Writers:

Bret Easton Ellis (novel), Roger Avary (screenplay)

Stars:

James Van Der Beek, Ian Somerhalder, Shannyn Sossamon

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Van Der Beek	...	Sean Bateman
Shannyn Sossamon	...	Lauren Hynde
Jessica Biel	...	Lara
Kip Pardue	...	Victor
Kate Bosworth	...	Kelly
Ian Somerhalder	...	Paul Denton
Joel Michaely	...	Raymond
Jay Baruchel	...	Harry
Thomas Ian Nicholas	...	Mitchell
Clifton Collins Jr.	...	Rupert
Clare Kramer	...	Candice
Faye Dunaway	...	Mrs. Denton
Swoosie Kurtz	...	Mrs. Jared
Russell Sams	...	Richard
Colin Bain	...	Donald

Storyline

Camden College. Sean Bateman is the younger brother of depraved Wall Street broker Patrick Bateman. He's also a drug dealer who owes a lot of money to "fellow" dealer Rupert Guest, as well as a well-known womanizer, for he sleeps with nearly half of the female population on campus. Lauren Hynde is, technically, a virgin. She's saving herself for her shallow boyfriend, Victor Johnson, who's left the States to backpack across Europe. Her slutty roommate, Lara, has the hots for Victor as well. Paul Denton, who used to date Lauren, is openly bisexual and attracted to Mitchell Allen, who's dating Candice to prove to Paul that he's not gay. Sean loves Lauren. Paul loves Sean. And Lauren may love Sean.

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Plot Keywords:

talking about sex | dancing in underwear | sex scene | sexual pleasure | lesbian | 

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Taglines:

There Are No Rules

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content, drug use, language and violent images

Details

Official Sites:

Former Official site for the film - site no longer active. [France] Official Director's site for the film. [United States]

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

11 October 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pravila privlačnosti

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,532,410, 13 October 2002, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$6,532,619, 21 November 2002

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,805,917, 21 November 2002

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kingsgate Films,Roger Avary Filmproduktion GmbH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Roger Avary called the Paul Denton character the moral center of the film. "Where is Paul at the end of the film? He's had his heart cleaved in two, but he seems to be a humanist at the end... a realist... Not bitter, but sad. Will he be realistic and not self-deluding in his future pursuits of passion? Do any of us?"

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Goofs

When Sean Bateman opens the first love letter from his secret admirer, he looks down at his lap in response to the silver star confetti before it actually empties from the envelope.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Lauren: and it's a story that might bore you, but you don't have to listen, because I always knew it was going to be like that.

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Crazy Credits

The credits run backwards, starting with the disclaimer ("Any similarity to persons living or dead...") and rolling upwards to end with the cast.

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Alternate Versions

The multi-region UK blu-ray release is the complete, uncut version (as the 2-disc French release). It is unknown as to whether this was a mistake or not, as there are no details on the BBFC website.

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Connections

Referenced in Un heureux événement (2011)

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Soundtracks

Aida Grand March
Performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and tomandandy
Written by Giuseppe Verdi
Courtesy of Extreme Music Library

User Reviews

Others' Comments

I haven't read all of the users' comments, but the ones I HAVE read seem to not quite get the point of the film. IT'S AN A-D-A-P-T-A-T-I-O-N. Of a book. Not to mention the mystery behind it: Bret Easton Ellis is a brilliant writer, yet all the movie adaptations suck mighty. I personally was laughing all the way through it (except of course during the bathtub scene which I thought was gruesomely fantastic in its portrayal). So even if you didn't get it, at least it was funny. I was thrilled during the addition of Mini-Glamorama, and just to keep everyone on the right track, Sean Bateman is not the "college version" of the American Psycho narrator; if he was, his name would've been Patrick Bateman, Christian Bale's character in the movie. Sean is Patrick's little brother; there was supposed to be a scene where Van Der Beek calls Bale and Bale has a severed head in his hand on the other end, but Bale wasn't available. If you hated it, and it wasn't for you, just think: You could've seen the NC-17 version. Otherwise, don't knock the "shallowness" and "emptiness" of the characters or the actors please; that's not what it was about, and it's not what the book intended. Bret Easton Ellis is a genius.