Laws of Attraction (2004)

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

Director:

Peter Howitt

Writers:

Aline Brosh McKenna (story), Aline Brosh McKenna (screenplay)

Stars:

Pierce Brosnan, Julianne Moore, Parker Posey

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

This is the story of two New York divorce attorneys who are often competing against each other, but end up in a relationship nonetheless. When they get married, can they avoid the same issues at home that lead people to provide them business at work? One of the central cases in the story is the heavily-publicized divorce of a rock star from his wife...

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Plot Keywords:

neo screwball comedy | paddywhackery | divorce | divorce lawyer | lawyer | 

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Taglines:

Love can be quite a trial.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content and language

Details

Country:

Ireland UK Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 April 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Las reglas de la seducción

Filming Locations:

Roundwood, County Wicklow, Ireland

Box Office

Budget:

$28,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£433,962 (United Kingdom), 9 May 2004, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,728,905, 2 May 2004, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$17,848,322, 13 June 2004

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$12,144,910, 29 October 2005

Company Credits

Production Co:

Deep River Productions,Irish DreamTime,Initial Entertainment Group (IEG)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

DIRECTOR CAMEO (Peter Howitt): At the start of the film, as the husband (Brosnan's client) in the divorce case.

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Goofs

At the rock concert, the lead singer pulls away from the microphone and stood singing while the vocals continue.

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Quotes

[arguing in court after having spent the night together]
Daniel: Are you suggesting that because the number is so large, your client is entitled to more than what was agreed upon in the pre-nup? Because that was not your position last night, assuming you remember last night's... position.

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Connections

Features Cribs (2000)

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Soundtracks

Sick It Is/Tea You Want
Traditional Arrangement
Performed by Temple Bush Ceili Band
Licensed courtesy of Lunar Records, Dublin
Published by Squirrel Music

User Reviews

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?