Laws of Attraction

Peter Howitt's "Laws of Attraction" is an excuse to present two attractive actors in a light comedy that should have been much better than what one sees on the screen.

Julianne Moore is one of the great actresses working in the American cinema these days. She projects a luminous presence in everything she undertakes. In fact, this gorgeous woman is about the best thing in the film. Pierce Brosnan, on the other hand, plays the rogue lawyer with no scruples. He will do anything to undermine the woman he is supposed to be in love with.

Some of the minor characters were fun to watch in action. Frances Fisher, who could be Ms. Moore's older sister in real life, has been called to played her mother! Yes, by the magic of this inspired casting, Ms. Fisher is the mother that, having a great figure, and a nice personality, can still attract men, on her own terms. She resents being called "mother", and frankly, who can blame her? Parker Posey is excellent, as usual. Nora Dunn, as Judge Abramowitz, shows she should be seen more often.

While there are some funny moments, the film feels flat at times.

I believe 'Laws of Attraction' is the only movie I've ever seen which I greatly preferred the 'alternate scenes and subplots' to what the producers chose to present. The plot involves way too little law. Most of the time when either Brosnan or Lewis winds, it's because of some piece of information the other lawyer should have known. The romance is weak, though not in the alternate scenes, especially those short ones which involves a former romance between Brosnan and the judge's sister.

Had 'Laws of Attraction' incorporated the alternate scenes and subplots, it would be deeper, grittier and funnier, well worthy of a '7'. However, as presented, 'Laws of Attraction' is good only for a weak '6', primarily due to the charms of Pierce Brosnan.

I first saw this film through work at the cinema ( I work in care ). I enjoyed it so much I took my wife to see it to the next night and she enjoyed it to. This is a movie for people who are in love and or thinking about getting married or are married. Despite the humour their is a serious message ie not everything in life is easy and you need to be willing to compromise if you wish to find happiness with the one you love. Not all reviews of this film have been positive. My belief is these critics are not romantic people. This is a very hard film to dislike if you are a romantic person, my wife says I am. I look forward to buying it on DVD I recommend you do the same.

Audrey Woods (Julianne Moore) and Daniel Rafferty (Pierce Brosnan) are New Yorks finest divorce attorneys, but when celebrity Couple (Parker Posey and Michael Sheen) raise the stakes in their divorce, Audrey and Daniel set out to make their cases and end up getting hitched themselves. For the sake of their reputations they must pretend that they are really in love.

Julianne Moore and Pierce Brosnan have a very good on-screen chemistry, and they are helped by some nice direction and a good script; there's plenty of laughs in this romantic comedy, but it's not a real tearjerker like some others in the genre.

7/10 A fine effort

Audrey Woods is one of the best, nay, THE best divorce attorney in town. She has never lost a case and she is about to continue that winning streak with her latest case. When she meets her opposing counsel she has no reason to think that this scruffy man poses any threat to her. When he hands her her ass she steps up the competition and so begins a tense relationship in the courtroom. However outside of the court, the couple find a certain chemistry growing between them but surrounded by so many divorces and arguments how could anything good come of it?

Billed as a big name romantic comedy in the mould of sparky screwball romances of the forties and fifties this comedy at times is great fun but at others falls terribly flat. Given what it was basing itself of it should be no surprise that the first half is the best with energetic duelling between the two leads. Later on the script has to deliver a believable romance out of this and here is where it really falters. It suddenly becomes this twinkly affair in Ireland where love blooms, although it doesn't really although it might. It is a difficult hurdle to get over and the film doesn't really manage it and the final third is deeply unconvincing and hard to care about as it mugs its way towards the inevitable conclusion. It is strange that McKenna's script is so slick when it is in the "banter" stage but so heavy with syrup and silly cliché towards the end, almost like all the talent was put into the first half, leaving nothing for the latter stages.

Brosnan and Moore do try hard to make it work and mostly they succeed, but the material does gradually leave them out in the open. It helps that together they do manage an easy chemistry but later in the film they do struggle to convince with the more emotional side of the characters that exist outside of the fizz and snappy exchanges. Brosnan does well for the majority as he charms his way through but Moore can't seem to slide between the film's levels – she works with the snappy comedy stuff but when the emotional stuff comes she seems to drift between rom-com level acting and trying to go deeper. Support from Sheen, Posey, Fisher and a few others add some limited value around the edges but none can stop the script falling apart the longer it goes on.

Overall then what starts as a reasonable hark back to screwball romances gradually turns into an unconvincing, silly and sentimental affair that not even the big name stars can keep above the water. Not really worth a look for that reason.