Laws of Attraction Movie Review:


Julianne Moore stars opposite Pierce Brosnan in what initially looks like a smart and sexy little romantic comedy with its hands wrapped around the apron strings of some of the most memorable romantic comedies of the '40s and '50s. But as “Laws of Attraction” unfolds, it becomes clear that to make such a correlation sullies the memories and accomplishments of Katharine Hepburn herself. As a big fan of Julianne Moore, it deeply disappoints me to see her come up empty in her first starring role in a big-budget romantic comedy. If it turns out that comedy is truly not her bag, I'll still forgive her and you'll find me in line at the opening of her next drama.

Moore plays Audrey Woods, a brash, high profile divorce lawyer who has yet to lose a case. Her steely workplace facade is contrasted by the weaknesses we see when she is outside the courtroom. She lives with her mother, has a weakness for junk food and claims she doesn't have time for a relationship. Her courtroom confidence gets put to the test when the wealthy husband of her most recent client hires Daniel Rafferty (Pierce Brosnan), a slovenly, cocksure divorce attorney from out-of-town who not only turns out to be a formidable opponent, but also manages to winnow his way into her heart.

The theme of the story is the question of whether two divorce attorneys can avoid the same personal problems that bring clients in for their services. As profound as that seems, the film's intelligence can only be found in its desires, not in its actions. Too many inadequacies keep us from ever caring about whether Audrey and Daniel can work through their problems. Any chemistry between Moore and Brosnan is stripped away by the repulsive traits of their characters. Rather than rooting for them to stay together, I found myself wanting to keep them apart to save them from each other's repugnancies. Every time Daniel displays any warmth or caring for Audrey, the moment is suddenly lost by another act of questionable moral turpitude. Audrey is too caught up in being a distinguished attorney to be human. She's more interested in sparring with Daniel than with letting herself feel any emotion. This message of a woman struggling to balance career with personal life is far too obvious to be clever. The running bit of Audrey's mother (Frances Fisher) dabbling in her love life grows old in the film's first 30-minutes, yet we are subjected to it throughout the film.

It pains me to say that the film's attempts to live up to the "comedy" portion of its classification as "romantic comedy" fail mainly due to Moore's shortcomings in the art of comedic acting. Her timing misfires all over the place and she often appears to be doing something that just doesn't come naturally. It often seems as if she is rehearsing her lines and trying too hard to coordinate her delivery with her action. It doesn't help matters that the comedic material is flat-out not funny. The jokes rarely garner any laughs, but when the audience does laugh, it's at inappropriate moments.

In addition to its acting blemishes, “Laws of Attraction” is plagued by other imperfections. The script rambles all over the road, never allowing the narrative to get into a natural flow. One moment we're involved in the court case that initially brought Audrey and Daniel together, the next we're in Daniel's filthy apartment in the middle of Chinatown. Suddenly we surface in the foggy moors of Scotland, as we enter a spectacular Scottish castle where we get the gross-out from two despicably loathsome characters played by Parker Posey and Michael Sheen. Up to three writers are credited with having had a hand in the script in one way or another. And it shows. A script-by-committee fails more often than it succeeds, and unfortunately, this one can't be saved by the performance of the leading pair.

Frank Wilkins

Though inhibited with a talented cast and refined dialogue, Laws of Attraction offers nothing fresh, just a few chuckles and an ample amount of mediocrity in this story of the attraction of opposites.

The story takes place in New York City and centers on the relationship of two great divorce lawyers, who have their own reasons of their given profession. Audrey Woods (Julianne Moore) is uncommitted to romantic relationships due to her job, and spends most of her spare time with her aspiring to be young and sexually driven mother (Frances Fisher). Audrey was the best divorce lawyer in the city, until Daniel Rafferty (Pierce Brosnan) arrived. Rafferty is not the most organized of beings, but he is charming and renowned as a divorce lawyer. With Audrey wanting the spotlight more than Daniel, court battles endure the two. Though Audrey finds him overly repulsive, Daniel believes she is fascinating. The two are given a highly publicized divorce case between two popular celebrities. Audrey finds herself representing Irish rock star Thorne Jamison (Michael Sheen) and Daniel is representing his loudmouth fashion designer wife, Serena (Parker Posey). Audrey and Daniel learn that neither of their clients cares about money since they are both rich, but each wants a resort castle both claim in Ireland. Traveling to Ireland to speak with the castle staff of butlers, maids, gardeners among others to find which client actually purchased it, Audrey and Daniel ensue on a wild night that changes each’s case and more so their lives. As Audrey notions more to fixing their mistake, Daniel relishes to it being a blessing, but both are faced with challenges in and out of the courtroom that may affect their professions and lives drastically.

Not taking anything away from the film, but the actual secret or mistake just discussed is plainly revealed in the film’s trailer, which is unfortunate because it could have served as a mid-way twist in the film. The film’s script is not the sharpest, but not terrible either. The most significant problems are when the subplots get out of hand, such as with the characters flocking back and forth to Ireland. The characters are also all wooden objects, which leads to hardly any feeling at all towards them. The romantic comedy formula is followed extensively through the writing; it is just that this film is hardly funny. However, the one real laugh-out-loud moment, when Audrey makes a reference to her mother’s lip injector syringes, is a great one. As far the rest of the comedic situations and jokes, its all been there, done that.

Director Peter Howitt attempts to keep the film “cute,” but it is nothing special or that enduring. He follows all of the “laws” of the genre, including flooding the screen with pretty colors, lovable romantic moments, precise music, and simple shot selections. At least, he does not let Audrey or Daniel have an annoying best friend character to give them advice; they instead have their annoying rich clients.

Pierce Brosnan is of course suave as Daniel, but though efficient, at times Julianne Moore seemed uninterested as Audrey. She is a great actress, but perhaps she was misguided or reaching for something that was not there. The two leads share effective chemistry nonetheless. Parker Posey is annoyingly over the top as the fashion designer divorcee Serena, as is Michael Sheen as her Irish rocker husband, but at least Sheen’s body antics save his performance. Frances Fisher is delight in the supporting role as Audrey’s mother.

Laws of Attraction is not unwatchable, it is just something that has been seen over and over again. The script entails practical romance between the two leads, but the subplots are murky and of course the film is painfully predictable. However, perhaps this film will find an audience in the mix of all the violent revenge films currently in theaters.

Grade: C

Joseph C. Tucker

Does anyone remember the last time that award-winning actress Julianne Moore took on a Hollywood comedy in a leading role? Sure she has dabbled in comedic clunkers like 2000’s “The Ladies Man” and 2001’s “Evolution” but the last time as a leading lady was probably almost 10 years ago in 1995’s “Nine Months” where she starred as an pregnant girlfriend to Hugh Grant’s ecstatic daddy to be. It was a funny and tender film partially because of Moore’s steadfast performance to Grant’s stumbling buffoon. It was dynamite for Moore’s career which seemed to skyrocket after the film.

In 2004’s “Laws of Attraction”, Moore returns to comedy but this time Moore has no hapless, bumbling co-star to help her. Instead she has Pierce Brosnan who hasn’t been funny or bumbling since the close of the TV series “Remington Steele” in 1987. Pierce can be mean, charming, devious and a flirt but he is no comedian.

Moore plays Audrey Miller, a divorce attorney who is at the top of her game until new comer Daniel Rafferty (Brosnan) moves in on her territory. Audrey and Daniel quickly become the talk of the town as they square off case after case. It isn’t until the attorney’s battle over the estate of rock-star (Michael Sheen) and his fashion designer wife (Parker Posey) that things get ugly especially when they end up accidentally married.

The biggest problem with “Laws” is its first two acts. Why did we need them? The film would have been more fun if the film started off with the goofy marriage like in the trailers instead of using it as a third act ploy. I think the film could have used that plot for a lot more laughs and friction between these two legal eagles.

It was hard to see any real chemistry between Brosnan and Moore. Moore could romance a kitchen faucet and we would believe it but I never felt any depth to Brosnan even though the script called for it. The other thing that bugged me about their romantic scenes was throughout the whole film neither of the couple says “I love you”. It is always I “care” or some lesser word. That in some respect dropped a wall between these lovers for me.

My favorite scenes were between Moore and her on-screen mother, Frances Fisher. Now that was chemistry and Fisher seems be born to play Moore’s mother. There was such electricity in every one of their scenes that you wanted so much more from Fisher.

I can go on and on about how tired the romantic comedy genre is but once in a while I see one that surprises me. The mature romantic comedy, “Something’s Gotta Give” was a great film for this genre and I hoped that Moore was able to shine some in “Laws” like Diane Keaton did in “Something’s”.

I love Moore and she is probably one of the finest if not the finest actress working today but the problem is not even her magic could save this film.

(2.5 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer.

Dean Kish

Clearly going for a Tracy-Hepburn battle-of-the-sexes tone, this engaging rom-com keeps us mildly entertained. Alas, the script feels like it was written by a committee, with a nearly overwhelming blandness that smothers rare flashes of astute humour.

Audrey Miller (Moore) is a top New York divorce lawyer, a fastidious Weather Channel devotee who takes the high road in her cases. Then she comes up against the scruffy and sneaky Daniel Rafferty (Brosnan), and as they wage war in a series of high profile cases, they're really falling in love. Audrey's eternally youthful mother (Fisher) does everything she can to push them together, while their latest case (between rock-star Sheen and fashion designer Posey) puts them in a position where they'll finally have to confront their feelings for each other.

In the absence of anything original, there are several things to enjoy here, starting with winning performances by Moore and Brosnan. She's a bracing bundle of nerves, he's a charmingly sincere hound dog, and they spark with chemistry when they're at each others' throats. Not so much when they're all goo-goo eyes. Sheen and Posey go for it with broad and very loud performances that seem to come from a edgier comedy than this! But it's Fisher who steals the film with all the funniest dialog.

Howitt directs in that vacuous Hollywood style--efficient but uninteresting, relying a bit too much on montage sequences. The two Irish side-trips have a nicely organic feel. But the sharpness seems to have been sanded off through endless rewriting; most dialog is lacklustre, the slapstick feels badly strained and the sweet romantic bits are forced. Most tellingly, none of the characters seem to have any life beyond the plot itself--no back stories, no friends, no interests at all. There are promising moments that make us laugh or smile. But mostly the film just reminds us how superb Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy were at this kind of thing.

Rich Cline

Audrey Woods (Moore) is New York’s top divorce attorney and has never lost a case. That is until Daniel Rafferty (Brosnan) returns to town and faces Audrey in the courtroom for the first time. An adversarial relationship forms, as the two become their own media circus with victories and losses bouncing between the lawyers. It is only when the two of them bag their highest profile clients, rock star Thorne Jamison (Sheen) and his fashion designer wife Serena (Posey) do they start getting closer. After a night of heavy drinking they get far too close however, as they wake up married.

Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore move away from their usual acting niches and give romantic comedy a go. They shouldn’t have moved.

Laws of Attraction is a sugary sweet romance aimed at the over 35s that is never does more than raise a smile and be overly pleasant. You know exactly what is going to happen as soon as the picture starts and the film makes no effort at all to change that notion.

Pierce Brosnan tries to move away from his usual suave and sophisticated demeanour and into the shoes of abit of a slob. James Bond casts along shadow however and it is hard to take the actor in this role, even though he made his name playing a similar part in the TV series Remington Steele. This is a shame as Brosnan is a better actor than people take him for and pigeon holing him into one type role isn’t really fair as he does his best with the limited and uninspiring material.

The same can be said about Julianne Moore. This is an actress known for tackling more dramatic and emotional roles with great abound, so she probably saw this part as a piece of light relief. She does well as Audrey and shows a gift for comedy but you can easily forget that she has brushed this facet of her talent before in Evolution and Nine Months when her dramatic performances are so noticeable that they easily drown them out.

The two stars have some descent support from Francis Fisher as Audrey’s mother Sara and Parker Posey and Michael Sheen as a slight too stereotypical and over the top rock star married couple.

Laws of Attraction will only resonant with its target audience, women over 35. There is nothing original or genre enhancing here to draw anyone else in. This is a shame because the two talented leads deserves a lot more from the script and the director Peter Howitt, who injected so much originality into his debut romantic comedy, Sliding Doors.

Star Rating = * *

Jamie Kelwick

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