Rules of Attraction, The

MPAA Rating: R

Entertainment: +1 1/2

Content: -4

This social satire looks at dating interactions of several students at a party school. Lauren (Shannyn Sossamon) thinks shes in love with Victor (Kip Pardue) whos touring Europe for a semester. Sean (James Van Der Beek) meets Lauren and thinks shes the author of mysterious love notes in his mailbox. Paul (Ian Somerhalder) dated Lauren before her infatuation with Victor, but hes bi-sexual and finds Sean attractive. Lauren also debates staying virgin with her promiscuous roommate Lara (Jessica Biel). Sean is also the contact man on campus and owes money to the local drug dealer. As the characters interact, the film follows the lives of these bored and indulgent college students. Although it features popular actors and some unique camera tricks, the RULES OF ATTRACTION will attract few.

Although billed as a satire, this film is anything but funny. Using some interesting film techniques, such as running scenes backwards then showing the same scene from a different characters viewpoint are nominally interesting. A split screen technique of following two characters until they meet and merge into one scene is also intriguing. However, the film is filled with obscene and sexually crude dialogue, drug use, sexual images and nudity, and other degenerate behavior. The opening scene finds Lauren narrating about losing her virginity when she was drunk, with the scene later depicted among other sexual encounters. Phallic images are also seen drawn on message boards. Motions indicate self-gratification in a few scenes. One scene features extended nudity as party-goers dress to have sex. A faculty member suggests a sexual favor would help grades, which is then performed. Along with other homosexual implications, men kiss on screen, although one character is said to be bi-sexual. A suicide is graphically depicted as a girl slices her arms, with flowing blood turning the bathtub water red. Drug use, from alcohol to marijuana and cocaine use is also depicted. Over a hundred obscenities flood the dialogue. This pornographic venture degrades both cast and audience. Dont follow these RULES OF ATTRACTION.

Preview Reviewer: Paul Bicking
Distributor: Lions Gate Films, 2 Bloor St., W, Ste 1001, Toronto, ON M4W 3E2, Canada

Summary
The following categories contain objective listings of film content which contribute to the subjective numeric Content ratings posted to the left and on the Home page.

Crude Language: Many (24) times Mild 4, moderate 20

Obscene Language: Many (143) times F-word 119, s-word 17, other 6, finger gesture 1

Profanity: Many (17) times Regular 8 (J 3, JC 3, C sake 2); exclamatory 9 (OMG 5, OG 3, MG)

Violence: Several times Moderate and severe (kicks, shoving, man spits on another, gun threats, nose bleeds, razor cuts arm graphically, blood flows into bathwater, punches, man tries hanging self, fake blood on body, photos of venereal disease effects, hit with bat)

Sex: Several times Implied and graphic (unmarried couples with motion few times, self- gratification motions several times, woman goes into room with multiple guys, implied unconventional act, woman with multiple partners w/ nudity)

Nudity: Many times (breast in several scenes/ most sex-related, female rear in thong, brief female frontal in background, male organ drawn on door, brief male frontal/ rear in photos); Near nudity Several times (women in skimpy underwear several times, men in underwear few times, low cut dress)

Sexual Dialogue/Gesture: Many times frequent crude comments about past encounters/ multiple partners, pornography magazine read, suggestive dancing, woman propositioned for group act, comments about birth control, mans hand on womans clothed breast, professor suggest act to improve student GPA, party titled dress for sex, photo of red light district)

Drugs: Many times frequent alcohol/ beer use, cigarettes, marijuana smoked several times, cocaine snorted few times, bong used, reference to ecstasy drug/ pot in room/ overdose, comments on drug buys, man cutting drugs for sale, drunken behavior

Other: Drunk spews vomit on girl, man refers to self as emotional vampire, comment about everything being pre-destined, flatulence sounds w/ man on toilet, woman uses photos of venereal disease to control sexual urges, man openly shows disrespect to mother and friends in restaurant, man attempts then fakes suicide, woman plans to lose virginity

Running Time: 105 minutes
Intended Audience: Older teens and adults

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