The Rules of Attraction Turns 20
Looks like fun! The Rules of Attraction (2002). Image from FilmAffinity.com
By C. A. Ramirez
The dynamic lives of four college students collide on the Camden College campus in 2002’s The Rules of Attraction. Written and directed by Roger Avary, the film feels like a distant cousin of Pulp Fiction, and it boasts a cast of characters that are unapologetically representative of the hormone fueled orgy that is higher education. Not enough movies go far enough, deep enough to flesh out the fiber of a character's being, but Avary does exactly this and more with his cadre of misfits. In what can only be described as a fever dream ode to the pre-internet rage of Generation X, The Rules of Attraction highlights a stitch in time where hacky sack and beer fueled parties were stand-ins for social media.
James van Der Beek deserved an Oscar for his performance as Sean, a drug dealing womanizer with a death wish. Van Der Beek’s performance is nothing short of mesmerizing as he sheds the “kid from the creek” image and replaces it with the reckless abandon of a young man with no worries. Sean is the cool kid you used to know in junior high who came back from the summer before high school as a bad boy in a leather jacket with an earring. We all knew of that one kid who found that special phone booth in the summer, and like a quick-change artist, became everything you wish you were. Oh youth! Thank God it's over; but I digress. The Rules of Attraction forms a palpable layer of anxiety, tension, and pressure that will follow you long after the credits roll.
Lauren… sweet merciful God, did I have a crush on this character. She immediately reminded me of the free-spirited hippie girls of the Valley – not San Fernando, but the one that’s actually habitable. Avary created such unique characters that you can’t help but recognize and covet each one as they appear on screen. Played by Shannon Sossamon, Lauren is caught in that special, self-imposed hostage situation that young women can find themselves in; a student/teacher “relationship” while she saves her virginity for her boyfriend Victor, played by Kip Pardue, who is abroad in Europe. The calamity that relationship brings to Lauren pushes her into the path of Sean, and the two meet in one of the best split-screen continuous shots of the modern film era. They Know of each other through friends, and upon meeting, fall in love, temporarily. The congestion of relationships surrounding Lauren was absolutely reminiscent of the snaking partnerships that both young men and women engaged in at the time. Lauren is a sweetheart with a hardened shell that parts for a few key people. The chemical catalysts their engagement produces reverberates through the other characters in delightfully caustic ways as everyone remains affected. The Rules of Attraction tears you apart, pulling you in several different directions at once, and you can’t help but hold on and ask for more.
While Sean and Lauren dance around their star-crossed paths, we are treated with another cinematic whirl-wind as we meet Kip Pardue’s character, Victor, Lauren’s boyfriend abroad across the pond. His introduction is a four-minute rapid-fire kaleidoscopic picture of a ne'er-do-well party boy on the prowl across Europe. Victor’s rapid-fire monologue plays against a frantic flurry of clips that match his travels. From the bowels of Avary’s script explodes a one-of-a-kind character introduction to end all character introductions The sequence leaves the viewer in a state of flux. At its heart, it is simply a cinematic montage, but Avary manages to transform it into a frantically loathsome experience that introduces you to a character whose principles are just as misplaced as Sean’s. Pardue captures the character brilliantly, and though his role is a bit more ancillary than the other characters, his few scenes are stolen by Pardue’s ferociously crass performance of a character so reprehensible you can’t help but admire his boorish tenacity.
Far beyond the cares and worries of the other characters is Paul Denton, played by Ian Somerhalder, a gay loner after Sean’s heart and friend to Lauren. Ian’s performance is another standout amongst the cast. Somerhalder would later star in the wildly popular The Vampire Diaries, and that ice-cold indifference is alive and well in The Rules of Attraction. The scenes that include Paul are nearly off the wall, but his character gives us a glimpse of what life is like at home when he has dinner with his mother. Played by Faye Dunaway, Mrs. Denton is a throwback to the upper crust tragedy of parents who were unapologetically detached from their children. There is a lovely dinner scene between Paul and his former lover, Dick, that is absolutely hilarious. The film throws individuality and reckless freedom into the face of the audience, and each time it does, you can’t help but admire it. The Rules of Attraction captures a rare moment in the history of this crazy nation. For a time, and without any social media, college campuses were fertile ground for anything and everything. There were no restrictions, and people did not hesitate. Regardless of your race, you could grow dread-locks, and no one would accuse you of cultural appropriation. This movie is that sentiment of freedom and unbridled enthusiasm that would please even Billy Mumphries.
The entire film is filled to the brim with masterful performances from nearly every character. Clifton Collins Jr. in particular, plays one of the best coke dealers in movie cinema history. The Rules of Attraction is one the best movies that depicts the incredible chaos that used to explode across every college campus across the nation. Extreme highs gave way to abysmal lows and through it all, young adults navigated this minefield, all the while, projecting a modest lifestyle to their parents back home. The duplicity that can exist in these environments is blown to an extreme proportion while still remaining realistic. Those of you proficient professionals who were fortunate enough to go to college before social media ripped it apart should consider yourselves lucky; it may have been expensive, but it was also one of the last times you were truly free.
