Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20921 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-07-04
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English, German
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 86 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Based on Bret Easton Ellis's often-overlooked second novel, The Rules of Attraction works better as a film than the disastrous Less Than Zero, though not as well as the canny American Psycho. Writer-director Roger Avary--who lets slip a nasty Quentin Tarantino reference that feels like sour grapes--can't quite decide whether to ditch the novel's extremely 1980s cultural references and make a contemporary-set picture or to evoke the period in which the book was written. Set on a small New England campus, the film offers a love triangle between "emotional vampire" Sean Bateman (James Van Der Beek), skateboarding "innocent" Lauren Hynde (Shannon Sossamyn) and gay libertine Paul Denton (Ian Somerhalder) that gets complicated by passing characters.

While not as hung up on time as Memento or Irreversible, the film does play its tricks, opening at an "end of the world party" to show its three leads at simultaneous low points, reversing to take stabs at each of them, then hopping back and forth in time as different narrators take over, with time-outs for a fast-forward tour of Europe by a minor character and a drug-dealing subplot to keep Avary's crime credentials in order. All in all it's a satirical piece that is removed from reality, always striking, sometimes funny or horrifying, but ultimately hard to connect with. --Kim Newman

DVD Description
From the corrupt minds that brought you American Psycho (Brett Easton Ellis) and Pulp Fiction (Roger Avary) comes The Rules of Attraction, a razor-sharp, sordid movie about sex, drugs and hedonism on an American college campus. James van Der Beek (Dawson’s Creek), Ian Somerhalder (Changing Hearts) and Shannyn Sossamon (A Knight’s Tale) star in this scathingly insightful satire on life and love among the young and privileged. This is the domain of the Camden College, a small, affluent, liberal arts college somewhere in New England. With endless rounds of drug, alcohol and sex-drenched campus parties, attended by sparsely dressed Camden students, life is one big drug-induced trip. But human nature determines that in a highly imperfect world, the rules of attraction always apply … and among the co-eds at Camden College, the first rule is – there are no rules.

Special Features

• Two audio commentaries featuring Ian Somerhalder, Shannyn Sossaman and Kip Pardue
  
• The Anatomy of a Scene (26 minute featurette)
  
• Theatrical TV and radio spots
  
• Trailers

DVD Technical Information:

• Language: English
  
• Subtitles: English, English SDH
  
• Aspect Ratio: 16:9

Customer Reviews

Worthless garbage
A vile film about vile people. Repugnant, useless vermin. A more chilling indictment of the vacuity of American youth it would be hard to find. The thought that these loathsome scum are going to grow up and run the country (they are all spoiled rich brats) should give any American citizen the shivering heaves.

As a film it is just clever-clever cinematic tricks used without any insight or imagination. The performances are uniformly uninspired, the direction laughably self-conscious. Serious money was spent on this crap. Don't waste any of yours.

overlooked materpiece
great movie that features a stunning performance from james van der beak who shines as a drug dealer desperate to self destruct.this isnt to everyones tastes but for those who like thier films a little offbeat and rough around the edges then this is for you

if you want a half-naked Dawson, sign up
but, don't expect anything like the Creek. The film is dark, and frankly, disturbing. Do college student really abuse themselves like this? The mis-communication & fear of embarassment ring true but I'm not convinced about the drugs & beatings. At least I hope that's not what life is like now.