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Laws Of Attraction

2004, Movie, PG-13, 90 mins

Laws Of Attraction: Review

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Objection! Actors of Julianne Moore and Pierce Brosnan's caliber should not be subjected to playing bland and distasteful characters in mediocre romantic comedies, especially when they actually share some onscreen chemistry. Uptight lawyer Audrey Woods (Moore), who's deeply addicted to junk food and the Weather Channel, is one of the most sought-after, by-the-book divorce attorneys in New York City. She meets her match in laid-back but undefeated Daniel Rafferty (Pierce Brosnan) when he returns from a several-year stint in California and glides effortlessly into the media spotlight. Their mutual competitiveness and opposing attitudes towards the dissolution of marital unions — she believes in remaining single because marriage inevitably ends in failure, while he thinks couples should be encouraged to work out their differences — produce constant courtroom clashes. Their ongoing battle peaks when they end up on opposite sides of a high-stakes celebrity case: Daniel is representing wealthy fashion designer Serena (Parker Posey), while Audrey represents Serena's husband, sleazy rocker Thorne Jamison (Michael Sheen), who stands accused of philandering. The bickering spouses are fighting for custody of their Irish castle, which each takes credit for finding. Daniel and Audrey individually decide on the same legal strategy: They'll depose the castle's staffers and use their testimony to prove which spouse deserves to call the place home. But their separate arrivals in Ireland coincide with a local festival celebrating the happy couple who founded the village. After getting swept up in the revels — which include lots of drinking — Audrey and Daniel awaken to discover they're married. Audrey argues persuasively that the best thing to do is keep quiet and dissolve the marriage as quickly and quietly as possible when they return to the States, but the whirlwind wedding has already made the news. While Aline Brosh McKenna and Robert Harling's madcap story recalls the antic inventions of vintage screwball comedies, it lacks the charm and sparkling dialogue that made them classics. Brosnan and Moore do their best with the material that they are given, but Moore is forced into an unremittingly shrewish role and while Brosnan's roguish playboy is likable enough, it's impossible to fathom what, beyond the obvious, he sees in her. Serena and Thorne are criminally underwritten, stranding Posey and Sheen in a morass of celebrities-behaving-badly cliches. Only Frances Fisher stands out from the muddle, bringing much-needed comic relief to the role of Audrey's meddling, well-to-do and much-married mother. leave a comment --Angel Cohn
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