I hated this movie.
This is an ugly movie.
A dark, depressing, disturbing, demoralizing ugly ass movie.
While I found myself appreciating and even enjoying certain segments, at no time was I really comfortable.
But that’s not to say it’s a bad movie.
In terms of execution, it’s really good.
Roger Avary does a great job directing this movie. It’s a pretty cool style, even though the backwards shit got old fast. But yeah, he did a good job directing.
I don’t know what to say about the writing. I kind of hated every character in the movie. Even the most likable person in the film bothered me. But Avary adapted this from the novel by Bret Easton Ellis, which I never read, so I don’t know who’s to blame for the ugly little world that showed up on screen.
My God, I hope this depiction of “college life” is at least slightly exaggerated.
The cast of this flick however was very good.
James Van Der Beek totally destroys (intentionally, I think) his Dawson’s Creek image playing a rough and tumble drug dealing tough guy. He is surprisingly good.
Shannyn Sossamon, who I was so crazy about in 40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS is the one character that was kinda likable, but damn, what a difference between movies. And why do attractive people have to get such butt-ugly haircuts, and damn, can somebody give her a sandwich?
She’s great in the movie, but sheesh.
Ian Somerhalder is really good too. I didn’t need the “Faith” segment, but he was good.
Jessica Biel is a decent actress and a damn fine looking woman, but me thinks I would prefer her character on 7th Heaven to this bimbette.
Kip Pardue had the best segment in the whole film, which is weird considering his role in the film is both the least important and the most important…Good job though.
And then there’s Clifton Collins Jr., who used to be Clifton Gonzalez Gonzalez, which I always thought was kinda weird weird. He’s really good (and over the top) as a psychotic coked out drug dealer.
Oh wait, I just realized there was actually one character who was very likable, but I’m sorry to say I don’t know her name, nor the name of the actress that played her. Sorry.
God I hated this movie.
I’ve seen “glimpses”, and I put that in quotes to emphasize how minute these glimpses were, of the world depicted in The Rules Of Attraction. It terrifies me to think that it happens everyday, all over the world. I wish drugs didn’t have to be so ubiquitous, but they are, and I guess they always will be.
But enough about the real world and my feelings about it.
Like I said, this a good movie, but an ugly one.