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Back Shelf Beauties
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Laws of Attraction I always see these romantic comedies where the man and the woman are fighting like cats and dogs, but the exterior hatred is masking a deep passion for each other underneath it all. Give me a break! When a woman calls me a jerk, does that really mean, I love you? When she throws a drink in my face, does that mean, let's go back to my place? If only life was like a movie. Julianne Moore stars as Audrey Woods - the best divorce attorney in New York City. She's financially well off, graduated first in her class at Yale Law School and holds a top position at one of New York's most prestigious firms, but Audrey is insecure, uptight and lonely. She is representing the wife of an infomercial king in the city's biggest divorce trial, but Audrey has not met her cunning adversary. Infomercial man has hired a new attorney, Daniel Rafferty (Pierce Brosnan) - a rumpled, crazy-like-a-fox mad man who oozes charm and sex appeal (because he is Pierce Brosnan). The two instantly become enemies, but, underneath it all, are they attracted to each other? Of course they are! He's Pierce Brosnan. She's Julianne Moore (hubba hubba!). Luckily, they are the type of experienced actors who know how to make this comedy work, when it's a comedy. Writers Aline Brosh McKenna and Robert Harling do a nice job coming up with fabulous, sparring dialogue between the two, and this is where the movie is at its best, and uses its stars to the best of their ability. Brosnan is magnificent with truckloads of charm and a devilish look in his eye that makes Daniel as suave as James Bond. Moore keeps up, but I never felt like she was able to carry scenes where she appears without Brosnan. While he is putting in the performance of a lifetime, she is getting by admirably, but seems too uptight, even for an uptight character. Brosnan is able to get her to come out of her shell, but he shouldn't be expected to carry Moore while she struggles to be zany and neurotic. Frances Fisher livens things up with her wild portrayal of Audrey's mom, and director Peter Howitt wisely doesn't overuse her eccentric character. However, he gets lost when it's time to wrap up the film. After starting off strong, Howitt allows Laws of Attraction to slow down and get away from its madcap premise. All of the sudden, our romantic comedy forgets the comedy as Howitt imposes a sappy, contrived ending that is more about Audrey's angst than about the sparks that fly between the two characters. It feels like an entirely different movie and doesn't have to be. The change in tone is too much for us to handle after enjoying a funny movie. It IS called a romantic COMEDY. Let the romance be funny up until the end, or accept the consequences. Laws of Attraction could have been much better if it stuck to the comedy, and Brosnan has done a wonderful job reminding people what a funny guy he can be. Maybe there is life after James Bond after all. 2 ½ Waffles (Out Of 4) Copyright 2004 - WaffleMovies.com
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