Julianne Moore plays a driven legal eagle, all intellect and professional composure on the outside, but angst-ridden and romantically befuddled on the inside. Pierce Brosnan is a disorganized, disheveled, disarmingly handsome pile of wrinkled laundry who, to outward appearances, seems hard to take seriously in a court of law, but is in reality a sneaky, charming courtroom shark for whom head games are half the fun. They're both whip-smart, high-priced divorce lawyers who have never lost a case or their senses--until they come up against each other in Laws of Attraction, a head-butting romantic comedy that tries with such enthusiasm to be snappy and beguiling, it's hard not to like it a little. But by shortchanging the courtroom scenes (where the sparks would really fly in a pluckier script) in favor of off-duty episodes, director Peter Howitt (Sliding Doors) cheats his stars of their best chances to bicker adorably, and as a result the film falls well short of its clear inspirations--the dialogue-driven battle-of-the-sexes classics like Adam's Rib, in which Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn really shine as married opposing attorneys. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include six deleted/alternate scenes (including an alternate ending), trailers, and DVD-ROM features. Bottom line: a so-so extras package for a so-so film.] (R. Blackwelder)
Laws of Attraction
New Line, 90 min., PG-13, VHS: $22.99, DVD: $27.95, Aug. 24 Volume 19, Issue 5
Laws of Attraction
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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