DVD review: Rules of Attraction (From Barry And District News)

DVD review: Rules of Attraction

WARNING! Do not watch this movie with your parents - you will not know where to look. It's term-time at Camden College.

Sean Bateman (James Van Der Beek, of Dawson's Creek fame) is prowling the dorms of the affluent.

Sean's a drug dealer, and owes a lot of money to 'fellow' dealer Rupert Guest (Clifton Collins, Jr).

But he's also a student of dubious scruples, and sleeps with nearly half of the female population on campus.

Then he meets Lauren Hynde (Shannyn Sossamon) who is saving herself for her very shallow boyfriend, Victor Johnson (Kip Pardue), who has left the States to backpack across Europe, sleeping with any willing female en route

Her roommate, Lara (Jessica Biel), has the hots for Victor as well, but ends up sleeping with Sean, even though she knows Lauren is falling for him.

Then we meet Paul Denton (Ian Somerhalder).

He is bisexual - with heavy emphasis on the male side of relationships.

He used to love Mitchell Allen (Thomas Ian Nicholas) before Mitchell dumped him for Candice (Clare Kramer).

Sean loves Lauren. Paul loves Sean and used to date Lauren. Lauren loves both Sean and Victor. Confused?

You will be!

The first few scenes of the film keep rewinding to the same point in time, seen from different people's perspectives.

There is a surplus of nudity, sex, drugs, a fair smattering of violence and a really good soundtrack.

This film will astound you, somehow.

Whether it's the decadence of the privileged co-eds or the careless way they play with lives.

But coming from the twisted minds that brought us Pulp Fiction and American Psycho - it inevitably all comes undone.

The Rules of Attraction is brilliant, but if you can cope with it the first time, you might have to watch it a second to make sense of it.