Attraction (2000)

The Antithesis of NBC's "Friends"
... and along comes ATTRACTION, a tale promising to be about the exploration of four unique friends with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing to the very end.

Um ... what's the guess here?

These four "friends" do little more than go about destroying one another's lives. They sleep with one another, spy on one another, try to destroy one another's reputations, etc., etc., etc. ... I think you get the picture. And what's terribly disconcerting is the fact that there's never any motivation provided for them to behave in such a manner. The talent Tom Everett Scott is wasted in a predictable performance that could've been so much more ... the two-faced friend. The lovely Gretchen Mol (wasn't she supposed to be 'the next big thing' in Hollywood a few years back?) is reduced to a sex object. The talented Samantha Mathis is the only character given more than a single dimension; perhaps if the film had spent more time exploring her plight, these 100 minutes might've been worth committing to celluloid.

The film's only saving grace is the gratuitous, near-full-body nude sequence of the lovely Ms. Mathis. ...

On a stylistic note, the film's editor "attempted" an artistic stroke by inserting a 'cut' in the middle of select scenes where one friend is speaking with another about behavior. While it's clear that the cuts are intentional, they come off as meaningless tricks, jarringly pulling the viewer out of the film's narrative to the point of asking aloud, "What the hell was that? Did someone just drop the camera?"

But, even films as bad as ATTRACTION can have some use in society. Perhaps an edited-for-television version should be mandatory viewing for high school students if for no other reason than to display the kind of behavior not desired in public or private.

Not a blockbuster, but not bad.
Matthew is a radio show host, giving Dear Abby ideas and advice to a world that does not include himself. He is unable to follow his own advice, as he goes about creepily stalking his ex-girlfriend, watching while she works, sleeping outside of her house in his car, and being a general pain. His ex claims to be afraid of him, and elicits sympathy and protection from his editor. That is, until Matthew finds someone else, a woman that the movie does not make clear whether or not Matthew really is falling in love with her or just using her to get at his ex. In any case, the plot does thicken, and the tide does turn, as his ex-girlfriend finds herself a little jealous of Matthew's new girlfriend. It is a good plot, and it works, especially when Matthew's ex turns up comatose, badly beaten and might die, while Matthew waits in jail, knowing who did this to her but unable to convince anyone after his own behavior shows him to be obsessed with her. Will the ex-girlfriend live to tell who REALLY did this? You find yourself pleasantly enthralled near the end.

Oh well.....
Let me be honest. I rented this movie for some obvious reasons: 1. All the other films I wanted to see were checked out; 2. The title was kind of promising; 3. The DVD cover didn't look bad either; 4. I like Gretchen Mol (and since that was put as the last reason, I didn't really expect a lot from her, much less from this movie). So I'm saying "oh well" and giving it 2 stars just for her. But if you don't like her as much as I do, and if you are serious about a thriller (good cast, good director etc.) there's always "Fatal Attraction" for you. Want a thriller with a little romance? Okay, take "Someone To Watch Over Me". More twists and turns? Maybe "Kiss The Girls" or "The Bone Collector" could be entertaining. Not erotic enough? Hmmm, "Basic Instinct" should be the answer for you.... Well, a lot of nice stuff out there to choose from. So please be lenient with this [movie]. Although I wasted 90 minutes on it, I was pleased to see Gretchen Mol. I'm gonna pre-order "Forever Mine" to see more of her.