neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Laws Of Attraction
	Peter Howitt Pierce Brosnan, Julianne Moore, Parker Posey, Michael Sheen, Frances Fisher, Nora Dunn 2004		In putting together the rival-lawyers-in-love romantic comedy "Laws of Attraction" with Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore, director Peter Howitt ("Sliding Doors") and his screenwriters had to be going for an update of Tracy and Hepburn. The result is more like traces of heartburn, falling way short of its inspiration. Daniel (Brosnan) and Audrey (Moore) are the two best divorce attorneys in New York City, usually on opposite sides of the same case. As screen tradition dictates, they're oil and water, separated by a thin layer of contempt. In Daniel's case, it manifests as mockery of his foe, while Audrey is simply arrogant towards him. There's supposed to be all this tension that represents their sublimated desire for one another, but you never really feel it. The script doesn't make a case for their animosity, especially after Daniel softens. An ill-advised one-night stand between barristers plays out in a hackneyed way. An escapade in Ireland to establish a plot point is a stretch. We know they'll eventually make sweet music as a duet-with-briefs. But, by that time, the relationship seems totally forced. Brosnan and Moore are pros; too bad they're not given the tools to bring home a winner. Frances Fisher as Audrey's madcap mother and Parker Posey as a divorce-minded wife of a randy rock star manage to rise above the material.