Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore go the Tracy-Hepburn route in "Laws of Attraction," a romantic comedy that, unlike the films of that earlier pair, rarely rises to the level of its two notable stars. Brosnan and Moore play opposing attorneys who find themselves in an intense love/hate relationship both in the courtroom and out in the real world. Moore is one of New York's most successful divorce lawyers whose on-the-job experiences with estranged couples has pretty much turned her off of marriage completely, while Brosnan is a divorce attorney, who, though ruthless in court, has managed to retain his faith in marriage as an institution. The couple bicker, squabble and wrangle over issues both personal and professional - all the while falling madly in love with each other.
Though bright and humorous at times, "Laws of Attraction" can't overcome the trite predictability of its storyline or the stereotypical nature of its characters. Brosnan and Moore are both attractive and energetic performers, but the screenplay lacks the kind of madcap sophistication that was the defining trait of those films of the '40's that this movie wants so desperately to emulate. It is indeed encouraging for those of us in the over-40 crowd to see two such seasoned players starring in a romantic comedy, but too often they are asked to behave in ways that are not so very different from the teeny-bopper or even twenty-something characters we find in most films of this type nowadays.
Though bright and humorous at times, "Laws of Attraction" can't overcome the trite predictability of its storyline or the stereotypical nature of its characters. Brosnan and Moore are both attractive and energetic performers, but the screenplay lacks the kind of madcap sophistication that was the defining trait of those films of the '40's that this movie wants so desperately to emulate. It is indeed encouraging for those of us in the over-40 crowd to see two such seasoned players starring in a romantic comedy, but too often they are asked to behave in ways that are not so very different from the teeny-bopper or even twenty-something characters we find in most films of this type nowadays.