Not a mutual ‘Attraction’

SUSANNE PEREZ

Can two ridiculously beautiful and successful divorce attorneys find

true love among the ruins of so many disastrous marriages? Is it

possible to bed and wed in a drunken haze and yet still fall in love?

The makers of “Laws of Attraction” (which opened the recent Newport

Beach Film Festival) would have us believe yet again in the type of

fairy tale romance that can only exist in a movie.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a sucker for a romantic comedy if it’s

done right. Think of “Notting Hill” or any of the great Katharine

Hepburn/Spencer Tracy films that all featured sharp writing, wit and

real conflict. I saw a recent promo for “Attraction” that compared it

to “Adam’s Rib” -- please! There is no resemblance between this new

movie and that classic ‘40s screwball comedy except it is also about

two lawyers.

Pierce Brosnan is Daniel Rafferty, a scruffy but still lethal

lawyer recently returned to New York. His adversary is the equally

capable, uptight, junk-food junkie Audrey Woods (Julianne Moore) who

does everything by the book. Naturally, they are instantly attracted

to each other, but Audrey would rather give up her huge diamond

earrings than admit it.

These two wage war in the courtroom but we can tell they are

falling for each other. We know this because just before a tender

moment ensues, the violins swell up and before we know it, these guys

have tumbled into bed.

Things get rather nasty when Daniel and Audrey become opposing

counsel in a divorce between a rock star and his designer wife, whose

main point of contention is the ownership of a rustic Irish castle.

This is really just a plot device to feature our stars at a quaint

festival in a small town and another chance for them to get bombed

and get busy.

The courtroom scenes could have been taken from one of Judge

Judy’s and the entire plot, really, is just silly and very

predictable. Not even the considerable charm and talents of Brosnan

and Moore can make up for a tepid script.

* SUSANNE PEREZ lives in Costa Mesa and is an executive assistant

for a financial services company.

‘Mean Girls’ familiar but well-written

“Freaky Friday” director Mark Waters teams up again with young

actress Lindsay Lohan in this telling tale of high school girls

behaving badly. “Mean Girls” covers very familiar territory but stays

a cut above the average suburban teen girl plot because of its

quality source material and adapted screenplay.

Tina Fey is the head writer of “Saturday Night Live” and co-host

of its “Week- end Update.” Her sharp wit and insight are evident

throughout the story she wrote based on Rosalind Wiseman’s book. The

full title of the book describes everything Tina wants this movie to

depict: “Queen Bees and Wannabees: Helping Your Daughter Survive

Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends and Other Realities of Adolescence.”

Helping a girl with brains to understand and survive the backstabbing

ways of the popular but dim-witted Barbie girls is the heart of this

story.

Lindsay Lohan is wise beyond her years as the smart, pretty new

kid in school. She is targeted by the super clique of cool girls who

seek to destroy the reputation of everyone they do not deem worthy of

their attention. They document their contempt in a “Burn Book” that

seeks to humiliate those they scorn. The usual teenage cliches are

present and obvious, but they are played out with somewhat higher

intelligence than is customary in this genre. There’s worthwhile

satire in this effort on a common modern theme. But in the end, a

happy Hollywood ending negates some of the best sarcasm that precedes

it.

* JOHN DEPKO is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator

for the Orange County public defender’s office.