MOVIE REVIEW Lead actors carry lightweight 'Laws' with no trouble

There are no surprises in this formulaic romantic romp.
By MILAN PAURICH
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
Tracy and Hepburn they ain't. Heck, they're not even Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney in "One Fine Day," an all-time chick-flick guilty pleasure. That said, Julianne Moore and Pierce Brosnan still make a pretty nifty -- and impossibly glamorous -- couple in the curiously retro, yet still modestly charming battle-of-the-sexes romp, "Laws of Attraction."
Dedicated to the proposition that Hollywood can still make 'em like they used to, the frothy, featherweight "Attraction" practically dissolves before your eyes. But like confectionary sugar that's been left out in the rain, it leaves a gooey-sweet puddle in its wake.
Directed by Peter Howitt, whose resume includes one good movie (Gwyneth Paltrow's "Sliding Doors") and several clunkers ("Antitrust," "Johnny English"), this romantic comedy for grown-ups makes up in audience goodwill what it lacks in wit or polish.
High-profile New York attorneys Audrey Woods (Moore) and Daniel Rafferty (Brosnan) click while representing opposing sides in a divorce case. Figuring that it might give her the upper hand, Audrey agrees to a dinner date with Daniel that turns unexpectedly amorous. Mortified by her one-time-only indiscretion, priggish Audrey is all-business again the very next day. Only her missing panties (and the, uh, creative use Daniel makes of them in court) are a reminder of their ill-advised fling.
Like nothing happened
Whether one-upping each other professionally or hogging beaucoup tabloid ink, this oil-and-water couple bulldozes ahead like nothing ever happened. Naturally romance is the farthest thing from their pretty little noggins. Who cares if they're made for each other and everyone knows it but them?
It's not until landing their biggest clients to date -- a rock star (Michael Sheen) and his fashion-designer wife (Parker Posey) -- that Audrey and Daniel are forced to own up to their mutual attraction. Since neither party is willing to surrender custody of a stately Irish castle, the two counselors are forced to fly off to Dublin together. Although the trip was designed to help them better determine which feuding spouse most deserves their "home away from home," it has the predictable outcome of reigniting the spark that drew these bickering barristers together in the first place.
No surprises
There's nothing in Robert Harling and Aline Brosh McKenna's script you won't see coming a mile away. Even the odd character flourishes (e.g., Audrey compulsively nibbling junk food to show her vulnerable, kid-at-heart side) seem to come straight from a 50-year-old screenwriting manual. The movie's one original touch -- and it's a real corker -- is Audrey's irrepressible grande dame of a mom. Played by Frances Fisher ("Titanic," "Unforgiven"), this flagrantly egocentric, shamelessly manipulative onetime beauty-queen effortlessly steals every scene she's in through sheer force of will.
Moore (endearingly starchy) and Brosnan (all rumpled roguishness) are both captivating, verbally sparring and jousting with such evident relish that it's downright tonic. I can't tell you how refreshing it is to see a film where the lead actors seem to genuinely enjoy each other's company. How great, and increasingly rare, is that?
Also much appreciated is the film's streamlined 89-minute running time. By knowing when to get off and not overstaying their welcome, Howitt and company have my eternal gratitude.
XWrite Milan Paurich at milanpaurich@aol.com.