Laws of Attraction (2004)

18% of critics liked it
(145 reviews)
48% of users liked it
(36,060 ratings)

Though equally respected in their field, divorce lawyers Audrey Woods (Julianne Moore) and Daniel Rafferty (Pierce Brosnan) are opposites inside and out of the courtroom. Audrey is meticulous and by the book, while Daniel relies on personality and luck to get by. Despite the difference in methods,… More Though equally respected in their field, divorce lawyers Audrey Woods (Julianne Moore) and Daniel Rafferty (Pierce Brosnan) are opposites inside and out of the courtroom. Audrey is meticulous and by the book, while Daniel relies on personality and luck to get by. Despite the difference in methods, neither lawyer has lost a case, and neither plan on ending their streak after being respectively hired by Serena (Parker Posey) and Thorne (Michael Sheen), a celebrity power couple gone wrong. The divorce settlement hinges on a particularly spectacular Irish castle, which both parties would like to keep for themselves. Audrey and Daniel hurry to Ireland with depositions in their eyes, but a growing mutual attraction manages to squirm out from beneath, and, after being immersed in a romantic Irish festival, the rival lawyers wake up married. Reeling, potentially in love (to Audrey in particular's dismay), and faced with the type of media explosion capable of leading to the end of their careers, the mismatched lawyers contemplate how to go about their clients' divorce hearings as man and wife. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 29 min.
Directed By: Peter Howitt
Written By: Aline Brosh McKenna, Robert Harling
Genres: Comedy, Romance

In Theaters: Apr 30, 2004 Wide
On DVD: Aug 24, 2004
Studio: New Line Cinema

Critic Reviews

Peter Rainer, New York Magazine
The actors work hard to concoct some chemistry, but it's tough to be Tracy and Hepburn, let alone Doris Day and Rock Hudson, when you're trying to get your mouth around lines that wouldn't pass muster on a UPN sitcom.
Anthony Lane, New Yorker
Watch Hepburn and Tracy in Adam's Rib. It's very something.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
Terrible, terrible film.
Sara Gebhardt, Washington Post
The plot, the dialogue and the main characters' love connection are basically mind-numbing, and even Parker Posey can't save the show.
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
Julianne Moore and Pierce Brosnan create just enough chemistry to carry Laws of Attraction.
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
Julianne Moore's talent is simply too heavy for her to rise above this quicksand comedy.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
There's no reason to see this movie.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
Pitched as a homage to George Cukor's 1949 classic romantic comedy "Adam's Rib" (with Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy), "Laws of Attraction" is far separated from that film's exceptional timing and sincere comic exploration of a competitive couple of
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
An affable (if entirely forgettable) romantic comedy...
Camerin Courtney, Christianity Today
In the end, lazy scriptwriting leads to a lukewarm verdict.
Jeffrey Overstreet, Looking Closer
... painfully predictable, full of super-sized implausibilities, and crowded with supporting characters that are underdeveloped and overplayed.
Forrest Hartman, Reno Gazette-Journal
Standard opposites-attract romantic comedy.
Alan Dale, Blogcritics.org
What's perfect for [Moore] is that the movie uses manic farce to crack the self-possession that usually keeps her so remote from us.
Mark Collette, Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)
The two lead players ... seem the least likely of anyone in the film to fight for themselves, unless you give them very large cocktails.
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Like a Lladro statuette, this milky film is pretty and hollow, intellectually suspect but capable of providing a warm frisson of well-being
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
O único elemento que salva esta produção do desastre total é o carisma da dupla de protagonistas.

Read all 16 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

moon r

Lonely but charming divorce lawyers on opposite sides of the aisle opt for a longterm contract, no pre-nup, and so a writ of habeas corpus in this predictable bit o'unfortunately unfortunate blarney. The actors work so hard, and I was rooting for 'em, but ... it finally… More
Lonely but charming divorce lawyers on opposite sides of the aisle opt for a longterm contract, no pre-nup, and so a writ of habeas corpus in this predictable bit o'unfortunately unfortunate blarney. The actors work so hard, and I was rooting for 'em, but ... it finally comes off as too forced, too mechanical, too formulaic, like a big song and dance production number to corn flakes.
♥Robyn

A romantic comedy about two opposing divorce lawyers who end up in a relationship.It isnt the funniest comedy around but it does have its charm.
Cassie H

Love this movie Julianne Moore is a really good actress & Pierce Brosnan is a good actor & he's adorable. :) Just a really enjoyable movie. :)
xGary X

This is the kind of crap I really hate. But I didn't hate this...either because of the hilarious oirish stereotypes, or maybe I've just got a thing for Julianne Moore. You decide.
Dean M

Great comedy-romance and hilarious of two best divorce lawyers and their celebrity clients arguing each others in the court.
Roy G

The dialogue is hit-and-miss, and the plot, short on surprises.
Nicolas K

Though it's not good enough to make you forget the Tracy-Hepburn comedies, it is good enough to make you remember them. Brosnan is funnier than I ever imagined.
George K

Critics didn't like this movie...but I believe this is a really smart film. Good writing. Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore are perfectly cast as two rival divorce lawyers who...surprise...fall in love. The chemistry between Brosnan and Moore is awesome. Good date movie!
Sunil J

Nice chemistry and a good mix of cast but it falls apart about halfway through.