The Shape Of Things (2003)

64% of critics liked it
(134 reviews)
62% of users liked it
(7,493 ratings)

After a detour into lighter and more compassionate fare with Nurse Betty and Possession, Neil LaBute returns to the themes of his earlier films with this dark and corrosive look at male-female relationships. Adam (Paul Rudd) is a chubby, bespectacled nebbish of a college student who makes money in… More After a detour into lighter and more compassionate fare with Nurse Betty and Possession, Neil LaBute returns to the themes of his earlier films with this dark and corrosive look at male-female relationships. Adam (Paul Rudd) is a chubby, bespectacled nebbish of a college student who makes money in his spare time as a security guard at the university's art museum. One evening at work, Adam spies another student preparing to deface a statue -- Evelyn (Rachel Weisz), a beautiful art major who is offended by a fig leaf that's been used to "censor" a statue of a nude male, and is prepared to replace the disguised member with spray paint. Adam can't quite bring himself to kick Evelyn out of the museum, and she responds by giving him her phone number. Adam and Evelyn begin dating, and as she challenges his ideas about art and morality, she begins remaking Adam into the sort of boyfriend she'd prefer. Under her influence, Adam loses weight, gets contact lenses, changes his hairstyle, starts dressing better, and assumes a cooler and more confident personality. Adam's pal Philip (Frederick Weller) notices the changes in his friend and isn't happy with the way Evelyn has been molding Adam to her specifications. Adam and Evelyn have dinner one night with Philip and his fiancée, Jenny (Gretchen Mol), and before long Philip and Evelyn are at each other's throats as Adam and Jenny cower along the sidelines. The tensions between Philip and Evelyn exacerbate uneasiness between Jenny and her husband to be, while at the same time, Jenny and Adam begin to recognize a mutual attraction that's long lurked beneath the surface. The Shape of Things was adapted by LaBute from his stage drama of the same name; a selection of songs by Elvis Costello comprise the soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 36 min.
Directed By: Neil LaBute
Written By: Neil LaBute
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: May 1, 2002 Wide
On DVD: Sep 23, 2003
Studio: Focus Features

Critic Reviews

Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel
There's an immediacy to many scenes that's hard to deny. These people get under your skin and gnaw away.
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
The facial jewellery, Elvis Costello music and cell phones notwithstanding, you keep expecting these people to challenge each other to duels with rapiers at dawn.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
With outstanding performances from Rudd and Weisz, this is an unsettling, provocative and nasty little gem.
Peter Rainer, New York Magazine
LaBute would like us to know that neither sex has a monopoly on behaving very, very badly. Alert the media!
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
At best, the movie is a problematic chamber piece; at worst, a misdirected, slightly misanthropic pretension.
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
Seems every much as finely calibrated as In the Company of Men.
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
[Director] Labute presents a ballsy, daring, and truly original portrait of human individuals...
Mark Halverson, Sacramento News & Review
A grim and cynical but ultimately arresting exploration of personal expression and modern love.
Scott Tobias, AV Club
When the players themselves are conceived this superficially, LaBute winds up invalidating his own point.
Philip French, Observer [UK]
Neil LaBute is among the more interesting cinematic talents to emerge these past half-dozen years.
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
LaBute gives us a sequence of scathing emotional violence that outdoes anything I've seen this year.
Wendy Weinstein, Film Journal International
LaBute's observations about our self-destructive obsession with appearances may not be original, but his ability to create articulate, provocative characters is.
Jordan Hiller, Bangitout.com
Go see The Shape of Things, a peculiarly acted, nasty caper, and decide for yourself whether we are being set up by LaBute with a manipulative device or if he is speaking to our frailties and telling truths.
Colin Kennedy, Empire Magazine
The actors all benefit from intimate knowledge of difficult parts, and barbs at modern art and sexual mores do cut through.
, Time Out
There are barbs here to tickle anyone's paranoia, but the callousness isn't illustrative, just exploitative.
Brian Mckay, eFilmCritic.com
LaBute returns to familiar territory (albeit with a gender twist) that would have been best left unvisited.
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
What on earth has happened to this director?
David Jays, Sight and Sound
Rachel Weisz's brilliantly layered performance as Evelyn -- barbed, vehement and oddly sorrowful -- keeps all options open.
Ian Waldron-Mantgani, UK Critic
Some critics have called the film stolid and stagy. I think the way it sits still and looks hard is just the point, and the key to its effect.
Nathaniel Rogers, Film Experience
...holds the dubious distinction of being the laziest stage-to-screen transfer I've ever seen.

Read all 23 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Steven C

Neil LaBute completes a trilogy (unofficial, of course) of films about how men and women act and treat each other. "The Shape of Things" (adapted from his stage play like his other two features, the memorable "In the Company of Men" and the dicey "Your Friends… More
Neil LaBute completes a trilogy (unofficial, of course) of films about how men and women act and treat each other. "The Shape of Things" (adapted from his stage play like his other two features, the memorable "In the Company of Men" and the dicey "Your Friends & Neighbors") is another scathing and insightful look into relationships. While you will never meet anyone like the people in this or his other films, you will recognize bits and pieces of everyone in each. The dialogue is complex and full and the performances are committed and juicy. "The Shape of Things" marks the last good film LaBute has made (for whatever reason he moves on to goofy Hollywood thrillers like "The Wicker Man" and "Lakeview Terrace" and the embarrassing "Death at a Funeral" remake- one would think those films were from a totally different human all together; my bet is he became a drug addict because no one looses such talent so quickly) but this wonderful, tricky and rewarding series of films is well worth your serious time and attention. I think "The Shape of Things" is the easiest to digest, but when taken as a whole, you will never forget any of them.
Dan S

A pretty well put together film. There's parts where the "awkwardness" of a lot of the scenes overtake the mood of the movie. I didn't feel as connected to the characters as I wanted to. Weisz and Rudd are both terrific, with a twist I saw coming from miles away.… More
A pretty well put together film. There's parts where the "awkwardness" of a lot of the scenes overtake the mood of the movie. I didn't feel as connected to the characters as I wanted to. Weisz and Rudd are both terrific, with a twist I saw coming from miles away. Still, worth watching if you like movies featuring good acting and a story that has an "indie" sort feel to it all.
Jennifer X

The dialogue is uncomfortably recitative and I get the feeling LeBute is doing it on purpose. Which I don't understand because my insides feel EXTREMELY constricted. In general the concept of the thing is quite interesting but this was a really weird way to approach it. I feel… More
The dialogue is uncomfortably recitative and I get the feeling LeBute is doing it on purpose. Which I don't understand because my insides feel EXTREMELY constricted. In general the concept of the thing is quite interesting but this was a really weird way to approach it. I feel like Paul Rudd was misdirected, or something. All that said, I really like Rachel Weisz's American accent. She should seriously talk like that all day.
Ginny

I got a girlfriend, she goes to art school, I got an art school girlfriend, yeah! <center><img src="http://www.reelingreviews.com/theshapeofthingspic.jpg" width=200> </center>Evelyn:… More
I got a girlfriend, she goes to art school, I got an art school girlfriend, yeah! <center><img src="http://www.reelingreviews.com/theshapeofthingspic.jpg" width=200> </center>Evelyn: Pornography is meant to titilate and excite you. I mean does a penis excite you? Any ol' penis? Did you like what you saw? Did it get you hot? When I saw Rachel Weizs name as the producer and sat through the first few minutes of the film, I thought I was gonna be stuck with an overly opinionated touchy feely girly movie about relationships. All the signs were there, it looked and sounded like this is all from a womans point of view, a womans wishful thinking as to how relationships and conversations should be, and a-yada-yada-yada! The storys plot twist is a real shocker, what seemingly started like an average girly film ended up being not so average at all. This ones got horns. Directed by: Neil LaBute Genres:: Dark Comedy / Drama
Alice S

I love this pretentious mindfuck. I am Evelyn. Not really. Although I did play her in an acting class once.
Michael G

A great, great movie. If you can appreciate great characters and an awesome story check it out. If you don't like watching people be mean, get over yourself and check it out.
Andrew F

Though not everything in The Shape of Things has translated well from the play to the big screen, it's still entertaining enough to recommend.
Daniel P

An insightful and clever film with a mighty sting in its tail, The Shape Of Things is written & directed by Neil LaBute and based on his play of the same name, and also reunites the cast of the original staging. Paul Rudd plays Adam, being 'shaped' by… More
An insightful and clever film with a mighty sting in its tail, The Shape Of Things is written & directed by Neil LaBute and based on his play of the same name, and also reunites the cast of the original staging. Paul Rudd plays Adam, being 'shaped' by his new girlfriend Evelyn, and this is one of the few films where the transformation from nerdy, inexperienced and frumpy 'nobody' to expressive, confident and handsome man is genuine. Rudd, who lost 25 pounds for the film, is excellent as the complex but also far too malleable Adam, and is especially exceptional in the more dramatic scenes. The film though, belongs to Rachel Weisz as Evelyn, who crosses a whole spectrum of characteristics - she is playful, sexy, brutal and more. LaBute keeps everything fluid so that the film never feels too much like a stage play - until the final 'act', where there's a genuine feel of claustrophobia leading up to the supremely horrific, and brilliantly performed reveal. There's a great deal of rewatch value thanks to this too. Masterly and harsh, it would work fantastically well as a double bill with Closer. "By the time I'm through here, I'll promise that you'll have the answer."
Stephen E

"The Shape of Things" speaks volumes about human character, but in the process of doing so, it skips out on some of the more important aspects, like an engaging story and worthwhile characters. LaBute's message hits harder than his previous ventures, but it lacks the… More
"The Shape of Things" speaks volumes about human character, but in the process of doing so, it skips out on some of the more important aspects, like an engaging story and worthwhile characters. LaBute's message hits harder than his previous ventures, but it lacks the entertainment value. That being said, I have never seen a more gut-wrenching and depressing climax in any film. Almost made me feel sick to my stomach.
Jason R

Actually watched this during my Theater class wasn't bad but it wasn't good either, it kinda lies somewhere in between slightly humorous and what the Hell?!!!
Sunil J

This movie is slow moving and irritating at times but if you keep watching, you'll find the one thing that makes it worth it. Rachel Weisz. She is the only remotely interesting character - sorry Paul Rudd but this is the first time I found you annoying. If I had been able to buy… More
This movie is slow moving and irritating at times but if you keep watching, you'll find the one thing that makes it worth it. Rachel Weisz. She is the only remotely interesting character - sorry Paul Rudd but this is the first time I found you annoying. If I had been able to buy the two of them as a couple, it would have been a more powerful climax.
t h o m !

I heard such good things about the play. And Paul Rudd is one of my absolute favorite actors. I really thought this was going to be a hit. I can't tell you how atrocious the acting is, the dynamics, It felt like they were trying to mimic a good movie instead of actually MAKING a… More
I heard such good things about the play. And Paul Rudd is one of my absolute favorite actors. I really thought this was going to be a hit. I can't tell you how atrocious the acting is, the dynamics, It felt like they were trying to mimic a good movie instead of actually MAKING a decent one. I'll admit that the ending was gripping in that it was a shocker. But man, was this movie slow paced, horribly written, and dare I say a suckfest, and for a Paul Rudd movie! The synopsis is totally untrue and full of lies. Here's the synopsis: The boring lives of 3 people, girl shows up, shit gets fucked, end. Except that there is no real ending, in terms of things being conventional. I know this as a play is artsy, but as a movie... ehhh.... I think it tried too hard with the plot, but not enough with everything else. Should you check it out? Probably, if you had no access to the internet, didn't have a magazine lying around, had no deck of cards, already ate, and already masturbated, then by all means as a form of desperation to do something besides sleep or die, go ahead and watch this movie. I still love Paul Rudd, but it really sucks that I couldn't find this movie online or in a video store to rent. That's right, I OWN this movie, the only way I could watch it and now I have a nice new paperweight, but ironic enough, it's more boring than an actual paperweight.
Jim W

Rachel Weisz is hot but also extremely evil in this movie I'll just say. If you don't like cruel and mean spirited movies, then stay away.