I was pleasantly surprised by this film. I don't know much about Matthew Settle's work, but he was perfectly cast as the dumped boyfriend that didn't want to accept that things were over with his blond, eye candy ex-girlfriend, Liz, played fetchingly by Gretchen Mol who had me going until the very end when she revealed her true colors. Settle does most of his acting with his eyes, and has that look of being really handsome, yet slightly wounded. I found myself feeling sorry for him, yet afraid of him. Settle played his character just right, struggling to maintain control, but very, very hurt. The character of Garrett had me fooled to the very end as well, with his sincerity in trying to talk to Matthew as a friend, while helping the seemingly fragile Liz with her fears. The only honest character seemed to be Corey, played by Samantha Mathis. Samantha Mathis played her character as very ambivalent, hesitant, and lacking in confidence, and self esteem. But Corey was a loyal person. What I liked most about the film was the subtlety of the acting, which made the chain of events seem to evolve naturally to the point of eventual escalation. Nobody knew what anybody else was actually doing, only what they appeared to be doing. All the characters had secret motivations, with the exception of Corey who just wanted to be liked by all. In the end, Matthew realized he had been too obsessed to see things clearly. Garret's switch flipped. Liz turned out to be a gamer. And Corey found some much needed self respect. Never did figure out who was interviewing Matthew. But I liked what he was saying, because it gave insight into who he was all along...a sensitive, decent guy. And the film left me wondering if he got back together with Liz or Corey? Hmmm. I vote Corey.
Review of Attraction
