Laws of Attraction ditches the first major law of the light romantic comedy; star chemistry. Those classic romantic comedies with Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn (Laws of Attraction is drawing such comparisons) really worked because of chemistry. Sadly, stars Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore provide very few sparks in a film that, while harmless, is ultimately pretty boring.

The standard, stock plot features Brosnan and Moore as divorce attorneys with no one to call their own, but when they meet...well, you pretty much get the idea.

The first act of the picture sort of reminded me of the Coen Brothers' Intolerable Cruelty (albeit not as funny) as Brosnan and Moore play silly little games with each other. They know they're attracted to each other. Those around them know they're attracted to each other. The audience knows they're attracted to each other. Still, they go through the obvious rituals usually associated with a film of this nature.

Brosnan is much more appealing than most give him credit for. Yes, he has been immortalized as James Bond, but he's also done admirable work as a dramatic actor in other pictures (see Evelyn). He's surprisingly charming in Laws of Attraction which is quite amazing, given the stale material he has to work with. He has a very keen sense of timing and you have to love that sly smirk of his.

Moore on the other hand looks like a deer caught in the headlights. Her headstrong demeanor seems all too forced and most of the time she looks quite bored. This is a shame because I'm a big fan of this actress. She's capable of outstanding performances (see Far From Heaven). Of course the biggest problem with Laws of Attraction is we never really see the attraction. The chemistry between these stars is completely inert. There can be no fire without a little heat, and sadly Brosnan and Moore can't muster up so much as a spark.

Granted the screenplay here is nothing special. We've seen all of this stuff a thousand times and much more effectively I might add. I could have tolerated this if the movie had any laughs to fall back on. Alas, the jokes are even more scarce than the chemistry and they're tired to boot. We get a couple of silly prat-falls, some stupid botox jokes, and a lame bit in which Moore utters an obvious line from the movie Midnight Cowboy.

George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones really played off of each other beautifully in Intolerable Cruelty and, while that particular picture was hardly perfect, the chemistry was much more palpable. Plus that film had some really funny stuff in it (you have to love Wheezy Joe's fate). By contrast, Laws of Attraction is pretty forgettable. I rarely laughed and I never once bought into the completely rushed and unbelievable romance between the two leads.

I can say this about Laws of Attraction - there sure are some beautiful shots of Ireland in the picture. Alas, a little scenery is hardly enough to save this ramshackle snoozer. If you want to see a great modern romantic comedy, stay at home and rent Return to Me instead. I adore that movie. It's pure magic and has an innocence about it that's incredibly appealing. Every time I watch it I get choked-up. And coming from a guy like me, that's saying a lot.

Grade: D+