3391. Animal Attraction (2001)

Starring: Ashley Judd, Hugh Jackman, Greg Kinnear

Director: Tony Goldwyn

Running Time: 97 mins

Animal Attraction is an American film about a magazine columnist who invents a persona of a learned sex scholar, who theorises the reasons behind the endless unfaithfulness of the men around her.

I do like a romantic comedy which tries to get to the heart of love and relationships, similar to the grand questions of whether men and women can ever really be friends thrown up by When Harry Met Sally.
Animal Attraction tackles the issue of male commitment in the world of love, and whether their involvement in relationships is ever sincere or simply a primeval desire for sex and nothing more.

Now, there’s no denying that that question is far easier to answer than When Harry Met Sally, and as such Animal Attraction struggles to really captivate in the same manner, often coming off as a misguided and frustrated romantic comedy rather than one which is really trying to tell a great story.

With its lead character spreading her beliefs about the dishonesty of men in love under a scientific pseudonym, the movie immediately struggles to keep its feet on the ground, with a fanciful and often annoying tale that doesn’t really look back on itself to the extent it perhaps should.

There are parts of Animal Attraction which are much more light-hearted and fun enough to laugh off, but there’s a lot of the story which seems like it’s meant to be taken seriously, only is rather ridiculous in its main themes.

As a result, it’s rather tough to have an affection for the main character, and despite a couple of fairly likable side performances – oddly more so from male stars Hugh Jackman and Greg Kinnear – Animal Attraction is never the endearing nor thought-provoking romantic comedy it aims to be. So, that’s why I’m giving it a 6.4 overall.