The Shape of Things

The Shape of Things
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Neil LaBute
Produced by	Neil LaBute Gail Mutrux Rachel Weisz Tim Bevan Eric Fellner
Written by	Neil LaBute (Play and screenplay)
Starring	Paul Rudd Rachel Weisz Gretchen Mol Fred Weller
Music by	Elvis Costello
Cinematography	James L. Carter
Editing by	Joel Plotch
Studio	StudioCanal Working Title Films
Distributed by	Focus Features
Release date(s)	May 9, 2003 (Limited)
Running time	96 minutes
Country	United States France United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	$4 million
Box office	$735,992

The Shape of Things is a 2001 play by American author and film director Neil LaBute and a 2003 American romantic comedy-drama film. It premièred at the Almeida Theatre, London in 2001 with Paul Rudd as Adam, Rachel Weisz as Evelyn, Gretchen Mol as Jenny, and Fred Weller as Phillip. The play was directed by LaBute himself. According to the author's instructions, it is to be performed without an interval or a curtain call.

Central themes in The Shape of Things are questions on the nature of art, psychopathy, intimacy, explorations of love, and people's willingness to do things for love. It is set in a small university town in the American Midwest and centers on the lives of four young students who become emotionally and romantically involved with each other.

In 2003, it was made into a film featuring the original cast.

Plot

When Adam Sorenson (Paul Rudd), an English Literature major at Mercy College, a fictitious Midwestern college, meets Evelyn Ann Thompson (Rachel Weisz), an attractive graduate art student, at the local museum where he works, his life takes an unexpected turn. Never having had success with women, he is flattered when Evelyn shows an interest in him and, at Evelyn's suggestion, begins a regular exercise regimen, eats healthier foods, and purchases contact lenses. These initial changes regarding Adam's physical appearance are well-received by Adam's friend, Phillip (Frederick Weller), and Phillip's girlfriend, Jenny (Gretchen Mol). Later however, Evelyn cajoles Adam into undergoing plastic surgery and succeeds in persuading him to cut himself off from Phillip and Jenny.

In the penultimate scene, Adam learns that he has been part of Evelyn's MFA thesis project, a topic often touched on in conversation throughout the film but never fully explained. Evelyn relates that she had been instructed to "change the world" by her graduate adviser, but that she has chosen to change "someone's world", her academic work ultimately consisting of "sculpting" Adam into a more attractive human being. She presents Adam before an audience of students and faculty as her creation. Accordingly, none of the feelings she has shown him throughout the film are genuine; at no stage in their "relationship" does she fall in love with him; her videotaping of their lovemaking is just a part of the project's documentation. In fact, she announces before a live audience at her gallery opening that she is not going to marry him and the engagement ring he offers her is simply one of the exhibits of her art installation, albeit the "capper to my time at Mercy."

Publicly humiliated and devastated, Adam confronts Evelyn, demanding an explanation for her actions. She responds by saying that he should in fact be grateful to her, claiming that, objectively speaking, she has been a positive influence on his life, making him a more attractive and interesting person in the eyes of society.

In the final moments of the film, Adam stands alone, surrounded by the remnants of his life before and after Evelyn.

Cast

• Paul Rudd as Adam Sorenson
• Rachel Weisz as Evelyn Ann Thompson
• Gretchen Mol as Jenny
• Frederick Weller as Phillip

Notes

The play has been reprised several times with new casts since its original premiere, most recently under the direction of Brian Rhinehart at the Bernie West Theater in New York City. It will be performed in London at The Gallery Soho on Charing Cross Road in January 2011, directed by Tom Attenborough.

Sources

• "Neil LaBute" at The Internet Movie Database. 21 Feb 2009 IMDb.
• Rush, David (2005) The Student Guide to Play Analysis, Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press.

External links

• The Shape of Things at the Internet Movie Database
• The Shape of Things at AllRovi
• The Shape of Things at Box Office Mojo
• The Shape of Things at Rotten Tomatoes