THE BOY NEXT DOOR (R)
Released by Universal Pictures
Review by Adam Mast
1. The cast is attractive and appealing.
2. It almost falls into the “it’s-so-bad-it’s good!” category…Almost.
In THE BOY NEXT DOOR, Jennifer Lopez plays Claire Peterson– a recently separated woman whose husband (played by John Corbett) desperately wants her back. Hesitant to quickly rush in and give the marriage another shot, Claire opts to focus on her teenage son (played by Ian Nelson ) and her teaching job, but there’s no doubt that loneliness has set in.
When 19-year old (“almost 20”) heartthrob Noah Sandborn (played by Ryan Guzman) moves in next door, a chance encounter finds Claire making a terrible mistake. Faster then you can say FATAL ATTRACTION, this vulnerable woman finds herself in a deadly battle with a manipulative sociopath.
As directed by Rob Cohen and written by Barbara Curry, THE BOY NEXT DOOR is a goofy, cheesy, clichéd, and all too predictable thriller that offers up one inane plot point after the next. Lopez is often better than she gets credit for, but perhaps it’s time that this likable, undeniably attractive actress be more choosy with her scripts. She hasn’t made a solid movie since 2005’s underappreciated, AN UNFINISHED LIFE.
Clearly, the selling point here is the physical play between Lopez and a much younger Guzman. Seriously! This guy is young enough to be an “American Idol”. While Lopez and Guzman certainly bring the heat during the big sex scene, they can’t keep the rest of this nutty thriller afloat. Neither can an annoying Kristen Chenoweth. As Claire’s best friend, a usually dependable Chenoweth is saddled with the thankless role of a woman who spends most of THE BOY NEXT DOOR giving poor advice. “Poor advice”. Something the entire cast got when their agents told them to take on this forgettable, over the top movie.
