 |
| Universal Pictures |
The way that The Boy Next Door plays out makes it
hard to think that the premise it takes on could actually make for a half way
decent thriller. Yes, it’s an interesting premise that could really bring up
questions of vulnerability, morals and ethical conduct all while being an
exciting, accelerated pulse inducing film. And yes it does move fast and
attempts be exploitative with each and every scene but in the process, this
approach completely back fires and then some. Quickly after it begins, it
doesn’t take long to realize that The Boy
Next Door is clearly a film more concerned with moving from one over the
top, poorly conceived plot point to the next than trying to develop characters
or build any type of tension or suspense.
In The Boy Next Door, life hasn’t been kind
to Claire Peterson (Jennifer Lopez) as her husband (John Corbett) has recently
cheated on her. In an attempt to get back on her feet and forget the past,
Claire agrees to go on a date that her friend and colleague Vicky (Kristin
Chenoweth) arranged for her. The date doesn’t go so well and Claire leaves the
date early to go back to an empty house as her son (Ian Nelson) is with his dad
for the weekend. As she drinks the disappointing night away, Noah (Ryan Guzman),
her neighbor (hints the boy next door), ask her to come over and help him with
some trouble he is having in the kitchen. It is here that the inevitable
happens and Claire gives in to Noah’s seductive manner and sleeps with him.
Given that Noah is a student at the school Claire teaches at and also that he
wants more than just a one time, sexual experience, trouble ensues for Claire.
There
is no way of getting around the fact that The
Boy Next Door is a poorly written script. There is plenty of cringe worthy,
throw away lines but that can be forgiven if characters hold wait and moments
are earned by letting tension build and develop but this isn’t the case. It’s almost as if screen writer Barbara Curry
thought that a scandalous sex scene and an obsessive teenage boy doing terrible
things is enough. That’s how the film moves along anyway as if the whole thing
is a bullet point presentation, just moving from one plot point to the next.
This
makes it hard to care what happens to the characters and as the film reaches
it’s end, you wonder who these characters even are. You may dislike the
antagonist but nothing is done to prove that protagonist even deserves a happy
ever after. Yeah the boy next door is crazy but that’s what you get when you sleep
with a high school student.
The few things we do
need to know about them is just thrown in where it is needed to support the
next obscure plot point. Yes, I said obscure. As Noah’s action become crazier
so does the situation. It becomes not only how fast the next scene or action
can be reached but also how much more outlandish it can be. This all becomes
very comical given how poor several scenes are. If this isn’t realized before
it will be in the when a character gets stabbed in the eye with an EpiPen.
The Boy Next Door is a
bad movie, simple as that. In the process of being a bad movie though, it
becomes a kind funny-dumb experience which brings its entertainment value up a
slight notch. It doesn’t try to be funny but because it becomes increasingly
more ridicules as each minute passes it’s hard not to be slightly entertained.
With that said though, in no way, shape or form am I suggesting a trip to the
theater but when this movie finds itself on television in a couple of years and
there is absolutely nothing worth watching on, if it’s on, consider giving it a
watch for a laugh or two.
Grade:
D+
No comments:
Post a Comment