Everyone dreams of meeting the girl or boy next door, because of the image it holds in our minds. The boy or girl is supposed to be the perfect mate, and besides that, let’s face it, the real appeal is the fact they live next door, so that really cuts down the travel time. I have often dreamed of meeting that girl next door, and twenty years ago that girl could have been Jennifer Lopez, but now she is closer to the mom next door instead of girl. I mean it seems like just yesterday she was playing the girl in her early thirties looking for love, and now she is playing a mom to a high school kid, boy how time flies.
So as I was saying Lopez plays Claire Peterson, a woman who we find out while running has gone through a lot in the last year in her life. Her marriage has failed, thanks to her cheating husband played by John Corbett and now she is left raising a son named Kevin (Ian Nelson) who has some serious allergy problems. One day while leaving her house Claire meets a young strapping lad named Noah (Ryan Guzman) shows up just in time to help fix her garage door. Noah, is there, because his Great Uncle needs some caring for, and it just so happens that Noah’s parents have both passed from a car accident. Noah is attracted to Claire right away, I mean it is J-Lo after all, and during one raining night, Claire gives into her desires as well and things happen that Claire soon wants to forget. Noah though does not want to forget and soon shows Claire a side of him that most people wouldn’t like. Soon Claire’s job and family are threatened, as Noah can’t get Claire or her cookies for some reason out of his mind.
Right away thanks to the music and the fact the film is produced by Blum House, who produces many horror films, you know things are going to get bad, and I am not just talking about the quality of the film. With a story written by Barbara Curry, who makes her big screen debut, with a story that resembles a combination of films “Enough” and “The Guest” only not as good as either. With more than a few sexual innuendos and a laughable car crash scene, “The Boy Next Door” feels more like it should be on the Lifetime Channel more than in a movie theater. This is one of the movies that are funny, even though the intention is to be something totally different. Blame it on the acting, or the dialogue that you can’t take seriously. I had such low expectations going into this film, and even then “The Boy Next Door” found away to still disappoint me. I want to give the filmmakers credit, credit for finally ridding me of my ridiculousness obsession with anything to do with any girl or boy next door ever again.
Brian Taylor
