Some sources are claiming the Jennifer Lopez movie The Boy Next Door is certain to induce groans.
Connect Savannah claims it is reminiscent of the dopey ‘women in peril’ thrillers from the years surrounding Y2K. Like bombs that featured the slumming likes of Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry and Ashley Judd.
The movie stars Lopez as Claire Peterson, a high school teacher living alone with her teenage son Kevin (Ian Nelson) in the aftermath of learning about her husband Garrett’s (John Corbett) infidelity.
Husband Garrett admits he made a mistake and wants to reconcile, but Claire is torn between giving him another chance or divorcing. When hunky Noah Sandborn (Ryan Guzman) moves in next door to tend to his grandfather (Jack Wallace), Claire is interested in him.
Noah is 19 years old, but life circumstances (namely, the deaths of his parents) have led to him still being in high school. Nevertheless, Noah’s hot for teacher, and when he makes a pass at her, she responds favorably. The morning after their sexual encounter, Claire realizes she made a mistake.
Connect Savannah:
“It’s at this precise point Noah goes from 0 to 60 mph on the psycho scale.”
Variety:
“No sooner has she attempted the next morning’s walk of shame, however, than Noah turns on a dime into an obsessive stalker, appearing unannounced at her home and somehow getting a seat in her high-school literature class. The film’s initial formulaic competence gives way to outright preposterousness rather quickly, hinging on idiot-plot character motivations, ‘It was only a cat!’ jump scares and computer files that may as well be labeled ‘Evil Schemes, 2012-2014.’”
Connect Savannah:
“As for Claire, she’s the typical dunderheaded heroine found in thrillers of this low caliber, making so many mistakes in dealing with her stalker that you wonder how she can possibly possess the brainpower to master a light switch, let alone teach Homer to bored teens.”
Screen Daily:
“With Rob Cohen (The Fast And The Furious) directing from a clunky script by Barbara Curry, the film morphs from would-be sexy melodrama to harder edged thriller and ends up with a near-horror climax.”
OK, Fine. 