December 29, 2015

Blu-Ray Review: THE PERFECT GUY

Starring Sanaa Lathan, Michael Ealy, Morris Chestnut, Tess Harper, Charles S. Dutton, Holt McCallany. Directed by David M. Rosenthal. (2015, 100 min).
SONY

Featuring an attractive cast, The Perfect Guy is a low-wattage thriller which offers nothing that hasn't been done before in better movies.

Sanaa Lathan plays Leah, who breaks up with her longtime boyfriend, David (Morris Chestnut), because he is reluctant to make any longtime commitments. A few months later, she meets Carter (Michael Ealy), who's charming, handsome and quickly earns the approval of Leah's friends and family. But when he goes from zero-to-psycho within a single scene, she tries to end the relationship. This doesn't sit too well with Carter, who begins relentlessly stalking her. And of course, because he's so clever, the police are helpless to do anything about it.

I suppose if you've never seen Fatal Attraction or scores of similar films which followed in its wake, The Perfect Guy might offer a few fun surprises. However, nothing can patch the glaring plot holes, the most obvious being a scene where Carter pursues Leah's elderly neighbor. He disappears and reappears which such silent swiftness (and is apparently able to walk through walls) that Batman would be envious.

"Admit it...you ordered one of those fruity drinks with a little umbrella in it."

For the most part, The Perfect Guy is a checklist of common thriller tropes. While proficiently directed, it's undone by its generic story and stock characters. You'll be able to accurately predict who ultimately lives and dies within a few minutes of their first appearance onscreen. The cast is decent and suitably attractive, but none of their blandly written roles are particularly memorable (though Ealy clearly seems to be having a good time).

BONUS FEATURES:
Featurette: "Lust and Obsession: Making The Perfect Guy"

KITTY CONSENSUS:
MEH...THIS FILM COULD BE TITLED 'DEJA VU'

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