vsd324
"And here's to you Mrs. Peterson. Jesus loves you more than you know." This movie is a twisted version of "The Graduate" (1967), although not only has Mrs. Robinson become Mrs. Peterson, but in this movie it is the teacher being seduced. Noah Sandborn (Ryan Guzman) moves next door to Claire Peterson (Jennifer Lopez), a teacher of Classical English Literature at the high school Noah will be attending. Claire is on rocky terms with her husband as the two struggle to be civil for the sake of their son Kevin (Ian Nelson). Noah is orphaned, and has moved in to help his elderly uncle who is going for an operation and Noah intends to provide help as he recovers. Noah quickly befriends the Petersons, and one night, while home alone, he calls upon Mrs. Peterson to come to his rescue on a failed attempt to make a chicken dinner. She goes over, and Noah seduces her, and in the vulnerable state she is in, she succumbs. The next morning, when Mrs. Peterson tries to say what a mistake had been made, we see Noah has become obsessed and now has this incident to use as blackmail. Part of the problem with this movie is there is not enough character development. It would've been better if it toyed with your emotions, making you first really like Noah before he becomes evil; but the movie gives you a creepy feeling about Noah right from the beginning, in his action, in his dialogue, and even in the music they play right from the opening credits. Overall the whole plot is pretty far-fetched. Not a great work of art, but bottom line the movie does make you wonder how it's going to end. Unfortunately not even the ending is that exciting.
NileFortnerBoogieBuddha954
Rob Cohen's The Boy Next Door is an absolute terrifying, jaw dropping, and will have you screaming, but not in a good way. This big budget blockbuster feels like a throwback to daytime made for TV movies. But, I have actually seen daytime made for television movies that are better than this. This movie is so bad, and I mean BAD. Some parts I did enjoy, the other parts of the film are poorly written, poorly acted, and cheesy. Even though I do not think that was the director's intention. The Boy Next Door has its share of so-bad-they're-good moments. Mostly, they are just bad. Jennifer Lopez (Money Train, Jack) stars as Claire Peterson, a beautiful San Fernando Valley high school teacher who has recently separated from her cheating husband Garrett, played by John Corbett (My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Sex and the City 2). Though you would not know it from the flawless makeup and runway-ready wardrobe she wears while grading papers in her mini mansion, Claire is feeling lost and lonely, and struggling to raise her teenage son, Kevin, played by Ian Nelson (The Hunger Games, The Best of Me), alone.One day, some young, bulging biceps, handsome help arrives, his name is Noah, played by Ryan Guzman (Step Up: Revolution, Everybody Wants Some). A 19-year-old San Bernardino transplant, Noah has just moved in next door to help care for his old uncle and in spite of some vague references to an "accident" in his past, he manages to effortlessly wedge himself into Claire's life. Fixing her car and garage door, showing up for dinner, and helping Kevin gain the confidence to talk to the popular neighborhood pretty girl. In addition to his expertise with auto repair, he is also a skilled computer hacker, a violent kick boxer, and suffers from "anger" issues. HOT FOR A TEACHERWhen Kevin leaves for a weekend camping trip, Claire gets hot and heavy with the titular next-door boy. After that night, 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 boy next door may actually be a nightmare."I LOVE YOUR MOTHER'S COOKIES"First off, let's talk about the cast. I believe that when Jennifer Lopez is given a good script and direction she can be a good actress. She can calm off as talented, and get by on more than just her looks. How many teachers look like Jennifer Lopez? Not many. We all know the kids in that class would not be learning a damn thing. The movie treats her as if she is just an ordinary plain Jane teacher, and I was sitting back saying, really? Especially a class filled with hormone-crazed teenagers.Also, in the film Noah looks like a 30 something year old man in high school. Jennifer Lopez's son is only a year younger than Noah is. Noah already acts like his daddy, looks easily 10 years older than he does, and literally like a grown man in a class. Think of Robin Williams in the movie Jack. In addition, the way the character is written is not very scary. For instance, he spends have the movie looking at her through a window, and driving behind her in traffic. Overall, he is never truly menacing, which depletes this erotic thriller of much of its thrills. Jennifer Lopez's husband is one dumb dude! Noah is clearly flirting and intimately touching his wife. All Mr. Peterson can do is eat cookies, sit on the couch, and say he seems like a nice kid. Accordingly, the film is poorly written. Everything from what the characters do, to the decisions they make, the plot, the ending, the dialogue, and tone. These characters make some mind bottling decisions. Also, the ending you can clearly see coming a mile away. I read on IMDb that this film was shot in 25 days. I am starting to think maybe they had to rush the writing. If they did, it clearly shows. So these are my final Bitchin' Buddha thought on the film The Boy Next Door. If you are looking for a bad movie night maybe, you can check this out. It is poorly acted, poorly written, silly, and honestly just a bad movie. The film takes itself way to seriously. It is the kind of film where instead of focusing on making a great film, they focus on how great everyone looks, especially J-Lo. I did enjoy climactic showdown, in a burning barn, of all places. But my biggest issue with this film was the writing and acting. I believe The Boy Next Door earns a…4/10This review is brought to you by Boogie Buddha, and remember, don't just get down, but get Boogie. Thank you all for reading and or viewing, and I hope you all have an amazing day as always. :)
jcallanan90
The Boy Next Door...where do I begin. The first thing that I'll say is, Jennifer Lopez is in the movie. I'd like to leave it at that, but, unfortunately, I can't. Jennifer Lopez once again did an awful job acting in a movie. Jennifer Lopez is an awful actress to begin with. Ryan Guzman was also horrible in this movie. I humoured my girlfriend and went to see it, and I regretted spending the money on our tickets. The acting was awful all together. Sure, it's an interesting story. A married lady (Lopez) who has been cheated on falls for a lonely boy (Guzman) who takes a romantic and sexual interest in her, who then becomes obsessed with her and wants her all for himself. Guzman got more creepy than obsessive (yes, I know what I said), making his performance even worse. I love movies like this, and if they had cast better actors to play Lopez and Guzman's parts, it could have been so exciting! Instead, I dealt with giggly old women, watching Ryan Guzman put no emotion into his role, and Jennifer Lopez's horrible acting (I can't stress enough) for 1 hour and 31 minutes. I'll give J-Lo credit for continuing her acting career. Maybe she'll be great in something over the next few years, but she was terrible in this movie, as well as others (remember Gigli?), and shouldn't have been cast in it. The Boy Next Door is 1 out of 10 stars in my book.
