Grade (C-)
A routine thriller that saves it self with solid performances and a short run-time.
“THE PERFECT GUY” stars Sanaa Lathan as an attorney who breaks up with her boyfriend once she learns he is not ready for marriage and children, and when she begins seeing a charming new beau who seems too good to be true, she soon realizes, that may just be the case.
This is a paint-by-numbers thriller that gives a plot formula you can easily predict. Yet, it the case of this film, knowing what the inevitable outcome would be did not completely hinder the enjoyment it delivered. The story-line doesn’t stray far from the generic plot structure of all the other “Fatal Attraction” like films that have come before it but, it was still able to deliver some mild entertainment with a polished version of the familiar tale.
It was well paced and never really forced anything or felt as if it was trying too hard. The film knew what it was, and did a solid job of making a recycled story, a good recycled story. The saving grace was clearly the performances of Sanaa Lathan and Michael Ealy.
Lathan managed to carry the film on her shoulders well and despite there not being a lot of creativity taken into the writing of the character, Lathan was able to deliver a strong female lead you can connect with. She created a determined, persevering persona you can root for as she deals with the many tense situations the script puts her through.
Michael Ealy was also very good and easily was able to provide what his character needed to be an effective antagonist. With his calm delivery and cold, calculating expressions you can buy into him being an intelligent stalker, while at the same time he effortlessly conveys the needed charm to believe why the character of Leah would be drawn to him. He was as kindhearted as he was ominously dangerous, and his character helped make this film work despite its simplicity.
With the strong performances of both Lathan and Ealy this film is not a waste of time. It does however make you wonder how good the film could have been given the story would have been a little more ambitious. The flow of the plot is swift and it wastes no time with meaningless scenes as filler before finally getting to the third-act climax so it doesn’t really give you a chance to get bored and lose interest.
Overall “The Perfect Guy” is not excellent but definitely not horrible. The performances are solid and the script adds a couple likable side-characters. There was some potential left behind, but in the end there is some enjoyment to be found in this neat thriller that doesn’t try to waste your time.
– Starring –
Sanaa Lathan, Michael Ealy, Morris Chestnut, L. Scott Caldwell, Charles S. Dutton, John Getz, Kathryn Morris, Rutina Wesley
– Directed By –
David M. Rosenthal
Time: 100 min
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (For violence, menace, sexuality and brief strong language)
