“The Boy Next Door” is so amazingly awful and utterly ridiculous that it winds up being mildly entertaining.
The film stars Jennifer Lopez, who doesn’t appear to be aging, as English teacher Claire Peterson and Ryan Guzman as the hunky 19-year-old boy next door Noah Sandborn. Kristin Chenoweth as Lopez’s best friend Vicky and John Corbett as Lopez’s cheating husband Garrett make this a well-rounded cast.
After recently separating from her cheating husband, Peterson meets her attractive new neighbor Noah. The two end up having a one-night stand that quickly turns into a fatal attraction, as Noah reveals himself to be less than trustworthy and a complete sociopath.
Of course, this movie could have ended a lot quicker if Lopez’s character simply called the police, but apparently that’s too much to ask for.
Jennifer Lopez is probably the least believable English teacher in the history of cinema, but she’s as likeable as always thanks to her beauty and charisma.
Guzman as Noah is never really as terrifying as he needs to be to make this movie work. His boyish good looks do him no favors, as he doesn’t make for a menacing villain.
In fact, instead of menacing, Guzman’s character comes off unintentionally hilarious. He fixes garage doors, cleans storm drains and for some ludicrous reason can quote Homer’s “The Iliad” in its entirety despite being a high school dropout.
Guzman and Lopez don’t have much chemistry. There is one steamy scene between the two, but that’s about as far as it goes. However, their lack of chemistry is nowhere near the movie’s biggest problem.
The dialogue is awful and the film is full of campy, silly moments. Viewers will be able to predict everything that happens throughout the movie.
Despite all its faults, “The Boy Next Door” is guilty-pleasure worthy. It’s forgettable and feels like it should be on Lifetime Movie Network, but still manages to be mildly entertaining.
The main source of entertainment is the so-bad-it’s-good finale. The movie culminates in an incredibly crazy confrontation between Guzman and Lopez that is sure to stand as the only truly memorable scene in the movie.
The finale is completely insane and nonsensical, but definitely an exciting crowd-pleaser. It involves a barn, a fire and an allergy pen being jammed in someone’s eye.
That alone may be worth the price of admission.