Story Won’t Go All the Way in ‘The Boy Next Door’

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Rating: 3.0/5.0

CHICAGO – There was a different kind of vibe coming from the thriller “The Boy Next Door,” different than what is expected when hearing “Jennifer Lopez as teacher caught in a scandal with a student.” But for every piece of original thinking, there was a fear of making it too different.

A Jennifer Lopez film that is willing to have a steamy J-Lo love scene, a new attitude for the typical male high school dream boat, plus inappropriate violence and nudity can’t be all bad, especially when anticipating (or not) a flick with Lopez’s name above the title. There are a few – dare I say – Hitchcockian nuggets in the scenario, with some of them actually landing, but overall the necessity to make everything come out right for the J-Lo character was enough to torpedo the overall result. This is not a bad film, but it is lacking.

Claire (Jennifer Lopez) is a woman separated from her husband Garrett (John Corbett) for nine months. Garrett cheated on her, and the sting of that infidelity has made Claire extremely vulnerable. When a 18 year-old stud muffin named Noah (Ryan Guzman) moves in next door to care for his elderly uncle, Claire begins thinking some impure thoughts about the seemingly perfect man child.

Claire (Jennifer Lopez) is a Victim of Circumstances in ‘The Boy Next Door’
Photo credit: Universal Pictures

When an attempt at a date fails miserably, Claire ends up at Noah’s home, and is seduced by him. Waking up the next morning, the hangover of this indiscretion is all guilt and fear of losing her job, especially in context of her teenage son Kevin (Ian Nelson) and experiencing the frightening reaction when Noah realizes the relationship is over. Claire has gained a stalker, at the same time Garrett comes back into the scene and the new school year begins.

The original screenplay is by Barbara Curry, and the twist that the “boy next door” would be the obscure object of desire by an older woman – rather than the usual exploitative reverse – was a twist worth pursuing. The film was very adult, complete with scary violence, ragingly foul language and voyeurism that includes some fairly daring nudity for an American mainstream film. The director Rob Cohen (of the original “Fast and the Furious”) didn’t mind dialing up the Hitchcock undertones, with deceptions and scares abounding.

It just lacked the kicker, the element that would make it completely unusual or a cut above the expected. There were a couple of big problems. One was that J-Lo was the lead victim and ultimately couldn’t lose – there is tragedy in the course of her character’s events, but not the type to go for complete narrative darkness. Second, the “boy next door,” Ryan Guzman, just didn’t go far enough with his good looking psycho. There needed to be another ingredient in his performance – something to make the character more Norman Bates-like. and less just an angry pretty boy.

But man, there was some weirdness. Kristen Chenoweth, who has portrayed the “best friend” in many mainstream female-lead movies, gives a more brittle and age appropriate performance as Vicky. The voyeurism is pretty racy, beginning with a still-virtuous looking J-Lo checking herself in a mirror, and ending with her witnessing some revenge sex that Noah participates in. Strangely enough, he’s co-mingling with Kevin’s high school dance date, who was peaches-and-cream in the introductory sequence, and participates fully nude in the carnality that Claire eventually views – which is never explained. This high level sensuality was part of the raw suspense, and was stronger than usual in an American film.

Noah (Ryan Guzman) Flashes His Killer Smile in ‘The Boy Next Door’
Photo credit: Universal Pictures

The film ran 91 minutes, so the set-up led to a rather quick and neat conclusion, including Claire being able to find some incriminating computer evidence, which started the roller coaster ride that led to the easy-to-guess ending. The problem with having a psycho in a story lies in how they are handled. Most get conveniently blinded by their insanity in the movies, whereas making another choice might move the story in a different direction. “The Boy Next Door” chose the blindness.

Besides, even though Lopez was a high school English teacher, her lip gloss and lingerie was perfect. She gets some points for trying something unusual, but there also needs to be a willingness to create some cracks in the image for a character, not just a rehash of the “Prime of Miss J-Lopez.”

By PATRICK McDONALD Writer, Editorial Coordinator HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com