An absolute scream... shame it's supposed to be a tense psychological thriller

The Boy Next Door (15)

Verdict: Risibly bad thriller

Rating:

Rob Cohen's The Boy Next Door is an absolute scream. Unfortunately, it’s not meant to be. It is billed as a psychological thriller, in which Jennifer Lopez (also credited as producer) plays Claire Peterson, a classics teacher still coming to terms with her husband’s infidelity.

Then a charming young hunk called Noah (Ryan Guzman) moves in next door, befriends her son Kevin (Ian Nelson), and finally bewitches her by declaring a love for Homer and giving her a copy of The Iliad which doesn’t look the best part of 3,000 years old but must be, because it’s ‘a first edition’.

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The Boy Next Door stars Jennifer Lopez as Claire Peterson, a teacher still coming to terms with her husband’s infidelity when young hunk Noah (Ryan Guzman) moves in next door

The Boy Next Door stars Jennifer Lopez as Claire Peterson, a teacher still coming to terms with her husband’s infidelity when young hunk Noah (Ryan Guzman) moves in next door

They have a steamy one-night stand, but when she insists that it must never happen again, Noah turns psychotic. 

So, it’s a role-reversal Fatal Attraction, which is not in itself a bad thing, but so preposterously written (hands up, Barbara Curry), that it’s impossible to believe in from start to blood-spattered finish. 

Noah goes from being too good, to too bad, to be true. He’s meant to be under 20 but looks much closer to 30 (which Guzman is).

The skateboarding bullies who make Kevin’s life a misery are ridiculous caricatures. I could go on. Admittedly, J-Lo looks great.

But she has, I fear, reached a Nu-Lo.

So, it’s a role-reversal Fatal Attraction, which is not in itself a bad thing, but so preposterously written (hands up, Barbara Curry), that it’s impossible to believe in from start to blood-spattered finish

So, it’s a role-reversal Fatal Attraction, which is not in itself a bad thing, but so preposterously written (hands up, Barbara Curry), that it’s impossible to believe in from start to blood-spattered finish

 

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