The Perfect Guy (I) (2015) User Reviews

"The Perfect Guy" may not be perfectly original, but it is pretty entertaining.

[CleveMan66 · 7/10 · 12 September 2015]

You can't judge a book by its cover – or people by first impressions. Both are truisms that I've seen play out often – in my life and in the lives of others. Excellent art work doesn't necessarily mean that the book underneath that cover is any good (or the movie behind the poster, for that matter). More importantly, when looking for a life partner, regardless of how charming the man, or alluring the woman, what's underneath is what matters in the long run – and the best way to make life-defining judgments about a potential mate will always be T-I-M-E. The problem comes in when the cover of that book is so utterly impressive that you commit to reading it, but end up regretting it – or when you go ahead and put in the time, then start to sense that you won't like that last chapter. These are the kinds of situations that become real problems for the main character in "The Perfect Guy" (PG-13, 1:40).

Leah Vaughn (Sanaa Lathan) has it all… well, most of it anyway. She has good looks, a devoted boyfriend and a great job as a lobbyist in L.A. What she doesn't have is a life-long commitment from her man. At the age of 36, and after two years of dating Dave (Morris Chestnut), Leah decides that she's tired of waiting for him to decide when he's ready to marry her and start a family. She tells Dave to leave, and again finds herself alone, but not for long. She meets another very eligible bachelor, but this one seems to know exactly what he wants. Carter Duncan comes off as charming, kind and generous as he is good-looking and sexy. He quickly earns Leah's affections, impresses her friends (Rutina Wesley and Kathryn Morris) and wins over her father (Charles S. Dutton). Carter really does seem to be the perfect guy.

Then Leah cracks open that book. Carter soon shows that, underneath his cover, he has some serious imperfections. Leah thinks it's best to close the book on this initially very promising relationship. Carter doesn't quite accept her decision. Harassment, stalking and some very creepy behavior follows. Then, Dave re-enters the picture. He asks for, and gets, another chance at being Leah's forever man. Carter likes this development even less than the restraining order that Leah sent his way. Now we have a full-blown love triangle – and one of these men turns out to be full-blown crazy. A sympathetic police detective (Holt McCallany) does everything he can to protect Leah, and her neighbor (Tess Harper) looks out for her, but Leah ends up having to figure a way out of her situation mostly by herself.

"The Perfect Guy" is formulaic, fairly predictable – and fun. We've seen this basic story in "Fatal Attraction" (1987), "Sleeping with the Enemy" (1991), "Double Jeopardy" (1999), "Enough" (2002), etc., all the way up to 2015's "The Boy Next Door" and beyond, but this one earns its place among those earlier films. The dialog is crisp and real and, for a nice change, the script doesn't portray the cops as indifferent and powerless (although some moviegoers may feel that the extent to which one detective helps Leah sends a dangerous message). This film nicely updates the genre by showing the very real perils of being a stalk-ee in the early 21st century. Rarely have an obsessed lover's actions been more unsettling, more intrusive and more frightening than in this film. For her part, Leah's dignity, spirit and resourcefulness are also very impressive. A very solid supporting cast back up the excellent performances of the three main characters, and all three are also pretty easy on the eye. (Plus, it's nice to see more ethnic diversity in the thriller genre.) "The Perfect Guy" may not be a perfectly original movie, but its appealing cast, smart script and well-constructed story make it worth a look. "B+"

Plot Twist Came Really Fast!!!

[wilkinschantel · 6/10 · 7 October 2021]

The movie is good! I did feel like they ruined his (Carter ) character in the movie a bit too soon. It would have been a great plot twist to allow the 2 (Leah & Carter) to grow closer then maybe have Cater start to grow jealous of her Ex.

It was ruined so suddenly at the gas station and things shifted really fast!

If his good guy character could have lasted a little longer, things would have been more intriguing.

Good thriller.

[Guanche48 · 6/10 · 17 April 2019]

Good thriller ... lotsss of tension.

Little cliche story but with real psycho creepy staff. Dramatic.

Some stupid faults.. . but apart from that quite realistic. Good acting !. I like the detective/police agent a lot..

Tame thriller that we've seen a 100 times before

[Seth_Rogue_One · 4/10 · 31 July 2016]

In more recent years we have had 'THE BOY NEXT DOOR (2015)' with Jennifer Lopez 'OBSESSED (2009)' with Idris Elba and 'NO GOOD DEED (2015)' also with Idris Elba but playing against Taraji P Henson instead of Beyonce.

You know the charming stranger who's actually slightly insane kind of movie that attempts at being both thrilling and sexy.

And where as I enjoyed the aforementioned movies I can't say the same about this one.

It's not the worst of it's kind or anything but it's so unremarkable in every way, there isn't even scenes that could make it enjoyable in 'so bad it's good' kind of way either, it's just really bland.

And that's a shame because I like all the main actors in it MICHAEL EALY, SANNA LATHAN and MORRIS CHESTNUT are all accomplished actors in other films, but the problem with this movie is granted not the cast but the script.

As you can probably understand 'the perfect guy' is not all that perfect, but he's so incredibly hollowly written. The twist is so out of the blue and it doesn't make any sense with how the character has been portrayed until this point. And the reaction, everything just goes way to quick. 'I don't know who you are anymore!' cringe-alert.

But that's not to say if the transition would have been a more smoother and natural one that it would have been much better.

As far as the sexiness goes, Sanna Lathan shows more skin on the poster than she does in the movie.

So yeah, not even that can they get right.

The movie is good and I liked it better then No Good Deed, but it was just too cliché to really have the impact it wanted.

[cosmo_tiger · 7/10 · 28 December 2015]

"I saw him beat someone badly, just for talking to me." Leah (Lathan) and her boyfriend have different plans for the future and decide to split up. When she meets the charismatic and charming Carter (Ealy) she easily falls for him. He says and does everything perfect, but when she sees his dark side things change. Afraid of what he may do next Leah breaks up with him, but Carter doesn't let go so easy. This is a really good movie that could have been so much better. The movie gets really close to the tenseness it is striving for, but ends up falling short. Carter does do some very scary and terrifying things, but nothing that hasn't been seen before. The movie really left a lot on the table that would have really helped it out and made the movie as tense as the filmmakers wanted it to be. The movie is good and I liked it better then No Good Deed, but it was just too cliché to really have the impact it wanted. Overall, not bad and worth watching, but not as tense as it could have been. I give it a B-.

Shallow

[fluturoj · 4/10 · 30 July 2016]

The movie is quit disappointing and shallow even though it has a story line that keeps you interested.

What I want to point out is the hypocrisy in this movie when it comes to expressing violence. When Carter expresses violence towards the men at the gas station he becomes a red flag (very reasonably) for Leah but when Dave expresses violence towards Carter in the restaurant (regardless of being not so intense as Carter's since violence is violence) all he gets is admiration from Leah. How come he does not become a red flag for being violent?

Life Lessons: not much to take with the exception perhaps that sometimes you have to take things on your own matter and be brave. But again this is very poorly and superficially presented. Dealing with serious crimes such as stalking, breaking in and murder and getting away with that so easily is just not realistic. Another lesson perhaps is that perfect does not exist and people should not be trusted so easily because they are usually not what they say they are.

Character analysis: extremely poor job done in the main character development. We never get to know more about Carter and his reasoning just that he was abandoned and was bipolar. What what else? There a lot of children raised in foster houses that turn out to be very successful and respected members of society, so this alone is not enough to explain his unreasonable behaviour.

"The Perfect Guy" a movie to make your entire body shiver with goosebumps.

[nfh-47716 · 7/10 · 21 September 2015]

"The Perfect Guy" a movie to make your entire body shiver with goosebumps. I would give this movie 4.5 out of 5 stars. This movie is filled with action and suspense, but it is a bit predictable. A movie that makes every girl wish that she had a "perfect guy" in her life, but as all good things seem so right, most of the time, disaster is right around the corner.

Leah Vaughn (played by Sanaa Lathan) is a 36 year old lobbyist in L.A. Everything seemed to be in order until Leah decided to end things with her boyfriend, Dave (played by Morris Chestnut) after he tells her that he's not ready to get married and have children. After two months of being single, Leah meets a young man named Carter Duncan (played by Michael Early) and they hit it off right away. As time progresses, Carter continues to charm Leah and before she knows it, she believes that she has finally found the "perfect man" for herself. Little does she know, Carter is far from perfect.

During a night out, Lean and Carter are apart just for a few minutes before Carter spots another man talking to her and he becomes overly possessive. His possessiveness nearly lands the other guy in the hospital. As Leah witnesses this behavior from the man she thought so highly of, sh realizes that she wants nothing to do with him and she tries to end everything with him. Carter won't let her end the relationship and he ends up stalking her, which in turn leaves her scarred and seeking help from the police. After some unfortunate and very obsessive behavior, Leah is forced to place a restraining order against Carter, this angers him even more.

After some time, Leah ends up back with her ex. Carter isn't too thrilled with her choice and starts to sabotage her work and her relationships with others. He goes as far as to taking people's lives over his obsession with her. His actions cost Leah her happiness and before long, she is forced to take matters into her own hands. She decides to play into his games which later ends up paying off. As the movie comes to an end, Leah has finally won her battle with Carter, but in the entire process she has lost people she cared about.

This is a thrilling and an action filled movie with a predictable plot. A movie that will leave you at the edge of your seat with anticipation. I would rate this 4.5 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this movie to people who like thriller movies. This is a movie to remind you that there is no such thing as a "perfect guy".

Perfect Guy next door

[kosmasp · 4/10 · 19 July 2016]

All those thrillers are not only predictable, but sort of by the numbers most of the time. So it's not that bad if a movie can surprise you a couple of times. And while this never promised "steamy hot scenes" like the one with Jennifer Lopez, that were too hot for the rating board (self proclaimed and don't fall for that), it does have other winning factors. For guys it's the main actress and for women it's the two main guys, for various reasons (of course some men will like the male talent at hand and some women our female hero, I was talking majority).

Still there is some saving factors, though not so much the ever so good Charles S. Dutton who doesn't have much to do in this. No nudity involved but "steamy" situations, if that is something you are looking forward to. Also very nice eyes (Mr. Ealy that is)

Nice, suspense thriller

[analovescoffee · 23 September 2015]

I went to see this movie based on various recommendations from friends. Inam a sucker for a good thriller. The actor mix is perfect and , even though some parts are predictable, you will definitely enjoy the movie. I loved the main trio and their performances. This movie can be considered a life lesson because you don't really know who is that you are dating out there. Watch till the end,nice twists.

I liked that the characters are not typical and that some boundaries are actually pushed in this movie. I went w my bf and a friend and all three of us agreed it is a nice movie, different than all the usual ones .

Competent, serviceable entertainment

[StevePulaski · 6/10 · 11 September 2015]

The worst thing the acclaimed 1987 drama "Fatal Attraction" ever did was make future films revolving around obsessions in relationships suffer by comparison. It seems that whatever films come out revolving around a crush that turns into a lethal obsession, all that needs to be done is reference the classic drama, claim it's better and always will be, and after that, there's no reason to take the successor in question seriously.

While "The Perfect Guy" is far from a solid film, and bears some glaring shortcomings, it has a certain level of appeal that kicks in around the third act, making it morph into a more lively thriller than others of the genre. The film focuses on Leah Vaughn (Sanaa Lathan), a successful woman working in corporate America, who has been building an equally successful relationship with her boyfriend David (Morris Chestnut). One day, however, she recognizes the fact that she's approaching forty and is still unmarried and childless, leading to spontaneously break up with David in the face of an early on-set midlife crisis.

Not long after, Leah meets Carter (Michael Ealy), a suave, charming stranger at a coffee shop, who gives her his iced latte before her's is served. They meet later that night once more, as fate would have it, and Carter romanticizes her with his selfless words and his incredibly easygoing nature and begin dating. However, when a harmless stranger at a gas station is mistaken for a creep and Carter responses with uncompromising brutality, Leah cuts him off from her life. As a result, Carter makes numerous advances towards Leah, taking no for an answer each time, resorting to following her and calling her throughout the day. Leah enlists in the help of Detective Hansen (Holt McCallany), who explains how difficult it is to persecute a rampant stalker without concrete evidence of life-threatening harassment, all while Carter's behavior never lets up.

The acting in "The Perfect Guy" is uniformly shaky, with Lathan and Chestnut clearly doing their best to work on a basic level with what screenwriter Tyger Williams has given them. Williams concocts an emotionally obvious screenplay, with predictable dialog that handcuffs its actors to delivering the bare-basics in casual conversation (the PG-13 rating also doesn't help too much). The actors that do take their roles to another level, however, are Michael Ealy and Holt McCallany. Ealy's smug facial expressions, likable smile, and sexy charisma make him almost irresistibly attractive from the first frame he's in, and even when he shows his despicable ways, he is still a fascinating character. His performance may not be groundbreaking, but it works because he exploits it for what it is. Also very talented but unlikely to share what little acclaim this film will find is McCallany, whose serious and even-tempered demeanor work wonders when paired with Lathan in the film's later scenes. Consider the off-duty advice Hasen gives Leah in a diner one afternoon, perfectly asserting himself as no longer a supporting character, but an off-kilter presence.

Finally, there's the frustrating element of reversing how we should look at a character halfway through the film. In the beginning, Williams and director David M. Rosenthal positions the scene where Leah breaks up with David as if we're supposed to side Leah, for she is unsatisfied and is looking to advance her life while David is treading water and keeping things simple. However, when Carter, the rebound, turns into a persistent stalker, all of a sudden, we are supposed to quietly condemn the actions of Leah, right after we were positioned to root for her in her ability to impulsively give up financial and relationship security. The same mistake is made in Tyler Perry "Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor," albeit to a much greater extent.

At the end of it all, "The Perfect Guy" still serves as competent entertainment, particularly when it disregards a lot of the acting and screen writing shakiness for consuming suspense in the final forty minutes. It reminds me a lot of last year's "No Good Deed" (which came out this same weekend), in that the film takes a familiar story, but through a couple of solid performances and a strong dose of suspense, the film winds up being serviceable entertainment with a bit more to offer than mindless energy.

Awful - plain awful!!

[leonieplowright · 1/10 · 11 September 2016]

How on earth this has got any good reviews is beyond me it was utter trash! The music that was on constantly sounded like it was from a bad 70s horror film!! I was constantly waiting for some axe murderer in a mask to show up as that's what the music made it sound like.

The acting was awful and the writing terrible some of the cheesy lines the main characters were spouting off seriously was making me cringe, and I like cheesy movies!

Ican't comment on the ending as I turned it off before the end, and I NEVER do that I always watch things to the end even if I don't like the film as I always want to know how it ends but I couldn't bring myself to watch any more as it was so boring so cringe and I couldn't take any more, it was that bad! Don't waste your time watching this.

A Perfect thriller movie with a sexy black woman.

[avirariva · 10/10 · 14 September 2015]

Successful lobbyist Leah Vaughn (Sanaa Lathan) is unhappy in her relationship with her boyfriend David King (Morris Chestnut), as he does not feel ready to commit to her wishes of starting a family, causing them to break up. Two months later, she ends up meeting the charming Carter Duncan (Michael Ealy), who works in IT for another company. They quickly grow close, and he manages to work his way into the hearts of her friends as well as her mother and father. On their way home from a trip to San Francisco, a stranger inquires Leah about Carter's Dodge Charger at a gas station. Thinking that he was flirting with her, Carter viciously attacks the man before the mortified Leah, and he takes off when the station's owner orders them to leave at gunpoint. Leah decides to break up with Carter that night, distraught over his actions and his desperate attempts to apologize.

Over the next several weeks, Carter stalks Leah at her job and leaves numerous phone-calls, even after she changes them. Unbeknownst to her, he also intrudes into her house with her spare house key, feeling around her belongings, hacking into her computer, and abducting her cat. She finally decides to go to the police, meeting with Detective Hansen (Holt McCallany). He advises her to keep note of any further attempts he makes to contact her, and one night, she finds a threatening note and a single red rose attached to her car. The next morning, a restraining order is filed against Carter at his job, and he is subsequently fired. Some time later, David contacts Leah about rekindling their relationship, and Leah eagerly agrees. One night, Leah and David find Carter watching them at a restaurant, and David grimly warns him to stay away. They still notify the police, and after Hansen interrogates Carter over the violation, Carter feigns innocence, stating that he had no idea she was there and that David was aggressive towards him. Hansen lets him go.

One night, as Carter is inside Leah's house, her neighbor, Mrs. McCarthy (Tess Harper) catches him, leading him to chase her back to her house where he kills her by pushing her down the stairs, causing her to break her neck. He also watches over Leah and David as they sleep and have sex. One morning, it's discovered that an email of a video showing Leah having sex with David was sent by her work account to her co-workers and her business's clients, and are forced to suspend her. Another night, Carter sabotages David's car, causing it to flip down a hill and seriously injure him. Carter goes down to the wreckage and kills the weakened David by suffocating him with his rubber gloves.

Both Leah and Hansen are certain that Carter is involved, though they lack the evidence necessary to incriminate him. After investigating further, Hansen learns that Carter is not his real name, and that he changed his identity after a similar series of harassment. He subtly tells Leah to take care of him on her own if necessary, leading her to buy a shotgun and shells. Carter seems to assume a new identity, as Leah spots him with another woman. She frightens her off and files another restraining order against him in front his new employers, once again getting him fired. She then manages to find a hideout of his where he monitors her, as well as finding her cat. She destroys his numerous computers and leaves, daring him to come after her again.

That night, Carter breaks into Leah's home, and after luring him to an empty room, she aims her gun at him. After managing to knock the gun out of her hand, a struggle ensues, which ends with her slashing his arm and shooting him twice with bean-bag ammo in an attempt to immobilize him. After he continues to advance, she shoots him with an actual shell, killing him. A now relieved Leah reports Carter to Hansen as an intruder, and police cart his corpse out of her house.

The perfect guy is a perfect thriller movie with a sexy black woman I wish I could hug and kiss.

VIEWS ON FILM review of The Perfect Guy

[burlesonjesse5 · 7/10 · 17 September 2015]

Michael Ealy is a pretty likable ham. And his newest is a Screen Gems release recalling countless, psychological thrillers. The Perfect Guy (my latest review) dabbles in the vein of 2009's Obsessed, 1996's Fear, 1992's Unlawful Entry, and of course, 1987's Fatal Attraction. I'd say it's equal to or stronger than three out of the four films just mentioned (nothing can touch the sex-crazed rift between Michael Douglas and Glenn Close). Starting off as rather predictable and obvious, this flick surprisingly turns into an isolated, whiz-bang affair. Oh and when you compare it to the disastrous crud that was The Boy Next Door (which came out earlier this year), The Perfect Guy is literally The Maltese Falcon. Translation: I'm recommending it.

Director David M. Rosenthal provides the usual requirements for a modern day thriller here. He keeps things slick and trashy, casts good-looking people, moves the intrigue along at a meteoric pace, and makes sure the heavy goes perpetual psycho way before the hour mark. The story begins as a romance drama with the obligatory, jovial film score pouncing in the background. Sanaa Lathan channeling sadness, fear, and discontent like no other actress can, plays Leah Vaughn. Leah is a successful lobbyist (I guess that means she works for the government). She's attractive, sexy, and well off yet seems stuck in a nowhere relationship with her boyfriend (Dave King played by Morris Chestnut). Because Dave doesn't want marriage and a family with her, Leah then decides to end things on good terms. In walks Duncan Carter (played by Michael Ealy), a mystery guy who with a couple of subtle gestures (he buys her an iced latte one moment then saves her from being hit on the next), sweeps her off her feet. Things seem to be going well between Leah and Carter with Leah feeling like she might have found true love again. That's until Carter violently beats some dude up for looking at his car (or talking to his chic. Either way he's a combative man). Leah senses danger, feels unsafe around him, and eventually wants the two of them to not see each other anymore. Big mistake. Set to the backdrop of glamorous L.A., The Perfect Guy upsets you the viewer while keeping your eyeballs pinned to the screen. It's one part revenge tale, two parts obsessive escapade, and three parts eldritch. Bring the popcorn, ingest the sterile surroundings, and prepare to be creeped out big time.

Now the thing that sunders "Guy" from falling into a bowl of pseudo- madman clichés, is what it does with its main antagonist. And despite Ealy sort of straining to play him (whenever he gets mad it feels robotic and mildly laughable), the storyboard people and screenwriters turn his Carter Duncan into one of the most ickiest, stealthiest, and uncanniest stalkers ever. He gets minimal dialogue to play with and an effective, lunatic stare somehow making this character work. Carter is the kind of sicko that just can't let things go. He breaks into Leah's house, installs surveillance cameras there, lays under her bed while she has sex with another man, puts her toothbrush in his mouth, watches over her as she sleeps, steals her cat, hacks into her computer, and murders her acquaintances. All the while he gets his prowl-on wearing good old- fashioned, white latex gloves. Note to any beautiful and successful woman: Don't date a charming sociopath who changes his name, has no family, has no friends, and works in information technology. Run girl run!

In conclusion, The Perfect Guy is far from "perfect" (ha ha). I mean you've got the Ealy character deviating from actually being infatuated with Lathan's Leah (towards the end). It gets to the point where he ends up just becoming voyeuristic while toying with his victims like a maniac in a horror film. Regardless, things barrel along with some hard (unexpected) detours taken via the bare-knuckle storyline. That separates it from most mediocre entries in the thriller killer genre. My rating: 3 stars.

Bad Script, horrible plot.

[Magdizzle · 2/10 · 23 February 2016]

While the actors are great, the script is so bad it turns them into B- grade actors. I feel bad for them since I know they can act well.

This is like the time Natalie Portman did Star Wars. Shes a great actor but the script was so bad her acting turned wooden.

If they made the lines less lame and predictable, this may be just barely watchable.

I cringed a lot. But I watched the whole thing hoping it would get better. It doesn't.

It's like watching a bad teen novel-turned-movie.

I'm embarrassed for this movie.

Cliche plot, bad acting, bad script

[wilcox-145 · 2/10 · 17 September 2018]

This felt like watching a middle-school play as far as the script and acting goes. I gave it a shot as it came up on auto-play after watching a different movie on Hulu (read: I was too lazy to change the "channel" so I left it playing). The beginning wasn't awful, so I'd hoped it would turn out to be a decent film. It got bad quickly, however. I just could not get over the awful acting and horrendous dialogue. The plot itself was a bit ridiculous too: although not entirely implausible, it was just over-the-top. I won't spoil anything just in case, but I can't recommend this movie.

Morris Chestnut is a hunk

[laragi · 6/10 · 15 September 2021]

Decent film. Decent plot. Good acting. Worth the watch.

Not bad, not good, just meh....

[rleegray-569-58158 · 5/10 · 25 August 2017]

This is one of those movies that could have been so much more than what we get on film. The characters had great potential, and there were 3 fairly good performers in the 3 lead roles. And a great supporting cast highlighted to me by Holt McCallany as Detective Hansen. The weakest performer to me was Michael Ealy. He played his character from the beginning as too one note. Even when all the friends and family were seeing him as a good guy in the beginning of their relationship, the way Ealy acted and used his eye movements I never could like him at all. The pacing to me was really bad too. They jumped over so much of the big moments in the first of the movie as if to get to the part of him stalking her. It was like they were rushing to get to what they saw as the good part. But the good part was so predictable. You could almost see everything coming before it happened. I never felt any tension or any feeling of the characters being in danger even though they were. It was a movie with a lot of potential but a big let down.

Just a brief thought on this thriller.

[rbrt_gilchrist · 6/10 · 7 March 2021]

The perfect guy is the kind of flick your girlfriend is half way through watching when you get home and even though you know exactly what will happen scenes before they do, you sit down and watch the rest with your partner as it chugs along.

This was a flick I always said to watch when I wasn't there and I found myself enjoying it.

It's well paced, some solid supporting cast and the escalation of the antagonist doesn't feel forced.

Give it a shot.... When there's nothing else.

This movie sucked!!!😡

[mcollier-41436 · 3/10 · 4 October 2015]

This movie was slow, boring and predictable. Good actors but poor storyline. It wasn't worth the cost of admission. The story line had a concept with potential that should have been developed more. Morris Chestnut and Michael Ealy as leading men were good eye candy. The interaction between these two should have been expanded. Issues involving stalking, technology, domestic violence, opposing expectations & irresponsible sexual liaisons could have been explored more. Unfortunately, the writers or producers went for cliché instead of giving the viewers something new and exciting or socially responsible.

On a positive note, the sets were beautiful. Overall, I really didn't like this movie.

A bit cliché, but well done thriller

[johannes2000-1 · 7/10 · 11 December 2023]

The premise is of course very cliché: a woman falls for a guy who turns out to be less perfect than he looked like, with serious anger issues and psychopathic behavior, and after she breaks up with him he begins to stalk and threaten her (and far worse!). Personally I don't mind a cliché that much, if it's done at least in an involving way, with a qualitative solid story and some fine acting. That's all the case in this movie. Leah (Sanaa Lathan) is beautiful and sympathetic, so you really care for her, and she gradually turns into this determined not-to-mess-with power woman, while Mr. (not so) Perfect (Michael Ealy) is at first smooth and charming, but soon after turns into a very convincing and blood chillingly dangerous creep. The movie has a good pace, there's some serious violence and the acting in the few supporting roles is fine.

So you care less that - as always in this type of movies - there are several illogical things. Like why didn't this intelligent and sophisticated woman do some internet research about this guy, before getting involved. Or change her locks. Or install a security system. Or hire a private detective. I could go on like this, but in the end it hardly marred my pleasure.

Really? Watch some C.S.I before writing a scenario!

[JanisU · 3/10 · 16 December 2015]

This movie is so bad that it was hard to watch. There are two kinds of bad movies, one where everything is so bad that they are not trying to hide it, and second when it is bad and they are trying to be serious at it makes it 10 times more worse!

I am not speaking about actors or quality of movie, I am speaking about scenario! Seriously who has written the scenario? Even me who have seen only a few C.S.I. TV show series can tell that this movie is really badly made, police looks like monkeys who has no idea what they are doing nor what to do. And even some characters are made so dumb that it makes me ask questions about their sanity, and not because of their personalities, but because of their actions or well lets better say, no actions! Well it is not like it is a giant waste of time it is actually a giant screw up!

My Favorite

[shakitareed · 10/10 · 9 October 2015]

My review is on a drama, thriller movie that took you on a roller-coaster ride. In the movie Leah (Sanaa Lathan) a 36 year old lobbyist in L.A breaks up with her boyfriend Dave (Morris Chestnut) because of a decision they couldn't agree on. She moves on to find what she thinks is a better man named Carter (Micheal Ealy) thinking he is the man of her dreams. As days pass and their relationship grows stronger, true sides of their personalities begin to show and the man that Leah thinks Carter is turns out to be the complete opposite of her hopes. You won't believe the ups, downs, twists, and turns of the movie called "The Perfect Guy" directed by David M. Rosenthal. David M. Rosenthal did a wonderful job in directing. From picking great actress to having a good script and also having the movie relate to other well-known movies, in my opinion this is the best movie I have seen in a long time. Talk about David picking good actress, Sanaa Lathan, she is one gorgeous eye candy for me who love women and is very talented. As for Morris Chestnut, he plays a very good role at being a family man. He plays the family man in many familiar movies such as "Not Easily Broken" and "The Best Man Holiday." And That Michael Ealy, can you say one of a kind. Michael can play many different roles like stalking, to cold-hearted, to even being a loving, kind man. These 3 together in a movie is like a dream come true. No matter what type of movie they are playing in together the movie is going to be off the chain. Any script that's handed to them is acted out with all they got. The script that they acted out in this movie was awesome. Most movies have a lot of profanity or unpleasing words that makes you disgusted and not want to watch it anymore but this movie was very enjoyable and entertaining to watch. It reminds you of so many different movies with twists of love, thriller, and drama such as "A Thin Line Between Love and Hate" directed by Martin Lawrence and "Obsessed" directed by Steve Shill. In conclusion, this is my favorite movie of all time. In my opinion, the movie was great and there need to be more movies to come out just like this one. I feel if you have never seen this movie that you need to go see it as soon as possible. It just came out this year, September 2015, so it is not too late. If you aren't one of those people to go to the movie theater make sure you buy it on DVD because this is worth money and the trip to Walmart, Target, Kmart, etc. You can miss any movie in the world that comes out after this one but be sure not to miss this one. "The Perfect Guy" will have you on the edge of your seat with anticipation.

By-the-Numbers, but Reasonably Engaging

[DareDevilKid · 7/10 · 2 January 2016]

Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK)

Rating: 3.2/5 stars

Leah (Sanaa Lathan) has it all: looks, brains, a beautiful modernist home in Los Angeles, a position of importance at a political- consulting firm, and the affections of her handsome boyfriend Dave (Morris Chestnut). But while her life seems perfect on the outside, her relationship has some sadly predictable shortcomings: She wants marriage and kids, and he doesn't. After one too many arguments on this topic, she tearfully breaks up with him; she then embarks on a long period of workaholic mourning, which only ends when a drunken boor corners her at a bar and asks to have a drink with her. No, he's not her new paramour — that would be the astute and handsome Carter (Michael Ealy), who comes to her rescue by posing as her boyfriend and telling the creep to take a hike. Grateful, she accepts Carter's offer of dinner.

Leah is smitten by Carter's manners and snake-charmer blue eyes, and before long she's taking him to meet her parents (L. Scott Caldwell and the always welcome Charles S. Dutton). But he seems too good to be true - and just when it seems like everything she's ever dreamed of is coming true, Carter beats a man into a bloody pulp for the crime of merely talking to her. Shaken, she breaks it off with him, only to find that he won't take no for an answer. He soon begins a campaign of harassment, spying, and general creepiness that has Leah fearing for her life. As a result, she seeks an ally in a police detective named Hansen (the also always welcome Holt McCallany).

The aforementioned events give Ealy the toughest task, switching from blue-eyed charmer to IT-savvy psychopath, and he makes a decent fist of it in a movie which offers little genuine depth, but moves through its paces watchably enough, borrowing judiciously from the Hitchcock playbook along the way. Lathan makes a likable heroine, even if we ponder the wisdom of her continuing to live alone in a swish glass-walled house and, without making too much of an issue of it, the film hints that the white-dominated corporate environment in which she moves subtly adds to her feelings of isolation and vulnerability.

"The Perfect Guy" isn't exploring new territory in the "psycho- stalker" subgenre (although it's notably more sensual than most films in this category). While the cast is capable and there are several moments of nail-biting tension, the plot leans too heavily on obvious clichés like the crazy collage of photos in the villain's lair signifying his unhinged mental state, victims standing dumbfounded as the bad guy advances when they should be scrambling for their phone, and the laziest trope of all in American cinema: A gun will solve this.

But the end result is elevated by the stylish direction of David M. Rosenthal, who gives this Lifetime-esque movie a higher gloss than it usually receives. The film wouldn't work if audiences didn't believe that Leah's passion for Carter was the real deal, and Rosenthal makes their animal attraction tangible in a scene in which they dance at an underground reggae venue, grinding against each other until they — and the audience — are at a fever pitch, culminating in a wide romp in the basement's dingy, dank washroom. Moody shots of the golden haze hovering over Los Angeles in the morning might not be strictly necessary in a plot-driven feature like this, but when Rosenthal juxtaposes them with hungry coyotes roaming the canyon streets, he reminds us that there are all kinds of unscrupulous animals on the loose in L.A.

"The Perfect Guy" might be high melodrama, and its conclusion isn't as pleasingly airtight as the ending in a thriller needs to be. Yet despite its faults and superficiality, it's an effective and somewhat engrossing time-killer.

The Imperfect Film

[lavatch · 5/10 · 1 January 2016]

"The Perfect Guy" starts off with an intriguing premise, and the first thirty minutes of the film sizzle with a romantic relationship between Leah (Sanaa Lathan) and Carter (Michael Ealy). But the film then takes a U-turn to a dismal and predictable story of a deranged stalker and subsequent revenge taken by the victim.

Lathan and Ealy are both good in the parts. The chemistry was excellent, and there was a wonderful scene where she introduced her "perfect guy" to her parents. But after that heartwarming trip, a pit stop at a gas station changes everything when Carter nearly kills a harmless bystander in a frenzy of jealous violence.

The gas station attendant calls the police, who never arrive to press charges against Carter. An ongoing problem with the film was the complete incompetence of the slow-acting police in response to the clear endangerment of the life of Leah.

SPOILER ALERT: By the final third of the film, it was clear that Leah had to play the role of vigilante, much like Charles Bronson in his "Death Wish" films. Incredibly, the advice that Leah received for how to kill her persecutor was given by the inept police detective. Apparently, it is not police protocol to give such advice at the station, but it is acceptable if given in a coffee shop!

Overall, "The Perfect Guy" was well-photographed and included a good cast. But there could have been more creative choices to breathe life into a tired formula.

wasn't this on Lifetime before? one plus: Michael Ealy

[Quinoa1984 · 3/10 · 11 September 2015]

Sound familiar? A successful woman gets caught up in the grasp of a seductive, powerful man, they fall in something like love, and then she sees that he is actually a violent jerk (like, kicking the butt of a stranger for looking too long and close at his car). They break up, but he won't let go, bringing her and her previous (and now again) boyfriend into his snarl of sneaky tactics.

If it does, it's because, well, this was really not that different than what one saw earlier this year with The Boy Next Door - another painfully generic title for a lame movie - only there it was a teenager in place of a successful-in-business sociopath, and here it's a little more white collar-world (think, in the log-line-comparison term for a studio, Boy Next Door meets 2009's Obsession).

In other words, it's trash. It's enjoyable to a point, Sanaa Lathan and Morris Chestnut are (or try to be) real actors with Tyger Williams' script, which seems cooked up from so many parts (or just a clone) of Lifetime movies-of-the-week, and yet there is Michael Ealy to shake things up. As a villain, this guy is almost as intense as Klaus Kinski, though mostly it's in the eyes and face. He may be the only one really making some kind of effort here, though whether that's on Rosenthal telling him to go 'bigger', or just his way of dealing with the limited range of the character, is hard to say.

How the filmmakers frame him most times is part of it - that is, when he's working out or glowering in his concrete home (he even has a cat that he pets, albeit not really his). The only thing in fact this has over Boy Next Door is the villain being SO over the top with how he reacts to things, how major the signs come - at first, yes, he may appear charming, and then with the flick of one scene at a gas station he turns into a killer out of every generic horror movie you've ever seen (this time with extra surveillance capabilities, so why not throw in a touch of The Gift in there while you're lifting movies).

This is basically in theaters to fill up the space that last year No Good Deed made, though that had the benefit of Idris Elba of all actors in the lead (a movie too good for him, yet made better by him). The Perfect Guy is slickly made but poorly produced, there to generate the most basic, shrill theatrics and thrills for audiences who don't really care for much dimension outside of telegraphed emotions and cheese. And yet, all this said, if one wants bad-movie-cheese, this is certainly a good/bad one to take in; perhaps it's better at home or on Netflix to throw some commentary while watching.

As I can attest being in a theater with rowdy, 'Into-it' people, it's not a movie that really begs for silent, contemplative interaction. This is a movie for the crowd that exclaims every other moment at something on the screen, worthy of it or not. Easy, ridiculous, boiler-plate bait for hungry fish.