The Perfect Match (2016) User Reviews

Not perfect in anyway

[subxerogravity · 4/10 · 22 March 2016]

The movie tries hard not to be your typical Romantic comedy. It's a little too up beat and hip and does not focus on the romance or the comedy as much as it should

Charlie is the archetype alpha male with the fly job the fly crib and a odd hang up about settling down that makes him vastly different than his two married friends, and gives us a bunch of scenes of them sitting around drinking lattes or working out where they can debate about this. Than he meets that chick who changes his mind about it.

I got to admit, that I did like how the situation develop, it was an interesting twist.

But Charlie does follow the formula for the rom-com lead to the tea, making it hard for Terrence J to shine his charm through the staleness of it. I did enjoy seeing him try, however.

Paula Patton's role as Charlie's sister is way too short for it to be such a key note that it was. It's almost like they added it afterwards in order to make the movie make more sense than it would have without.

I wished it was funnier than it was, too. Not even Donald Faison whose job it was to be funny as Charlie's best friend, was making me laugh.

Maybe I should not say anything about French Montana's over dressed cameo appearance. He was not in the movie cause he can act, but man, could they not find someone better on camera for this?

Even the hot love scenes were kinda bland after awhile.

Overall, I did like how the story played out, not enough to make it worthy of my cash at the box office. Catch it when it comes on cable late at night.

This Was Horrible!

[freshclean-66-318608 · 4/10 · 31 December 2016]

"The Perfect Match" wasn't exactly the perfect movie. The acting was mediocre, the cinematography was just there, and the editing was garbage. I think this film was nothing but a cheap knock off of Eddie Murphy's "Boomerang". There is a nice little plot twist in this film but it's not enough to make it a good film, in my opinion. Although this film is what I consider a knock off Eddie Murphy's "Boomerang", it still had the potential to be a great film. Maybe if they hired another cast and had another director this film probably could have been a gem, not saying that the actors in this film were so bad they couldn't play in anything else, it's just that this film wasn't really for them, if that makes any sense. If you're planning on watching this film don't expect too much. Just sit back and watch it.

Not that funny for a comedy, not romantic enough for a romantic movie

[agakra · 4/10 · 6 September 2020]

From the start I knew this movie would be just bad... But it didn't stop me from giving it a shot. I should have known better.. The pros are definitely beautiful screens of California, good looking and likable people, nice music here and there. In general, the visual side is quite enjoyable. The cons however, outweight the pros. The script about a womanizer who finally falls in love has been repeated dozens of times! The predictability isn't a bad thing. Here, unfortunately, it is neither lighthearted nor funny. Characters are stereotypical, flat and one dimensional. Easily forgettable. Forced jokes, fake chemistry and - to me- annoying ending without proper lessons learned. Next time I'll follow my gut instinct and select another movie.

Not worth your time

[dmayo-28425 · 2/10 · 15 March 2016]

I am a movie goer reviewer so there will not be an in-depth a analysis of production or the like.

Advertising for this movie was quite misleading. By giving it the title 'The Perfect Match' and showing clips with Cassie and Terrence J engaging in romantic encounters, they give the impression that the focus of the movie will be them and the evolution of their relationship. However, the audience hears more about the wedding plans of supporting characters are we are supposed to believe that Cassie and Terrence J's characters actually fall in love. Let's see...they had sex in a public bathroom, also in his home, made out in a pool and he photographed her. That's about it. Now how is that he fell in love with her and was heartbroken to the point that he said damaging things to those he loved? This movie seemed like an excuse to cast 2 good looking people to make out - and one of them lacks any type of acting skills. I cannot recommend this move to anyone who desires to be entertained.

Most cheesiest movie ever!

[DG9814 · 1/10 · 20 February 2017]

Seriously complete waste of time. I cringed throughout the movie. Movie has no interesting story line. Sex scenes and some lame jokes used in as fillers. Its about typical rich guy who is a playboy and then falls in love. Oh did I mention terrible acting by Terrance J. I pretty much wasted two hours of my time with this movie.

Boomerang

[Prismark10 · 3/10 · 23 May 2018]

The Perfect Match is a flat, predictable and derivative romantic comedy about a womaniser who loves em and leaves em but then has the tables turned on him.

Charlie (Terrence Jenkins) is a music agent with an interest in photography. His friends bet him that if he sticks to one woman for one month, he is bound to fall in love.

After Charlie meets Eva (Cassie Ventura) things change in his life as she expresses an interest in him and his hobbies. He develops feelings for her but Eva wants a relationship without any strings, just hot sex.

The film has plenty of beautiful women but is not that funny and is rather clunky.

A Romantic Comedy Re-Tread

[bkrauser-81-311064 · 6/10 · 14 March 2016]

Romantic comedies have changed a bit since their late nineties/early two thousands heyday. Gone are the days of Julia Roberts being, "just a girl, in front of a boy, asking him to love her." It seems somewhere around 2005, Hollywood finally got the message and decided unrealistic, overly romantic gestures like stopping the girl at the airport, or stopping her from marrying the wrong guy at the altar was just a tad too much. Thus we get something like The Perfect Match, a movie sans the final act clichés but still clinging to old attitudes about men and women.

Charlie (Jenkins) is just not the dating type. Living large as a successful music agent and budding photographer, Charlie spends his days meeting up with, and quickly discarding a bevy of attractive women. His friends; a regular cabal of walking stock-characters, tell him he should settle down lest he spend his life alone. Then he meets Karen (Hawk) a women who wants to escape from the long-term relationship feedback loop. "I just want something without any attachments," she says to Charlie as the two get to know each other. Thus what starts as a simple arrangement between two young, attractive people, turns into something more complicated.

Despite some welcomed changes to the genre, The Perfect Match is beat by beat, very beholden to a comedic style that hasn't been in vogue since the nineties. Charlie and his friends Victor (Riley) and Rick (Faison) joke around about how unreasonable, shrewish and/or costly their women are while falling into sitcom dad situations that could easily be avoided if they communicated better. Charlie's sister Sherry (Patton) takes no time explaining to the audience that she's a therapist and delves into Charlie's inner thoughts before we even have the time to get to know him. The first act is so paint by numbers that there's actually something kind of appealing to the menagerie of dated gender role jokes. It's like peering into the psyche of a Bill Burr fan or the Facebook feed of a college sophomore; it's all "women be like _______" jokes.

The characterizations vary not just actor to actor but scene to scene. One minute Robert Christopher Riley's character is noticeably panicked about the cost of his wedding to his fiancée Ginger (London). The next moment he's completely zen without much resolution. Cassie Ventura leans into the testy Latina stereotype which surprisingly is the most consistent and interesting supporting character in the film. Faison brings much needed levity whenever he's on screen but he, along with everyone else is still just reading their lines, collecting a paycheck and going home.

The exact same thing can be said about the main romance, which lacks everything but the bare cliché. Largely established with a coiling array of lovemaking scenes set to R&B music, Jenkins and Hawk seem completely at odds with each other. The chemistry was wholly absent and provides no warmth the audience can cling to. When our smitten hero comes face to face with the perfunctory third act romantic misunderstanding, his reaction is complete overkill, given the fact that he barely knows Karen.

In-spite of all it's various faults, I cannot deny this movie will be exactly what many are looking for. It's a de-fanged romantic comedy with a salient moral about not being a scrub. It provides some fun eye-candy for both sexes and it wasn't directed terribly. In-fact I would argue this kind of material is beneath director Bille Woodruff who has a way with composition and ensemble blocking. It's not Love & Basketball (2000), heck it's not even Think Like a Man (2012) but at least it's heart is in the right place.

I know some people will really enjoy this but as for me it was a movie I have seen a million times and didn't really stand out

[cosmo_tiger · 5/10 · 18 July 2016]

"No strings that's what we said. You knew what we were getting into." Charlie (Jenkins) is living his single life. He can do what he wants, be with who he wants and lives by his unbending rules. When his friends call him on his lifestyle choices he sets out to prove he can be anything he wants. When Eva (Ventura) enters the picture he decides to accept a bet that he can have an actual relationship for a few weeks, Charlie didn't realize what would happen. This is not a bad movie, but almost a little too generic to be good. There are a few twists in this to make it a little different, but really 10 minutes into the movie you can predict what is going to happen and you will be about 90% correct. The acting is OK and the writing is OK, but that's the big problem with the movie. It is just OK. Nothing all that exciting and entertaining and I found myself daydreaming a few times and wasn't paying attention to some scenes, but because of the generic aspect I didn't feel like I missed anything. Overall, I know some people will really enjoy this but as for me it was a movie I have seen a million times and didn't really add enough to make it stand out. I give this a C.

Film buffs may well recognize this flick . . .

[oscaralbert · 7/10 · 15 March 2016]

. . . as a thematic remake of LAST TANGO IN PAR!S, only in an American Urban Setting. Terence Jenkins is cast in the Marlon Brando role, Boffing a random Bride-to-Be right through her final Pure White Dress fitting, just as Brando had earlier. However, THE PERFECT MATCH surrounds Bride Poker Jenkins with a gaggle of loquacious friends, so that a copious outpouring of verbal diarrhea can be substituted for 99.9% of LAST TANGO's sex. THE PERFECT MATCH constitutes the perfect film to watch any time you find yourself trapped for a night in a small one-bed suite with an attractive-but-married supervisor, coworker, or subordinate due to a hotel booking error, and you need to put something on the TV that's such an erotic wet blanket\total sensual snuff out that you'll surely be asleep before your unexpected roommate can finish brushing their teeth. Additionally, THE PERFECT MATCH is carefully constructed to make its target audience feel great about our stake in America, as its work-places, homes, and furnishings should prove easily within reach for anyone making it through eighth grade at the average L.A., Detroit, or Newark middle school.

Did I say that out load?

[nogodnomasters · 5/10 · 26 February 2018]

Charlie (Terrence Jenkins) is an Internet photographer and a player. His sister (Paula Patton) is an analyst. Charlie enters into a bet with his two friends that he can't stay in a relationship until Victor (Robert Christopher Riley) gets married. He meets Eva (Cassie Ventura) complete with Spanish guitar swagger music who agrees to an "all fun no attachment"relationship. Guess how that works out. Charlie also works for an a agency and has a circle of friends.

I wasn't too sure about this film. The acting was okay, the dialogue could have been more entertaining. I had trouble with three guys getting together and talking about their feelings and the relationship similar to what women do. Who knew?

Guide: F-word, sex, near nudity.

Despite some of the negative reviews, I really enjoyed this

[amaanq · 9/10 · 3 March 2018]

Really happy I gave this film a watch, had been considering it for a while but some of the negative reviews put me off. I now know to always trust your instincts and not to take too much notice of other reviewers.

It's not going to be to everyone's tastes, but I really enjoyed this and could really relate to the lead character, this film taught me a life lesson. The L.A scenery used in the entire movie was absolutely stunning, a real beauty. Great job by Terrence J, Cassie Ventura and all the supporting cast. Nice cameo from Bad Boy Records superstar French Montana. Probably the younger more "hip" audience would be into this one, I say check it out!

VIEWS ON FILM review of The Perfect Match

[burlesonjesse5 · 5/10 · 13 March 2016]

Terrence J is the best reason to see this otherwise, clunky romantic comedy whose title doesn't justify a means to an end. The Perfect Match (my latest review) has him playing Charlie. Charlie is an agent, a freelance photog, and a guy who is not into relationships. When it comes to sex, he eventually loses interest in every female he hooks up with. After Charles meets Eva (played by Cassie Ventura), things change. He starts to have genuine feelings for her (because the film's plot mechanics require us to believe so). She might be using him for a little ohh la la or she might be engaged to another man. Either way you look at it, the womanizer gets the tables turned on him, the player gets played. The Perfect Match huh. The "perfect" foil sounds more like it.

Anyway, despite its lush LA setting and flamboyant soundtrack comprised of unknown, R&B singles, "Match" is all too familiar and virtually emotion-free. Like I said earlier, Terrence J is the only good thing going for it. He's got the looks, he's got the voice, and in my opinion, has the makings of a budding movie star. With almost no formal acting training (he started out as a radio DJ and I remember seeing him on Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami), I feel he could successfully headline his own flick. The Perfect Match sadly, is not the platform to do that.

This is 1992's Boomerang without a decent script. This is Think Like A Man without any interesting characters. This is a so-called romcom without any real, suggestive humor. There are some bad, out of place cameos (Robin Givens, French Montana, Brandy Norwood), some bad, out of place supporting performances (J. Lo's 28 year-old boyfriend playing a rapper agent who rides around on a hoverboard, really?), troupers that drink enough alcohol to promote either liver disease or cirrhosis (remember the dudes in About Last Night?), and the actual director (Billie Woodruff) using his own name as the heading of the film's fictional, fertility clinic (huh?). In terms of its cinematic look, well The Perfect Match is slick, upper classified, and untarnished. You could literally eat off the screen it's on but that doesn't make the proceedings any more effective.

All in all, it's obvious that "Match" was marketed weakly as it currently plays on under 1000 screens with practically no showings for critics. You can tell why. It's pretty but pretty disposable. Bottom line: There's another movie out there with the words "The" and "Perfect" attached to it. I suggest you see that one instead. Rating: 2 stars.

"The Perfect Match" should've done better matching its first half with the quality of its second half.

[dave-mcclain · 5/10 · 12 March 2016]

It begins and ends with the letter grade. The grade I ultimately give a movie, emblazoned as a graphic on the movie poster, is the first thing people see when they come across one of my reviews on the internet – and it's almost always the last thing at the end of my written reviews. I make mental notes for my review as I'm watching a film, but the grade is something else altogether. It's like a bottle in the ocean, bobbing up and down, and carried by the tide, before eventually coming to rest on some beach where it will remain, unchanging and unmoved, for all to see. (Unless, of course, some knucklehead runs off with it or breaks it and ruins my whole analogy.) Usually that grade, once it starts to become visible about 1/3 of the way through a movie, stays roughly in the same area and eventually lands not far from where it started. But sometimes, that grade first comes into view at a very low tide and then a rather large wave lifts it surprisingly high until it settles onto some sort of middle ground – probably between a rock and a hard place. That was what happened when I saw the romantic comedy "The Perfect Match" (R, 1:36).

Charlie (Terrence Jenkins, or Terrence J, as he's better known) is a successful celebrity agent, he's handsome and, closing in on his 30th birthday, has everything he's ever wanted – in his words, "making money, driving a fast car and hooking up with models," – with special emphasis on that last one. You see, Charlie, by his own admission, doesn't "do relationships" and he doesn't feel like he's missing anything. Those who know him best would beg to differ. His older sister, Sherry (Paula Patton), who happens to be a therapist, worries that Charlie's emotionally closed off. His best friends, Rick (Donald Faison), who is working on having a baby with his wife, Pressie (Dascha Polanco), and Victor (Robert Christopher Riley), who is planning a long-awaited wedding to his childhood sweetheart, Ginger (Lauren London), both have mad respect for his skills with the ladies, but think it's time for him to settle down. Even though they're just asking him to try it, Charlie isn't happy with his friends trying to cramp his style.

Charlie is tired of his friends dogging him, so he agrees to a bet with them. He'll date one single woman – exclusively – until Victor's wedding (about a month away) to prove to Rick and Victor that he won't get attached, doesn't need to be attached and is perfectly alright remaining detached. Enter Eva (Cassie Ventura). She actually overheard Charlie talking over this bet with his friends and isn't sure that Charlie is her type, but just like Charlie has never been in a long-term relationship, Eva has never been in a short-term one and she says she wants to try something new. Charlie and Eva agree to some no-strings-attached fun and begin spending a lot of time together. Of course, since this a romantic comedy, one of them develops feelings for the other. And, because this is a romantic comedy, you may think you know how this story ends. I'd suggest that you slow your roll. Whatever you're assuming is probably wrong.

By the way, this movie is more than "just" a romantic comedy. In terms of character development, we also see a good bit of Charlie at work. (Remember the first two of those things he said he always wanted? Well, this is where they come in.) Charlie isn't just "an" agent – he's the most valuable agent at his company. Working for the jaded Marty (Joe Pantoliano) and with the obnoxious Abram (Beau Casper Smart) and Charlie's nerdy assistant, Kareem (Steven Daniel Brun), Charlie shows that he's great at what he does. We see him interacting with clients such as Timothy DeLaGhetto (as himself) and "Avatia" (Brandy Norwood), in a short but funny scene accompanied by her assistant, Karen (Kali Hawk). Charlie's main focus is trying to sign French Montana (as himself) to a deal that'll benefit him, Charlie's firm and some other parties as well. Then, just as Charlie's attitudes toward romance and other personal issues look like they might be changing, so might his attitude towards his job and his avocation of photography.

"The Perfect Match" has a pretty bad first half, but a very good second half. For about half of the movie, the acting is suspect, the dialog is boring, the plot points feel forced and there is nary a laugh in this romantic comedy. After the story really gets going, however, the performances seem better, the conversations feel more authentic, the story offers some interesting twists and genuine surprises and the humor ebbs and flows much better. If I were grading the movie in segments, I'd probably give the first half a "C-" and the second half a "B+". But, evaluating an entire movie, my grade ends up somewhere in between, but giving slightly more credit to the movie for actually taking us someplace entertaining, in spite of its slow and uninspired start. In the end, caught between a rock and a hard place on this one, I'm giving the overall movie my barest of recommendations – with a suggestion that if you joined the film about 30-40 minutes into the action, you might actually enjoy it more as a whole. "B-"

A waste of time

[margotlasalle · 2/10 · 2 June 2022]

The movie was quite boring, the main story didn't go anywhere and the side stories (those of the other characters) were there... just because. A totally forgettable movie that doesn't leave anything to think about afterwards.

Average. We have seen this before.

[EmmaNelly · 4/10 · 4 July 2022]

We have seen this story so many times. A playboy. His friends. One married or dedicated. One with a spicy wife. A I'm good looking woman who throws herself at him. Men talking slick about women and making everything about sexual attraction and their needs. It's not funny or super enjoyable but lacks a good plot. Just unoriginal in every way.

So nice!

[mathmaniac · 10/10 · 19 August 2017]

I found this film while looking for films that feature Paula Patton (I've loved her ever since the Mission Impossible movie she was in).

This movie kind of flips the standard romance plot. I won't even say how. Much of it is kind of shorthand and cliché, in the way people make career decisions, for example, and the issues that arise. But even that is not such a problem - it all fits very neatly into the structure of the plot.

The Los Angeles locations are simply beautiful. I'm sure that there are better, higher-budget movies that include L.A. locations but the city just couldn't look better than it does here - for less money!

This is a very sweet movie that delivers much to think about. It's not deep thought, but it's enjoyable thoughts that will occur to you when the film has ended.

Brandy Norwood!!!!!!

[leitner-30271 · 10/10 · 27 November 2019]

Just all around!!!!!! Love this film. Brandys part was so funny!!!!!!!

Forget the negative reviews, nicely done!!!!

[dxwallace · 9/10 · 17 March 2020]

This movie surprised me, wasn't expecting much except but a low budget movie that wouldn't hold my attention.

I thought it was a VERY watchable Romantic Comedy, in the category of what I call "Beautiful Black People" movies. Impressively shot, very slick, modern and sleek, congrats to the director.

Loved they way the infused some repetitively modern music as the background to some of the scenes, kinda cool.

I think movies with people of color just don't get great reviews because they are people of color and some people don't wanna watch people of color, and I think unfairly so. Mainstream Hollywood can do the exact same movie and it would get high or at least decent reviews. But I get it, there is only so much of a market for watching movies about people of color and their "Slice of Life" outside of being drug addicts, hoodlums, gangsters, and all the other chaos that is presented on screen about people of color.

Thought I heard the "n-word" in this movie which I never like and is never necessary in a movie, but I let it go, I thought I heard it in the background or in one of the songs, but I let it go. No "n-word" is just my personal preference and taste.

Too bad, those people who can't enjoy it for what is is are missing out on a rare, nicely done movie.

This director also did "Baggage Claim" and that one was in the same category of a surprisingly "watchable" and very pleasant movie.

And I've basically given up on Hollywood presenting a watchable movie with primarily people of color. But Perfect Match and Baggage Claim, surprised me and compelled me to keep up that quest for lesser known, decent watchable movie.

Don't listen to those negative reviews, lighten up and enjoy the movie.

Good film

[lallolu · 8/10 · 3 October 2020]

This is a good film in my opinion. The story is not the best but the acting and video are very good.

Must See

[ronortlieb · 10/10 · 1 January 2022]

Love, Love, Love this movie! Soooo Deep and inspiring and HOT!!!!

The movie makes you thunk back on your own childhood!!

The romance is so entangling and warm!