We’ve all known someone who we thought was perfect in the beginning and had to wonder what was wrong with them. Well, last Friday’s release “The Perfect Guy,” says to give it some time and you’ll figure it out. The hour-and-40-minute-long movie can make a person question the special someone in their life or maybe the person they brought with them to see the movie.
The movie follows powerful career woman Leah Vaughn, played by Sanaa Lathan. She has recently broken up with a long-term boyfriend, played by Morris Chestnut. She ends up meeting IT guy Carter Duncan, played by Michael Ealy, a few months later.
Everything seems to be going well, at first. Duncan presents himself as charming and caring and has those qualities that create the “perfect guy.” Additionally, it’s a plus that all of the people in Vaughn’s life seem to be taken with Duncan. He wins over her family and friends. But later on, Duncan begins to show his true colors. He goes so far as to beat up a man just because the sight of him talking to Vaughn enraged him; which becomes one of the pivotal moments for the protagonist.
There is a visible yet stereotypical build-up in Duncan’s behavior. He seems sweet and charming at first, which is how he initially wins Vaughn over. This attitude also helps Vaughn decide to let Duncan into her personal life, or to win her trust. Later in the movie you can see her struggle to understand changes in Duncan.
It’s disappointing to see how blinded Vaughn is through all of this. Towards the latter half of the movie, yes, she does get the police involved and understands that she is dealing with someone dangerous. However, up until then, she acts as if she’s almost blinded by her attraction to him. She refuses to see the flaws in him and allows herself to continuously be taken in by him.
The ending also isn’t the best when it comes to originality. Duncan dies, which is great for Vaughn, but the stalker always dies at the end of these kinds of movies. In addition, there’s always a climax in the movie where said stalker-ish person kills someone. In the 2014 release “No Good Deed,” Idris Elba’s character killed his ex-girlfriend and then was shot and killed by Taraji P. Henson’s character in addition to falling out a window. In the 2011 release “The Roommate,” Leighton Meester’s character kills a cat and almost kills a classmate before the woman she’s stalking, played by Minka Kelly, stabs her to death. This kind of obsessive-stalker plotline is interesting, but it isn’t the most original by far.
“The Perfect Guy” sounds more like the title of a made-for-TV movie than something worth hitting the big screen.While this kind of plot line isn’t exactly brand-new, it is worth seeing for the actors involved. Every one of the leading roles on this cast has a strong line of work and it has a good plotline for those who like psychological thrillers. The acting itself is well done and can put movie-goers in touch with their emotions. Expect to know what’s going to happen during each part of the movie, but to also be entertained as well.
