L'Homme parfait

Great movie for a light hearted time at the movies. The reviewer who saw "microphones" above the actors heads was totally WRONG!! They were referring to "booms" and I watched the whole movie and saw exactly NONE. I was looking for them after that review and would have seen them if they were there. That review put a damper on the movie for my wife and I as we were looking for those flaws and it distracted a little from the true enjoyment that we had watching this movie. We are in our 50's and still liked this movie. It is not a chick flick and did not show any microphones. The acting was great and even Chris Noth was able to pull off the comedy. This story has a lot of humor and Hilliary Duff was fantastic.

Tonight I saw a "Perfect Man". While there were a few inconsistencies such as bad Brooklyn Accents and that Holly (Hillary Duff) was 16 and driving in NYC, you must be 18 to drive within the city limits, the movie itself was great. I am the daughter of divorced parents, as so many of us in today's world. I always resented that my mother changed my sister and my lives to benefit her own. However we saw this movie together and after we both had a really good cry. She related to Jean (Heather Locklear), a single mother who moved over a man. And I related to Holly (Duff) who didn't want to move and had to leave her friends behind. Although it's not clear if the mother was divorced or never married, this movie was an amazing account of the divorcée and her daughters attempts to get things right.

Hilary Duff has never made a movie on her own that I've liked. "A Cinderella Story" was mediocre at best and "Raise Your Voice" had to be on the worst films of 2004. "The Perfect Man" is another Duff vehicle that received horrid reviews, which is funny because I actually thought it was sort of decent. It is the type of movie that is bland and indistinguishable, yes, but also decently so. The storyline zips along with enough plausibility and chuckles for you to feel like the rental fee was worth it. Unlike "A Cinderella Story" and "Raise Your Voice," Duff is not a victim this time, which was refreshing. In fact, she's can be narcissistic and cruel. Heather Locklear plays her distressed mom, and I haven't seen any of her other films but I thought she was believable enough. Ben Feldman is affable as Duff's love interest and Chris Noth is quite good as a charming restraunteer. Speaking of Noth, a good way to sum up "The Perfect Man" is that it plays out a more extended version of a Sex and the City episode, only without the risqué humor or racy subject matter, which makes it a good fit for moms and their daughters. Not a great film, but it follows its dubious formula well enough for me to recommend it to some.

GRADE: B

I saw the DVD and I was totally disappointed. The first time I saw the advert for this in the universal studios I was actually looking forward to it, thinking it would be a sweet, feel-good movie. But the plot makes no sense, Hilary Duff is a really bad actress, I don't like Heather Locklear's selfish character "Jean Hamilton" - the producers and scriptwriter obviously aren't parents (what mother is that desperate for a man that she puts that before taking good care of her children?) When I finished watching it I felt like I have wasted a perfectly good Saturday night. My advice is don't watch this movie, it's boring and you won't feel good after watching it at all.

OK. I'm a Caucasian male in my 30's, there is no reason this film should appeal to me. So, I had the opportunity to see it last night. It has been a long time since I've been so pleasantly surprised in a movie theater. Firstly, the performances were great- Duff and Locklear (I never liked her before, but she's funny and beautiful and delivers... crazy) were dynamic and interesting. Noth is kind of irritating, but I guess some people find him sexy. Anyway, what on the face is a silly small tale is in fact a movie of surprising depth about relationships, the fear of solitude, and familial interaction. Who the hell knew a director of pulpy TV stuff had this in him? I'm considering that perhaps I was emotionally available or vulnerable, but objectively, the film-making is consummate. It looks great- like a big 80's comedy, nice and vivid and bright. So, don't fight if you are taken by a wife/daughter... you will be nicely surprised.