"The Boy Next Door"

   Noah Sandborn (Ryan Guzman) has it all: his physique is anything but inferior, he’s handy around the house, and he’s well versed in classical literature. Not to mention, he lives a few feet away from soon-to-be divorced high school teacher, Claire Peterson (Jennifer Lopez). "The Boy Next Door" seems like the total package, right? Wrong. Claire is quick to find out what lies underneath the 20-something’s psyche after she engages in an impromptu one-night stand. Well, “one-night” that turns into an endless nightmare. After falling for Noah’s artful, but not so subtle, seduction, her 5 second walk of shame, turns into 5 weeks of Noah (coming over for dinner), Noah (entering her class), and more Noah (repeating lines of ‘The Iliad’). 

    Playing off the deranged mistress/affair gone wrong genre, Rob Cohen diverts from the assembly line production as he employs a gender switch, giving insight into a male-driven obsession as Noah intricately weaves himself into every aspect of Claire’s life.  Even creepier is the fact that their windows face each other, giving them a perfect view (of their nighttime activities). If anyone wanted to invest in curtains, now would be the time. Cohen is also sure to exploit the typical psychopathic tendencies and utilizes every opportunity to make you jump in your seat, although he could have cut out (no pun intended) the gore just a little. 

 As the title states, Noah varies from the traditional stalker archetype by living right next door. Otherwise, Cohen falls into a pattern of stalker predictability as Noah snaps when Claire’s unfaithful husband, played by John Corbett, tries to reconcile their marriage. Noah begins to strategically pit characters against each other, even manipulating Claire’s emotionally susceptible son, Kevin, to turn against his parents and stimulates his inner rage. Noah takes obsession and control to another level. If subtly isn’t in Noah’s vocabulary, conniving sure is. 

   Lopez takes her role in stride even though her actions are somewhat unreasonable, leaving you to cry out in frustration. Apart from her usual role as a strong, independent woman, this film reveals Lopez’s ability to succumb to her character’s feminine and appeasing manner while still taking command of the screen (although she’s still strutting around with full Hollywood makeup, just “casually” grading papers). This seems like a typical case of fatal attraction, but Noah’s charming attitude mixed with his moment of violent rage creates a love/hate relationship with his character. Yet, it still makes you wonder why she didn’t come clean about the affair sooner? After all, her best friend, Vicky (Kristin Chenoweth), is the vice principal! 

Ryan Guzman and Jennifer Lopez in "The Boy Next Door"

     Not only is Chenoweth her best friend, but it also seems like loyalty is no question at all. Chenoweth’s character diverts form her usual comedic (sometimes overdone) performance, taking on a more serious tone with just enough sass. Which Cohen should be applauded for, because it seems every one else has lost their common sense. Still, her go-getter attitude makes you want to adopt Chenoweth as your own BFF!