THE BACHELOR NEXT DOOR
(TV Movie 2017)
If You Don't Understand MELODRAMAS, QUIT WATCHING AND REVIEWING THEM!
BASIC PLOT:
Alex (
Haylie Duff) is a thirtysomething artist, still dealing with the ghosts of her past. A sexual assault, by a college boyfriend has left her stuck, reliving the trauma, and unable to move on. It's affected all aspects of her life; her art has stagnated, and her relationship with her long-time boyfriend, Gavin (
Steven Bruns), has become filled with insouciance. Alex is desperate for change, anything to alleviate her disenchantment. Little does she realize, change is coming, and the form it will take, will be one of her forgotten ghosts.
A chance meeting with the new neighbor, Donnie (
Michael Welch), leaves Alex feeling hopeful. She thinks he might be a good match for her sister, Sage (
Brittany Underwood), but at the same time, there's something familiar and unusual about Donnie. Could she have met him some place before? Gavin has an instant dislike for him, although he can't articulate why. Is Donnie's familiarity benign, or is a latent memory, warning them from the past?
WHAT WORKS:
*
Michael Welch does another excellent job as both a psycho, and an object of pity. His facial expressions relate both venom and pain, as well as self satisfaction.
*
Michael Feifer has written and directed some of my favorite guilty pleasures, like
Inspired to Kill (2016),
Babynapped (2017), and even
16 and Missing (2015) (cheesy goodness!). But he's also done some real stinkers, like
Anniversary Nightmare (2019) (how do you screw up a movie with
AnnaLynne McCord? Cast her in a victim role, that's how!) This movie falls somewhere in the middle, mainly because your antagonist is more sympathetic, than your protagonists (never a good thing!).
WHAT DOESN'T WORK:
*None of the actors look like a college students, in the flashback scenes.
Having them interact with real 18 year olds makes it worse. Why not cast young lookalikes in the flashback scenes?!
*
Haylie Duff and
Steven Bruns have no chemistry AT ALL! It makes their relationship much less believable.
*What is with all the tight close-ups, and faraway shots? It's distracting, and takes away from the storytelling. I don't know if it was
Michael Feifer's decision as director, or
Jordi Ruiz Masó, as cinematographer, but either way, it's awkward and discommodious. Also, who thinks it's a good idea to have objects in the way of your characters, in almost EVERY SHOT! This DOES NOT make it more believable, like you're there in the room, IT'S JUST IRRITATING! If done correctly, you should be able to storyboard your entire movie, using individual stills. Not the case here, so your visual storytelling is a FAIL!
*Why is Gavin (
Steven Bruns) immediately suspicious of Donnie (
Michael Welch)? I understand male jealousies, but his reaction seems excessive and self-indulgent. So, either you're telling us he's weak and petty, or he's a control freak, bordering on abusive, neither are good character traits for the protagonist. Characters have to have believable motivations, and Gavin's "gut instinct", after spending only 20 seconds with the guy, is not enough.
*Have we forgotten so much what it's like to be neighborly, that Gavin's actually mad when Donnie takes out the trash, knowing they are out of town? Or trims the hedges, bordering their two properties? Once again, petty, and not the personality type you'd expect from a financial 'master of the universe'.
*If I thought my neighbor was a stalking psycho, I would NOT go sneaking into his house ALONE!
*Neither Alex or Gavin remember Donnie. They never checked on his well being, never made sure he was ok, nothing. This makes them self-absorbed jerks, NOT qualities you want for your "good guys".
TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION:
*If you're a
Haylie Duff or
Michael Welch fan, and you like melodramatic thrillers, there are much worse choices out there. There are better ones too, keep that in mind. If you are not a fan of melodramas, or don't understand that they are an art form, going back hundreds of years, then please give this a pass. Otherwise, pop that corn, and enjoy!
CLOSING NOTES:
*This is a made-for-tv movie, please keep that in mind before you watch\rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.
*I have no connection to the film, or production in ANY way. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews. Hope I helped you out.
