The Perfect Guy

You can't judge a book by its cover – or people by first impressions. Both are truisms that I've seen play out often – in my life and in the lives of others. Excellent art work doesn't necessarily mean that the book underneath that cover is any good (or the movie behind the poster, for that matter). More importantly, when looking for a life partner, regardless of how charming the man, or alluring the woman, what's underneath is what matters in the long run – and the best way to make life-defining judgments about a potential mate will always be T-I-M-E. The problem comes in when the cover of that book is so utterly impressive that you commit to reading it, but end up regretting it – or when you go ahead and put in the time, then start to sense that you won't like that last chapter. These are the kinds of situations that become real problems for the main character in "The Perfect Guy" (PG-13, 1:40).

Leah Vaughn (Sanaa Lathan) has it all… well, most of it anyway. She has good looks, a devoted boyfriend and a great job as a lobbyist in L.A. What she doesn't have is a life-long commitment from her man. At the age of 36, and after two years of dating Dave (Morris Chestnut), Leah decides that she's tired of waiting for him to decide when he's ready to marry her and start a family. She tells Dave to leave, and again finds herself alone, but not for long. She meets another very eligible bachelor, but this one seems to know exactly what he wants. Carter Duncan comes off as charming, kind and generous as he is good-looking and sexy. He quickly earns Leah's affections, impresses her friends (Rutina Wesley and Kathryn Morris) and wins over her father (Charles S. Dutton). Carter really does seem to be the perfect guy.

Then Leah cracks open that book. Carter soon shows that, underneath his cover, he has some serious imperfections. Leah thinks it's best to close the book on this initially very promising relationship. Carter doesn't quite accept her decision. Harassment, stalking and some very creepy behavior follows. Then, Dave re-enters the picture. He asks for, and gets, another chance at being Leah's forever man. Carter likes this development even less than the restraining order that Leah sent his way. Now we have a full-blown love triangle – and one of these men turns out to be full-blown crazy. A sympathetic police detective (Holt McCallany) does everything he can to protect Leah, and her neighbor (Tess Harper) looks out for her, but Leah ends up having to figure a way out of her situation mostly by herself.

"The Perfect Guy" is formulaic, fairly predictable – and fun. We've seen this basic story in "Fatal Attraction" (1987), "Sleeping with the Enemy" (1991), "Double Jeopardy" (1999), "Enough" (2002), etc., all the way up to 2015's "The Boy Next Door" and beyond, but this one earns its place among those earlier films. The dialog is crisp and real and, for a nice change, the script doesn't portray the cops as indifferent and powerless (although some moviegoers may feel that the extent to which one detective helps Leah sends a dangerous message). This film nicely updates the genre by showing the very real perils of being a stalk-ee in the early 21st century. Rarely have an obsessed lover's actions been more unsettling, more intrusive and more frightening than in this film. For her part, Leah's dignity, spirit and resourcefulness are also very impressive. A very solid supporting cast back up the excellent performances of the three main characters, and all three are also pretty easy on the eye. (Plus, it's nice to see more ethnic diversity in the thriller genre.) "The Perfect Guy" may not be a perfectly original movie, but its appealing cast, smart script and well-constructed story make it worth a look. "B+"

"I saw him beat someone badly, just for talking to me." Leah (Lathan) and her boyfriend have different plans for the future and decide to split up. When she meets the charismatic and charming Carter (Ealy) she easily falls for him. He says and does everything perfect, but when she sees his dark side things change. Afraid of what he may do next Leah breaks up with him, but Carter doesn't let go so easy. This is a really good movie that could have been so much better. The movie gets really close to the tenseness it is striving for, but ends up falling short. Carter does do some very scary and terrifying things, but nothing that hasn't been seen before. The movie really left a lot on the table that would have really helped it out and made the movie as tense as the filmmakers wanted it to be. The movie is good and I liked it better then No Good Deed, but it was just too cliché to really have the impact it wanted. Overall, not bad and worth watching, but not as tense as it could have been. I give it a B-.

I recently watched The Perfect Guy (2015) on Tubi. The storyline follows a woman who is ready for children, but her boyfriend isn't, leading them to break up. As she reenters the dating scene, she meets what seems to be the perfect guy, only to discover he has anger issues and becomes a stalker. Can she escape his clutches before something terrible happens?

Directed by David M. Rosenthal (How it Ends), the film stars Sanaa Lathan (Alien vs. Predator), Michael Ealy (Barbershop), Morris Chestnut (The Bestman), Charles S. Dutton (A Time to Kill) and L. Scott Caldwell (The Fugitive).

The acting, storyline, and overall setup of this movie feels authentic and well-executed. While some scenes may come across as a bit overboard, Michael Ealy's portrayal, though occasionally on the overacted side, effectively establishes an intense and conniving character, at times subtly and at times overtly. While there are predictable moments, credit is due to Ealy for creating a character with depth and intensity. Lathan and Chestnut deliver solid characters too. The film also delivers some enjoyable twists and turns toward the end, along with unexpectedly ruthless scenes.

In conclusion, The Perfect Guy is an entertaining thriller that may not be outstanding but is certainly worth a watch. I would rate this a 5/10 and recommend seeing it once.

The perfect guy is the kind of flick your girlfriend is half way through watching when you get home and even though you know exactly what will happen scenes before they do, you sit down and watch the rest with your partner as it chugs along.

This was a flick I always said to watch when I wasn't there and I found myself enjoying it.

It's well paced, some solid supporting cast and the escalation of the antagonist doesn't feel forced.

Give it a shot.... When there's nothing else.

The movie is good! I did feel like they ruined his (Carter ) character in the movie a bit too soon. It would have been a great plot twist to allow the 2 (Leah & Carter) to grow closer then maybe have Cater start to grow jealous of her Ex.

It was ruined so suddenly at the gas station and things shifted really fast!

If his good guy character could have lasted a little longer, things would have been more intriguing.