Elaine Goldsmith-thomas

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The Boy Next Door Review


OK

A cheesy TV movie ramped up with language and violence, this sudsy thriller is far more fun to watch than it should be. With its tepid spin on the plot of Fatal Attraction, the film strains to be a bunny-boiler, but entertains the audience because it's so preposterous that not a single moment is remotely believable. And since the cast refuses to play it straight, camping it up while smirking at the camera, it's enjoyable in all the wrong ways.

Jennifer Lopez stars as Claire, a high school teacher who has recently split from her husband Garrett (John Corbett) and is still getting used to life on her own with teen son Kevin (Ian Nelson). Then the astoundingly hunky 19-year-old Noah (played by 27-year-old Ryan Guzman) moves in next door with his invalid uncle (Jack Wallace) after his parents die in a fiery car crash. Super friendly, Noah quickly begins to help Kevin stand up to the school bullies and pursue the hot girl (Lexi Atkins). But Noah also begins to flirt relentlessly with Claire, and in a moment of neediness she gives in. While she sees this as a mildly transgressive restorative fling, Noah thinks it's true love, and pursues her tenaciously. And when Claire begins to trying to patch things up with Garrett, Noah takes Kevin out for a bit of gun practice.

Despite a tendency to drift into grisly violence, there's nothing edgy here. It's a swirling storm of innuendo and suggestion, with a strong sense of menace that never quite convinces us, even with a couple of gruesome plot points. This may be because the camera clearly loves Lopez so much that we know she's never in danger.

Continue reading: The Boy Next Door Review

Maid In Manhattan Review


Good
It wouldn't be the holiday season without fairy tales starring the likes of Santa, Rudolph, or Frosty. This season also finds a small Cinderella story thrown into the jolly mix. Instead of being an ugly stepsister though, this Cinderella spin-off is about a maid, played by the beautiful Jennifer Lopez. And as all fairy tales are pure fiction, Maid in Manhattan certainly fits the bill.

Lopez is Marisa Ventura, a divorced mom forced to raise her young son Ty (Tyler Posey) on her salary as a maid for a ritzy Manhattan hotel. Each day, she drops Ty off at school and travels by subway from the Bronx to work where she arrives just in time for the morning briefing on the glamorous guests the maids will serve that day. These guests include the newly single socialite Caroline Sincaire (Natasha Richardson), who has come to the hotel to sulk, and New York Assemblyman Chris Marshall (Ralph Fiennes) who is there to prepare for his upcoming campaign for Senator.

Continue reading: Maid In Manhattan Review

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Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas Movies

The Boy Next Door Movie Review

The Boy Next Door Movie Review

A cheesy TV movie ramped up with language and violence, this sudsy thriller is far...

Maid in Manhattan Movie Review

Maid in Manhattan Movie Review

It wouldn't be the holiday season without fairy tales starring the likes of Santa, Rudolph,...

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