J-Lo’s steamy ‘Boy Next Door’ is cheesy but full of surprises

  • By Robert Horton Herald Movie Critic
  • Sunday, January 25, 2015 9:07am
  • LifeGo-See-Do

If anything can bring back the era of “Fatal Attraction” and “Basic Instinct,” surely it’s Jennifer Lopez getting menaced after a one-night fling with the psychotic teenage boy next door. Seduced by the lad’s washboard abs and won over by his prowess as a handyman, J-Lo trots through the woman-in-peril routine in a movie that could be a much-needed comeback vehicle.

“The Boy Next Door” is so basic it’s almost a blueprint. Lopez plays a high-school teacher, currently separated from her philandering husband (John Corbett). She is impressed by the neighbor boy (Ryan Guzman) when he fixes her garage door (sorry, but everything sounds like a double entendre in this situation).

One night she wanders over to his house because the young man needs help roasting his chicken (again, not being metaphorical here, he just really wants to eat dinner) and one thing leads to another, and she spends the night.

After this mistake, Guzman gets obsessive, and his friendship with Lopez’s teenage son (Ian Nelson) takes on sinister overtones. Worse, he transfers into her class, which makes things super awkward. He’s of legal age — ”almost twenty” — as the film is at pains to remind us.

The whole movie plays it safe like that. Lopez’s character immediately regrets the sex. Barbara Curry’s script can’t even allow her to enjoy her brief fling.

It’s full-frontal fatal attraction from then on. Give some credit to veteran director Rob Cohen, who did the first “Fast and Furious” picture. He can’t cover up the clanking dialogue, but he shoves the story right along, and at least he has some enthusiasm for the R-rated softcore scenes. That’s more than you can say for directors with more discretion.

Better yet, Cohen uncorks four or five yell-out-loud surprises. I saw the movie with a preview audience that screamed even at the cheesy shocks.

It all builds to a brutal climax. Jennifer Lopez carries off this craziness with her usual pluck, and is equally adept at projecting suburban hotness and lethal revenge skills — is it really possible she turns 45 this year?

Having said that, the movie seems to punish her not only for the fling but for hesitating to re-form her family unit with her unfaithful husband. Harsh. Why can’t the movies, once in a while, let Jennifer Lopez get away with it?

“The Boy Next Door” (2 stars)

Jennifer Lopez is a suburban teacher who regrets her one-night fling with a younger neighbor (Ryan Guzman); he turns out to be psychotically obsessive. Lopez brings her usual pluck to this craziness, and although the movie is cheesy it’s got a handful of yell-out-loud shocks.

Rating: R, for nudity, violence

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

A stroll on Rome's ancient Appian Way is a kind of time travel. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves on the Appian Way, Rome’s ancient superhighway

Twenty-nine highways fanned out from Rome, but this one was the first and remains the most legendary.

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Inside Elle Marie Hair Studio in Smokey Point. (Provided by Acacia Delzer)
The best hair salon in Snohomish County

You voted, we tallied. Here are the results.

The 2024 Kia EV9 electric SUV has room for up to six or seven passengers, depending on seat configuration. (Photo provided by Kia)
Kia’s all-new EV9 electric SUV occupies rarified air

Roomy three-row electric SUVs priced below 60 grand are scarce.

2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Premium AWD (Photo provided by Toyota)
2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Premium AWD

The compact SUV electric vehicle offers customers the ultimate flexibility for getting around town in zero emission EV mode or road-tripping in hybrid mode with a range of 440 miles and 42 mile per gallon fuel economy.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.