Review of Perfect Man, The

Introduction

This movie could be deemed a kind of follow-up to the mighty successful teen-fantasy `A Cinderella Story`, re-teaming up Hilary Duff with Director Mark Rosman. Be warned - it`s just as formulaic but nowhere near as satisfying for its intended audience.

The synopsis is presented pretty much in full above - a kind of dual search for `The Perfect Man`, full of feel-good life lessons and happy resolutions to difficult situations. Every time mum Jean`s (Locklear) heart is broken, she moves Holly(Duff) and her sister Zoe (Aria Wallace) to another town. When they move to New York, Holly really settles in and makes some great friends. She wants the constant moving to stop and so concocts a hair-brained scheme to keep her mum happy by introducing her to the `perfect man`.

It`s certainly got one of everything; Hilary Duff as the teenage girl, Heather Lockyear as her glamorous single mum , and not one but two romantic leading men (Sex and the City`s Chris Noth for the mum and teen-idol Ben Feldman for the daughter). It`s also got pathos and whacky teen-humour in equal measure.
Its problem though is the very conceit on which the film is built. By setting up a plot so turgid and complex, and having to squeeze it conveniently into a ninety-minute slot, the `Perfect Man` is defined in the most inane way as a guy with feeling and intellect (he uses a pen rather than a pencil to do the New York Times crossword for example). He`s also a hopeless romantic and runs his own restaurant. Voila! The `perfect man`!

There`s also a level of uncomfortable deceit to the daughter`s plot to invent a `virtual boyfriend` for her mother. Her mother, an otherwise likable and intelligent woman, swallows the trick hook line and sinker, as does the manifestation of this imaginary man later in the movie.

`That would never happen` is a perfectly rational adult reaction, though I guess for its intended audience anything is possible. And that`s where I have to do a 90 degree turn in the way this review is heading because my 10 year old and 13 year old daughters enjoyed the whole preposterous story tremendously, declaring it a `brilliant film` and even wanting to dip into the extras which would normally bore them rigid. (The fact that these did too doesn`t alter the fact that they were energised enough by the movie to at least give them a spin…).
Also on the plus side, the use of internet blogging seemed to work as a device for Hilary Duff`s inner thoughts, and she does end up winning enough sympathy to make you want the ending of the film to be a happy one. (I was certainly happy when it ended…).

There is a real `New York` feel to the movie with some fine exteriors and much in the way of urban wise cracking to just about keep the turgid plot on course for its finale. There`s also a little humour for the adult audience with `Styx` making an appearance as a kind of send-up of themselves.

Video

A very nice transfer of a nicely shot movie. Some of the New York locations look great, and there`s a plenty of Hollywood gloss here including some of the most flattering backlighting you`re ever likely to see.

Audio

A well-balanced if uneventful soundtrack. The score is instantly forgettable fluff (in keeping with the movie.)

Features

Why is it that movies that you couldn`t care less about seem so rich in extras? Is it by way of compensation? This is packed to the gunnels with some of the dreariest extras that I`ve ever endured.

First up is a set of deleted scenes that generally look pretty close to those included in the feature. Most notable are a different beginning and ending to the movie, both of which are infinitely more satisfying than those that made it to the final cut. (Blame it on the focus groups…).

There are a few un-amusing outtakes, and then a number of interview based features on different aspects of the production and its cast.

`Mom and Me` features Heather Locklear and Hilary Duff waxing lyrical about each other. It`s worth noting how similar they look, making the mother / daughter thing entirely feasible.

`Getting the Perfect Look` is all about hair, make-up and wardrobe. `I`m obsessed with make-up` says Hilary. Yeah, well.

`The Clever Clapper` is a short piece about the clapper operator who `themed` the clapper depending on each scene shot. Apparently hilarious. I think you had to be there…

`Ready, Set, Soak, Shoot` is a piece about the filming in the restaurant with the sprinklers on. Hardly a revelation of special effects…

`The Sweet Arts - Creating the Cakes` is a short piece about the cakes that Heather Locklear`s character creates in the movie. White-knuckle ride it ain`t…

`Get the Dirt` is a feature length commentary with director Mark Rosman and producer Adam Siegel. I confess to getting no further than 20 minutes in, having concluded that this was one of the dullest yak-tracks I`d ever endured.

`On the set with Hilary - Blogs and Buddies` shows Hilary on the set, and uses a kind of `blog` device as commentary.

`Hangin` with Hilary` is a sycophantic love-fest by one and all of Hilary, as well as quite a bit in return by the Duffster herself. `Vanessa is such an amazing person…`. You know the kind of thing.

`Hangin` with Heather` - ditto.

`Chattin` with Chris` - we`re not allowed to `hang` with Chris, just chat. But it`s sycophantic business as usual.

Conclusion

This really ought to have been better than it was. It had all the right ingredients for a great teen-movie, and should have lived up to the expectations set by its natural predecessor, `A Cinderella Story` (also starring Hilary Duff and directed by Mark Rosman).

Unfortunately, it was flawed at the outset with a story so complex and turgid that even the best efforts of its perfectly acceptable core female cast couldn`t rescue it from the precipice.

But despite its patronising, schmaltzy, manipulative content, based on the reaction of my teenage daughter, it could be seen as a formulaic winner with the teen audience it`s intended for.

To be fair, Hilary Duff does a reasonable job, as does Heather Locklear, though most the male cast are either wooden, stupid or both.

Not one to buy (at full price in any case), but worth renting for a teenage daughter in the absence of anything better.