The Island Cinephile

The Perfect Man: An imperfect movie with imperfect characters

“Hey, all you bloggers, it’s me, the girl on the move. Well, my mom got her heart broken again, so we’re setting off on another big adventure. That’s my mom’s word for running away.”

Holly Hamilton

The Perfect Man is a romantic comedy directed by Mark Rosman and written by Gina Wendkos. Released in 2005, this movie is loaded with rudimentary characterization and struggling dialogue. The film follows the life of a single mother, Jean (Heather Locklear), and her two daughters, Holly and Zoe, living an unstable life because of their mother’s flightiness after a break-up. Devastatingly selfish on her part, we recognize how her selfishness to find “the perfect man” left the children to suffer on account of this.

Zoe (Aria Wallace) seemed to be there as a placeholder with little-to-no character development. However, her teenage daughter, Holly (Hilary Duff) is emotionally affected by this constant migration because of her inability to foster any real friendships. To remedy this, she devises a plan to craft a dream man for her mother, as an attempt to feel a sense of stability. With the help of her best friend Amy (Vanessa Lengies), and her uncle named Ben (Chris Noth), Holly uses him as an inspiration for this farce. Insert a montage of tricks and low-lying deception, swap out the upbeat music, and you are left with a deranged child attempting to ruin her mother’s life. As a subplot, romance ensues between Holly and one of her classmates, Adam (Ben Feldman). The supporting characters within the film detract from the central theme because they bring no support to the lives of the protagonists. An example being the disappearance of Amy’s character in the final act of the film, despite her being Holly’s best friend. There are few moments in the film that render emotional and thought-provoking messages. When Jean poured her heart out about how often a single mother must sacrifice everything for her kids, especially her dreams for her kids. A bit of a connection is built in these moments but is quickly lost as the characters are so shallow that any depth to them is thrown out of the window by inconsistent behavior, poor dialogue, and a thin plot.

In response to the acting performances, Hilary Duff’s acting was average and fit in with her popularity and charm during the early 2000s. Chris Noth did the best he could with the film and is not used very heavily. Heather Locklear’s acting was subpar, but she played the part of delusional mother very well. The Perfect Man is simply a fluff piece with occasional entertainment. So, for what it’s worth, it meets its own standard.

Watch Trailer for The Perfect Man.

Available to Rent/Buy: https://amzn.to/3ZJB1oN

(NB: As an Amazon Associate I earn commission from qualifying purchases.)

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