Do you cringe every time you watch a student-teacher relationship movie and wonder what will be the result?
In “The Boy Next Door,” teacher Claire Peterson (Jennifer Lopez), who is divorced and vulnerable, meets a young man (Ryan Guzman) who becomes her student and threatens her reputation, job and family. The trailer makes it seem predictable because past movies have dealt with this issue. Usually, there’s a certain pattern these movies stick to, and that’s what you would expect with this movie, but you would be wrong. This movie took a known concept and spun it into something you didn’t see coming.
In the beginning of the movie, Claire is learning to cope with life after divorce, being a single mother and taking care of her household. Then a new neighbor, Noah Sandborn, a young man coping with the recent death of his parents, enters the scene. Instantly, there is an attraction between the two, which eventually leads to a night of regret for Claire. Noah, who is convinced he is in love with Claire, will do anything to have his way, even if he has to resort to blackmail.
The movie has a good pace. It doesn’t take long to get to the point and leaves you wondering what will happen next. There was never a dull moment when it came to watching this film. As the movie continued, it went from a student-teacher movie to a thriller. I was biting my nails in fear about what would happen to Claire. Each scene was intense and left me in disbelief. You will definitely need popcorn to munch on. The rest of the movie is a roller coaster ride that seems far from over.
In only an hour and 31 minutes, I promise that you will find this movie interesting, even if it doesn’t end up in your DVD collection. It’s a quick, fun movie to watch, and who doesn’t want gush about how cute Ryan Guzman is? If you’re a fan of semi-thriller movies, then this is for you.
