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The Perfect Man By David DiCerto Catholic News Service NEW YORK (CNS) -- "The Perfect Man" (Universal) is anything but perfect. Breezy but forgettable, the romantic comedy centers on the efforts of high school student Holly Hamilton (Hilary Duff) to find a mate for her single mom, Jean (Heather Locklear), a pastry chef with a history of being luckless at love. Holly has a vested interest in her mom's long-term happiness. Every time one of Jean's doomed relationships ends (usually badly), she packs up the family -- including kid sister Zoe (Aria Wallace) -- and moves to a new city, making a "normal" teen life virtually impossible. Before the Internet, Holly would have chronicled her nomadic travails in a diary; here she has her own blog. After Jean's most recent breakup lands the gals in Brooklyn, N.Y., Holly decides to take matchmaking matters into her own hands to ensure that this "fresh start" is their last stop on her mom's Lonely Hearts Club tour, and to see her mom happy. And if her mom can't find a good man, Holly will invent one for her. Culling romance advice from a classmate's restaurateur uncle, Ben (Chris Noth), Holly creates an imaginary suitor also named Ben (though the "real" Ben remains clueless to the identity theft). Aided and abetted by new best friend Amy (Vanessa Lengies), Holly sends flowers and amorous e-mails to her mom, who falls for the secret-admirer ruse. Predictable complications ensue, leading to an even more contrived happy ending. There is also mushy puppy love subplot involving a high school cartoonist (Ben Feldman) and Holly's own perfect man. Though the film's premise hinges on deception, the time-honored device of a do-gooder using "untruthful" means to nurture romance is as old as Shakespeare. And director Mark Rosman clearly shows the emotional pain caused by Holly's well-intentioned hoax. Ultimately, the film imparts a sweet pro-family message. In one of the few honest moments, Jean -- thinking she is chatting with "Ben" on the Internet -- confides that she had no regrets sacrificing career ambitions for her children. By dividing the story focus between Holly and Jean, the film may alienate young audiences -- there to see Duff -- who will find all the to-do about Jean's dating doldrums boring. Conversely, adults may view the film as strictly 'tween fluff. In the hands of a more accomplished writer and director, "The Perfect Man" could have been an a much more textured -- and entertaining -- mother-daughter movie. But as it is, the film's anemic, cliche-riddled script has only Duff's buoyant charm to keep it afloat. Can anyone really believe that the radiant Locklear has a hard time finding men? One of Holly's blog entries lists "seeing the New York skyline" as one of the things every person should do before they die. Seeing this movie is not. The film has some mildly suggestive content and thematic elements. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance suggested. - - - DiCerto is on the staff of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. END Copyright (c) 2005 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed. CNS · 3211 Fourth St NE · Washington DC 20017 · 202.541.3250 |
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