The Perfect Guy

Director: David M. Rosenthal David M. Rosenthal

Overview

In this suspenseful thriller successful lobbyist Leah Vaughn (Sanaa Lathan) jumps into a new relationship with a stranger (Michael Ealy) shortly after breaking up with her noncommittal boyfriend. But when her ex (Morris Chestnut) resurfaces she soon realizes that one of the two men is not who he appears to be. Directed by David M. Rosenthal. Cast includes Rutina Wesley, Kathryn Morris, Shannon Lucido and Holt McCallany.

Product Details

Release Date:	12/29/2015
UPC:	0043396463370
Original Release:	2015
Source:	SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMT
Language:	English
Sales rank:	32,883

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Sanaa Lathan	Leah Vaughn
Michael Ealy	Carter
Morris Chestnut	Dave
Charles S. Dutton	Roger
Tess Harper	Mrs.McCarthy
Kathryn Morris	Karen
Rutina Wesley	Alicia
Holt McCallany	Detective Hansen
Shannon Lucio	Cindy
Jessica Parker Kennedy	Rachel
David Starzyk	Frank
Ronnie Gene Blevins	Roy The Mechanic
Wilmer Calderon	Detective Gardner
Gordon Clapp	Bill Forsythe
Duncan Joiner	Zach
Julia Valentine Larson	Cashier
Patrick Daniel	Barista
Lyndsey Doolen	Hostess
Michael Andrew Baker	Mr. Inebriated
Jamal Duff	Dreadlocks
Tyde Kierney	Mart Owner
Michael Panes	Cooper
Granville Ames	Sheriff
Irene Choi	Office Receptionist
Tripp Pickell	Uniformed Officer
L. Scott Caldwell	Actor
David Fleming	Composer
Atli Orvarsson	Composer

Technical Credits

Tyger Williams

David M. Rosenthal	Director
Tyger Williams	Screenwriter
Nicole Rocklin	Producer
Darryl Taja	Producer
Tommy Oliver	Producer
Wendy Rhoads	Producer
Michael Ealy	Executive Producer
Glenn S. Gainor	Executive Producer
Sanaa Lathan	Executive Producer
Scott Lancer	Stunts
Venus Kanani	Casting
Mary Vernieu	Casting
Benjamin Cook	Sound/Sound Designer
Lance A. Gilbert	Stunts

Editorial Reviews

Leah (Sanaa Lathan) has it all: looks, brains, a beautiful modernist home in Los Angeles, a position of importance at a political-consulting firm, and the affections of her handsome boyfriend Dave (Morris Chestnut). But while her life seems perfect on the outside, her relationship has some sadly predictable shortcomings: She wants marriage and kids, and he doesn't. After one too many arguments on this topic, she tearfully breaks up with him; she then embarks on a long period of workaholic mourning, which only ends when a drunken boor corners her at a bar and asks to have a drink with her. No, he's not her new paramour -- that would be the astute and handsome Carter (Michael Ealy), who comes to her rescue by posing as her boyfriend and telling the creep to take a hike. Grateful, she accepts Carter's offer of dinner. Leah is smitten by Carter's manners and snake-charmer blue eyes, and before long she's taking him to meet her parents (L. Scott Caldwell and the always welcome Charles S. Dutton). It seems like everything she's ever dreamed of is coming true -- until Carter beats a man into a bloody pulp for the crime of talking to her. Shaken, she breaks it off with him, only to find that he won't take no for an answer: He soon begins a campaign of harassment, spying, and general creepiness that has Leah fearing for her life. As a result, she seeks an ally in a police detective named Hansen (the also always welcome Holt McCallany). The Perfect Guy isn't exploring new territory in the "psycho stalker" subgenre (although it's notably more sensual than most films in this category). While the cast are capable and there are several moments of nail-biting tension, the plot leans too heavily on obvious clichés like the crazy collage of photos in the villain's lair signifying his unhinged mental state, victims standing dumbfounded as the bad guy advances when they should be scrambling for their phone, and the laziest trope of all in American cinema: A Gun Will Solve This. But the end result is elevated by the stylish direction of David M. Rosenthal, who gives this Lifetime-movie material a higher gloss than it usually receives. The film wouldn't work if audiences didn't believe that Leah's passion for Carter was the real deal, and Rosenthal makes their animal attraction tangible in a scene in which they dance at an underground reggae venue, grinding against each other until they -- and the audience -- are at a fever pitch. Moody shots of the golden haze hovering over Los Angeles in the morning might not be strictly necessary in a plot-driven feature like this, but when Rosenthal juxtaposes them with hungry coyotes roaming the canyon streets, he reminds us that there are all kinds of unscrupulous animals on the loose in L.A. The Perfect Guy might be high melodrama, and its conclusion isn't as pleasingly airtight as the ending in a thriller needs to be. Yet despite its faults, it dresses nicely, wears good cologne, and has excellent table manners.