O Garoto da Casa ao Lado

Of course, this is a bad movie. Yet, there are plenty of guilty pleasures to behold here. When I say it's bad, I didn't say I didn't enjoy it. I mean, there's a lot of potential going on. Unfortunately, it leads to a bit disappointing finale. But, it is salvaged by an amount of suspense before the ensuing chaos.

At first, J.Lo... why did she even bother signing on this? I thought that this is too low even for her standards. But, later on, I think that she's pretty committed on doing this role. So, I decided to lay back and enjoy the ride.

Then, along came Ryan Guzman, as the so-called "Boy Next Door". Hmmm... He did a pretty fine job. When the tension ratchets up, he looks threatening convincingly, despite what critics say about his performance.

The supporting casts are good as well. Kristin Chenoweth stood out for me, adding comic relief and zing along the way.

My main criticism is the script. Not only it's a bit sloppy, almost made-for-TV writing, but it falters in the end. There are some characters' action including Lopez's, that's nonsensical and... stupid, actually.

When it comes to nonsensical and stupid, I just wished they would close it with being campy and over-the-top. It doesn't truly reached that level and the result is only a half-baked mess.

But, all those flaws don't matter too much because Rob Cohen's direction are superior than most of his movies, especially his last offering "Alex Cross", although it's his fault too.

For a movie released in January, it's better than expected. But, for a real nerve-wracking thriller, don't get your hopes up too high.

Just watch it for pure brainless entertainment without much to think about. It's not that bad...

I know the saying is actually with friends like ... but with a movie title like this ... what did you expect this to be? Only thing that might surprise you, is the fact that they allegedly went back and shot some extra scenes to make this spicier. How was that before, if this is the spicy/"erotic" version? Not that even further skin/encounters would have helped the movie.

But it is what it is. And that's a terror thriller, with an almost decent villain. It actually doesn't start that bad to be honest. I liked the way this went at the beginning and Jennifer Lopez does a neat job of pulling that role of. But just to a certain degree - after that it's downhill from there. So yes this is a bad movie, but it has a few things that can be seen as saving graces - if you're forgiving enough. Standard at best

This movie is really nothing we haven't seen before: A woman on the brink of divorce has an affair with her younger next door neighbor and, afterward, wants nothing more to do with the man. As a result, the neighbor gets violent and stalks her.

It is a fast-pace thriller with steamy love scenes and quick action sequences. However, the plot is predictable and the acting is sub-par at best. For a movie called, "The Boy Next Door," there should be more suspense and plot twists that lead up to the title role, rather than a one-time encounter that basically reveals almost immediately who the antagonist is.

It's not a entirely bad movie to pass the time with; however, you will find much more suspenseful and captivating thriller than this one.

Grade C-

My friend and I had a blast at this movie last Friday, but not for the reason you would expect. We literally laughed through the entire film - and what was even more fun was that the entire theater was laughing, too. The dialogue and plot were so thin and badly written, and the intense scenes so implausible, that it was hilarious. As the movie ended, I think all of us sat staring at the screen wondering if that really was the ending - that the credits were about to prove it was all over - that me, my friend, and the entire theater, cracked up all over again.

So, I have absolutely no regrets about paying money to see it. It was fun in its own right.

This movie was so predictable, and so obvious, that I knew a certain image from the very first scene would presage the denouement. And it did. The acting was mostly adequate, given the material. I had never heard of this Ryan Guzman, and will be surprised if I hear of him again. He was, well, adequate, but his was a role that an accomplished actor would sink his teeth into, and not relent until ALL of the scenery was masticated. Guzman was unable to be scary enough, creepy enough, or charming enough. Blah. Which brings me to Jennifer Lopez. I think she has become a pretty good actress, even though it is hard to tell in this one, due to the script. But I see that she has a producer credit. Can you not tell from a script that a film will be a dud? I'm actually asking. I do not know, having never read a script. The only real redeeming feature of this movie is the extreme beauty of Ms. Lopez. Wow. She is 45 now and is such eye candy. But she is the ONLY reason to see this film.