The Perfect Man Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
The story of a family that wanted it all. Never settle
Is it all too good to be true?
Holly's mother Jean has devoted her entire life to taking care of her and her sister and has not regretted it. But she also knows that eventually Holly and her sister will leave the nest and she will be alone, so she wants to meet a great guy but unfortunately, when the guy she is seeing turns out to be not the great guy she thought he was, she uproots her family and moves to another city. This time they find themselves in New York, and Holly not wanting to move thinks that the best thing she should do is to make up a suitor for mother, who is the perfect guy, and hopefully she won't want to move again. So on advice from her friend's uncle she starts sending her mother flowers and gifts with words he provides her and before she knows it, her mother is taken with this perfect man. But eventually her mother wants to meets this guy but can't so what can Holly do?
| Hilary Duff | Holly Hamilton |
| Heather Locklear | Jean Hamilton |
| Chris Noth | Ben Cooper |
| Mike O'Malley | Lenny Horton |
| Ben Feldman | Adam Forrest |
| Vanessa Lengies | Amy Pearl |
| Caroline Rhea | Gloria |
| Kym Whitley | Dolores |
| Aria Wallace | Zoe Hamilton |
| Carson Kressley | Lance |
| Michelle Nolden | Amber |
| Maggie Castle | Wichita Girl |
| Gerry Mendicino | Market Co-Worker |
| James McGowan | Jean's Suitor |
| Philip Akin | English Teacher |
| Mark Rosman |
5.10 out of 10 (6253 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Excellent Movie!
posted on 08 Jun 2009Love stories never change, this one plays mix up to a satisfying conclusion. Hillary Duff, whose performance is above par, works tirelessly at trying to keep her mom (Heather Locklear) happy and engaged in a fake relationship. Chris Noth, Big Guy from Sex And The City, is the adviser/cupid/love interest in this inventive comedy. The director has thought about casting, Locklear as an excessive dater. Noth as an acetic restaurant owner, and Duff as a cupid who is unsure about what she's doing. The cast is well put together, especially, The Styx Band, whose hits lace this film like whipped cream. "Lady" is sung on the streets of brooklyn, "Babe" becomes a hand holder and Mr. Roboto becomes a true Hoboken spectacle.
Good effort from Hilary
posted on 29 May 2009Hilary Duff once again steps into her comfortable role as the good girl next door, this time as Heather Locklear's daughter. Tired of her mom having a breakdown and moving every time she gets dumped by another third rate guy. To prevent going on another "adventure", and to save her mother's self esteem, Holly concocts a plot for the imaginary perfect man for her mother.The film is charming. Although it's no Oscar contender, this film exists to entertain and make audiences laugh. There are some cheesy moments and lines, but it doesn't hurt the film. Hilary Duff has improved her acting even more since 2004's "Raise Your Voice" and Heather Locklear adds a certain flair to the story not always seen in a Hilary Duff movie. The sub romantic plot between Holly and Ben is sweet, and you get some scenic views of New York, all of which helps to make a pleasurable movie that should've been a hit but instead got swallowed up by blockbusters at the box office.
A Sheer Disappointment. - Duff and Locklear Keep it Together
posted on 13 May 2009I am one of Hilary Duffs biggest fans, but this film was a disappointment. Firstly, it lacked on comedy. The movie had maybe 2 REAL laughs through out the film. There was not enough comedy to go around. Secondly, the film was just a bit boring. It was VERY slow... and not enough movement and action in it. It was mainly boring because of the lack of comedy, but also because they didn't use the plot the way they should have. The cast. Did a good job. Duff and Locklear shined on the screen and they kept the whole movie from falling. But they didn't look like they had enough energy. The most disspointing part was that, the plot was GREAT, and it could have been so awesome. But the makers, just made it slow and boring. 6/10. A Sheer Disappointment.
Absolutely delightful and uplifting
posted on 11 May 2009**tiny spoilers ahead** Seeing this movie was an absolutely delightful way to spend a Friday night."The Perfect Man" isn't so much about finding the perfect man, or needing the perfect man, as it is about a teenage girl (Holly) trying to make her mother (Jean) happy – and making some mistakes along the way.Jean is a single mom to two girls, ages seven-ish and sixteen-ish. Jean's one big quirk is that she packs her family up and moves every time she breaks up with a guy. Apparently she's had more than her fair share of breakups. After the most recent one, Jean and her girls end up in New York City.Holly decides to try to cheer her mom up by inventing a secret admirer, who sends Jean flowers. When Holly sees how happy Jean became after receiving the flowers, she moves onto letters and emails, with help from her friends and her one friend's uncle.At first, with the flowers, Holly just wants to lift her mom's spirits. But with the letters and emails, Holly wants to remind Jean that hoping to meet the perfect man is better than settling, again and again, for the wrong one. Of course, once Holly writes the first letter, she's unfortunately and unintentionally setting up a situation that will get out of control and possibly hurt her mother in a huge way.Interestingly, as much as Jean is desperately seeking a good man in her life, Holly is deliberately keeping at a distance the good man (Adam) who is in hers. Through the course of the film, Jean and Holly realize that neither extreme is healthy. They learn and grow from each other. They stop running away. Jean realizes that it is okay to be alone. Holly realizes that it is okay to get close to people. By the end of the film, they start to reach a balance that makes each of them happy.The film does not end with the cliché wedding or big declaration of love. It ends on a softer, yet very positive note.Heather Locklear and Hilary Duff work excellently together. Ben Feldman is adorable as Holly's sweet, geeky, lovestruck friend. Chris Noth's Ben is a little glimpse of what Sex and the City fans had hoped Mr. Big could become. Caroline Rhea and Mike O'Malley are some of the bigger names that round out an all-around enjoyable supporting cast.Here's to mothers and daughters, and to being brave when you want to run away. Here's to holding out for the very best, and to knowing that you deserve it.
Romantic comedy with mother/daughter issues thrown in.
posted on 03 May 2009The story seems to be mostly about mom, but Hilary Duff, who plays the daughter, gets first billing over Heather Locklear. So this should be considered foremost a vehicle for Duff to further her career. (There was a Duff as producer, not sure if it was her family or not.) Anyway Duff is good as a high school student (Holly) forced to move often, every time her mom Jean (Locklear) dumps, or gets dumped by, a boyfriend. For me that is a big credibility issue, because what kind of guy would really dump Heather Locklear?? But, getting over that, the movie is fairly entertaining and deals with some real mother/daughter issues.The movie starts with mom dumping a cheating boyfriend, and quickly they pack up the trailer and head from Kansas to Brooklyn, where mom has a job waiting at a bakery she evidently already knew. A skanky guy at the bakery immediately begins asking her out, and mom seems to be amused enough that daughter Holly sets out, with the help of two new friends, to find mom a new, better boyfriend so that she will dump this loser real quick. Complications arise from there and creates the main story told here.SPOILERS FOLLOW. Holly creates a cyber boyfriend who travels to such places as China to establish new restaurants. She takes a picture of Ben (Chris Noth) who is a restauranteur and uncle of her friend Amy, and uses it for her fictional cyber boyfriend. Holly also sends mom flowers and nice cards from "Ben", and it all seems to work. But in the end mom finds out about Holly's deception, is crushed, but somehow Ben decides he and Jean really do have lots in common, and a match is made. In the process both mom and daughter learn that running away to a different city every time disappointment comes along is not the best way to live your life.
Hilary Duff is very, very cute; but this film isn't.
posted on 07 Apr 2009If someone ever asks "Which is the odd one out amongst Rosanna Arquette, Marilyn Monroe, Cindy Crawford and Hilary Duff?" you can answer "Rosanna, because she's the only one to actually have a good song written about her." Australian "Popstars" winner Scott Cain's "I've Got A Crush On Hilary Duff" is absolutely appalling, and the accompanying video (featuring a Duff lookalike who resembles her about as much as Marianne Jean-Baptiste) is equally dire; but it does have the effect of ensuring nothing Hilary will ever do in her career will be as unbearable. Which brings us to "The Perfect Man." The movie feels distressingly television-ish in everything from its cast (Hilary, Heather Locklear, Chris Noth, Mike O'Malley, Caroline Rhea, Carson Kressley from "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy"...) to its use of music; too bad the TV movies that Universal used to release overseas back in the 1970s were all much more fun. By all accounts, the actual incident that inspired this movie was genuinely interesting, but once filtered through screenwriter Gina Wendkos and director Mark Rosman the result is bland, remarkably unfunny and almost totally unromantic. This isn't entirely the fault of the actors, who can hardly be blamed for what they have to work with (although Vanessa Lengies does at least get to have some fun with her role as Hilary's new best friend, and Mike O'Malley and Carson Kressley perk things up a bit as a besotted-with-Heather fan of Styx and a gay bartender. (Although when you think about it, why is the latter here?) Any potential sweetness is wiped out by increasingly contrived writing throughout (a classic case of sledgehammer foreboding comes when our heroine is in class discussing her plan to help her mum finally feel secure enough in her life to not keep moving, while her teacher is discussing "Oh what a tangled web we weave...") and some unbelievable plot twists towards the end; the sickly songs and underscore by Christophe Beck and the clumsy finale are the fatal blows. It's never really awful, just a bit deadening.Still, at least this got a British cinema release (unlike the direct-to-DVD "Raise Your Voice"), and those who find Hilary Duff sufficiently cute may be able to take it. But ultimately this is only for die-hard fans of the Duffster, or people who enjoy seeing Heather Locklear bombing on the big screen as much as she has on the little one. Or anyone who wants to recreate the feeling of watching a dreary afternoon of Children's BBC or Nickelodeon on the big screen, but minus the shouty announcers and the tendency to squish up the end credits.
Not What I Expected...
posted on 22 Feb 2009I expected this to be a mostly mushy movie with mother-daughter bonding, with them trying to make the mom see how great she is. It was definitely NOT that. The first half of the movie is surprisingly funny. Very funny, especially for carrying the burden of 'a Hilary duff movie'. You'll be surprised. The middle starts out a bit nerve wracking as Holly tries to keep her scheme going, and then the movie gets depressing. A good part of the end is depressing, I won't give away too many details but Locklear's character reveals more about how she became a single mother and over the computer she and her daughter unknowingly realize how much they don't appreciate each other. Then, of course, there is the obligatory happy end. If you'd like to see a movie that won't depress you, or something fun with a friend, this is your movie.
Perfect Love Story for Couples or Singles
posted on 17 Jan 2009As Hilary Duff comes back from being a beautiful Cinderella princess in "A Cinderella Story" Holly Hamilton is a big hit!! As Holly tries to help her mother Jean Hamilton(Heather Locklear) find the perfect man Holly goes through an adventure of finding lots of man for her mother to meet and finally find one out of nowhere!!:D. As for me, I am a huge fan of Hilary Ann Duff I'll say that this must be a very huge success for her. 2 platinum albums and another coming out on August 16,2005 "Most Wanted". What more can this Teen Drama Queen as for? These are huge success for this "normal" queen who's soon to be 18(an adult) on September 28 she is one of Hollywoods biggest and most well known celerity of the 21st century. Also the feuds between Hil and Lindsay Lohan and Hil and Avril Lavigne, Hil has tried to keep her cool and try to be sweet about it but she has had enough so in her song "Haters" in her album "Hilary Duff" Hilary strikes back to haters with a piece of her mind to tell them the things that has been bothering her and tell her haters exactly what she thinks about them. I am very anxious to listen to her new album "Most Wanted" I bet that would be a very big success just like her other albums. Most of you know Hilary Duff as Lizzie McGuire and her sweet ways but Hilary Duff is a bit like Lizzie anymore. Sure Hilary has a very kind heart but in the name of haters there is not anything like nice. But not striking back with swear words. Just telling haters what you think of them is already good enough but getting into fights and arguments are no solutions. Be like Hilary and you can probably be a kind hearted girl and everyone will love you!! Congragulations Hilary on such a big success and you life of fame!!!!
The Perfect Man is Much Better Than the Bad Reviews State
posted on 07 Jan 2009The Perfect Man deserves much more respect than it getsPlot: Holly (Hilary Duff) is tiered of her mother (Heather Locklear) keeping them on the go and always moving whenever she gets dumped. This time they move to New York along with Holley's little sister Zoe (Aria Wallace). Her mom has found a job at the bakery and has started to fall in love with a fellow co-worker, Lenny (Mike O'Malley). While her mother is blind to his flaws Holly is horrified to learn her mom is dating him as he is the entirely wrong person for her mom. She enlists help from her new school pal Amy (Vanessa Lengies) to create an imaginary admirer for her mother based on Amy's uncle (Chris Noth) and they contact through email and letters and slowly her mom begins to fall for him all though they have never met, but Lenny is determined to keep her. When Holly finally realizes that Amy's uncle is the perfect man for her mom she realizes they can never meet because of her scam. She has to find a way to make them meet and cover up for her plan.The Good News: Hilary Duff is the brightest thing in here, keeping the film alive with her preppy and energetic energy. I also have to admit that there are some scenes in here that will stick in your head after the show is over. For example when there is danger that Holly's mom and Amy's uncle may meet, Holly sets off the sprinkler alarm in the restaurant that they are both in and it is truly a memorable scene. The whole wedding interruption was hilarious and is another great scene. Hilary Duff's reaction is priceless. The delivering of the flowers is another. There is also a moral to parents about their kids that when they keep doing something their kids are going to follow in their footsteps. Because Holly's mother can't keep a guy and she gets dumped so often Holly refuses to fall in love, believing that she will get her heart broken too. The supporting actors do fine in their roles, the best supporting actor is Vanessa Lengies who shines during her screen time. Going back to Hilary Duff she got nominated for a Golden Rasberry Award for worst actress, thankfully she lost and why she was nominated is beyond me. I wouldn't nominate her for an Oscar, but she doesn't deserve a Rasberry. It also has a tenderness and a family message along with plenty of laughs.The Bad News: There are some HUGE plot holes and errors. The plot is pretty idiotic and you have to suspend your disbelief a lot. Heather Locklear's acting should be nominated for a Rasberry and the whole boyfriend and girlfriend part between Holly and her friend is a waste of time. It also doesn't invite to many repeated viewings.Conclusion: Some plot holes and errors should not stop you from seeing this. In the end The Perfect Man sets out what it's supposed to do.Rated: PG for some mildly suggestive content
Two hours of my life I will never get back
posted on 05 Jan 2009Yes, in this movie, Heather Locklear has trouble meeting men.Actually, it's not that hard to believe that most men would be intimidated by a woman as good-looking as Heather Locklear and have difficulty summing up the courage to talk to her. Her character, Jean Hamilton, is approached by all sorts of weirdos and guys who are misguided in their confidence—this is to be expected, but what is difficult for me to accept is that Jean would actually give most of these doofus dudes the time of day no matter how desperate she is.So, Jean (Heather Locklear) is a divorced single mother who is so frightened of ending up alone forever that she hooks up with the first guy who looks her way regardless of whether he is right for her or not. Every time the relationship inevitably fails, she packs up and moves across the country with her two daughters, Holly (Hilary Duff) and Zoe (no purpose whatsoever). The movie starts with such a breakup, so the family moves to Brooklyn to start a new life/relationship. At this point in her teenage life, Holly has grown decidedly tired of moving every few months, so she hatches a cleverly thought-out and ingenious plan to set her mother up with an imaginary man. Seemingly under the impression that her mother is still 6 years old and able to sustain such chimerical friendships, Holly puts this masterful plan into action by sending her mother flowers and writing her love letters signed by a secret—and I can't stress this enough—imaginary admirer. This fake relationship has the desired result of preventing her mother from moving again, with only the slightly bothersome side-effect of completely decimating her mother's heart if she ever realizes that Johnny-Perfect-Man does not exist. But, you know, Holly just wants to make her mom happy and stuff.So this harebrained scheme of Holly's results in all sorts of would-be comedic moments. Holly tries to leave her mother an orchid at the front door, but is repeatedly unsuccessful in getting her mom's attention with the buzzer. Later on in the movie she and her friend Amy (Vanessa Lengies) try to create a diversion in order to prevent Holly's mother from meeting the actual guy on whom Johnny-Perfect-Man is based, so the audience is treated to 10 minutes of slapstick scheming.Not surprisingly, I found this movie to be rather asinine and only mildly entertaining. All the characters are veritable fountains of wisdom, spewing forth such life lessons as, "we all make mistakes," and "new people are only new the first day." Yet for all their supposed wisdom, the characters make the most idiotic decisions. I wasn't in complete misery while watching this movie, but I certainly don't recommend that you spend precious time and money seeing The Perfect Man. There are far better movies out this summer in which you can waste those commodities.
Expected Trite, Got Surprised!
posted on 24 Dec 2008THE PERFECT MAN is another one of those fluff romantic comedies that just keep recycling - single mom and pseudorebellious daughter make everything work after plotted plans go astray. This is one of those films that you rent because the video store is closing and you need a somnolent-inducing DVD. But in the case of THE PERFECT MAN there are some nice surprises!Jean Hamilton (Heather Locklear) is a 40ish single mom who bakes specialty cakes and can't land a man. Whenever she gets close to a commitment or when she is passed by, she runs, family in tow, to a new city, new friends, new opportunities to find a man before she is too old. Her daughters Holly (Hilary Duff) age 16 and little Zoe (Aria Wallace) go along with the transplanting moves, understanding and supportive of their mother but yearning for some permanence. The newest move is to Brooklyn: Jean is welcomed back to a bakery of friends, Holly finds reasons to like her new school (friends female and male) and Zoe starts on a run toward a spelling bee. Since Jean is so desperate for a man, she is swept off her feet by a fellow baker who is sweet but otherwise fairly low on the food chain. Holly and her new friend Amber (Michelle Nolden) plan a way to capture Jean's attention from a created secret lover, their information comes from Amber's restaurateur Uncle Ben (Chris Noth) who tells them the secrets to winning a woman's heart.Let the games begin: first flowers, then gifts, then letters, then email, then I'm, and Jean feels as though there really is someone special out there who loves her. But as all games go, this one has its successes and major failures and as Holly grows to understand her mother's dilemma, she finds her own in her reluctance to accept the fact that her friend Adam (Ben Feldman) has fallen for her and wants her around. From that point it is a comedy of errors until the final frames where, as expected, all works out for the best for everyone.Shallow, yes. Been there, done that, yes. But the surprise is the growth of Heather Locklear as an actress! She has come along ways from her 'Dynasty'/'Melrose Place' days as basically set decor and has accepted her age gracefully, coupling that with a nuanced acting ability that makes her a welcome 'newcomer' to the screen. She is worth sitting through this little yawner, making it come alive every time she is on screen. Grady Harp
Dean McDermott Got Cut...So Mad!
posted on 18 Dec 2008I'm so mad... Dean McDermott was supposed to be in this movie... they showed him in the trailer as one of Heather Locklear's ex-boyfriends (he had the green shirt on and kind of shaggy dirty blonde/brown hair).What gives? I really don't like when this happens in trailers...they also did it for Tomb Raider when Lara says "this is where i start to have to have fun"I want my money back from Paramount it's the only reason i went to see the movie!!!This is definitely false advertising.other than that i did enjoy the movie and i thought Hilary did a good job. It' still watchable.
the best
posted on 08 Dec 2008i like her so much i only give the numbers 8,9,10 lower is not possible she is the on the world to me Hilary duff she can also sing very goodtheir is one thing it's strange that her sister Halie duff don't get any roll of part in that some kind of movies for example Material Girls she only get's the roll so high because her sister has take part of it. i only have seen this movie not all the other movies y have seen all 1999 to 2005 the best i like is the coming movie cheaper by the dozen 2 i also really think that she must get eh higher roll on that movie she only got number 5 but that's because she played the movie before in cheaper by the dozen 1 15 years old that's to young to get such eh high roll of part in that movie and also the family the mother and father go's add front that's for sure see ya where ever that will be
Matchmaker
posted on 06 Dec 2008For lack of better movies to watch, "The Perfect Man", shown recently on cable, seemed harmless enough when there was nothing better at the same time slot. This film, directed by Marc Rosman, and written for the screen by Gina Wendkos, is a rehash of other, better made movies.The premise that this single mother can pick up and leave her last home and move to Brooklyn with her two young daughters and finds a great apartment, a nice job, and romance, is for people that live on a cloud, but not in this world. Ms. Wendkos and the others that contribute to this romantic comedy don't have a clue about reality. Probably the rent for this apartment goes for over $1,500.00 a month and she is probably making minimum wage at the bakery. Hello!!! Unless she's receiving child support payments, she could not afford to live there. Only in movies such as this would a Jean Hamilton find everything and end up with a hunk of a man in the process.The older daughter, Holly, is a girl that needs some help because in her quest for getting her mother interested in a man, she decides to create him and introduce this Ben to her mother when she chats on line. Holly plays one of the cruelest tricks to a human being, let alone to her own mother. When she realizes she has made a terrible blunder and her mom is going to be at the restaurant her chat friend Ben owns, she panics and ruins the place and who knows how much damage she causes by activating the sprinkler system. Holly is a girl that is also out of touch with life."The Perfect Man" is recommended for people that think everything is possible in the movies, even if they present a distorted view of reality.
tad psychotic, but most of us are
posted on 16 Nov 2008Someone previously gave us a rant on the "moral corruption" or some such thing encompassed by this movie. They're full of it.The movie is fun, with enough cheesy parts to cause the kids to giggle quite often. I got a kick out of some of the jokes, clichéd as they were, and thought the movie was good enough to stand on its own two feet.Holly's antics while keeping her lies alive might be illegal (in the case of the fire alarm) and irresponsible, but sixteen-year-olds rarely if ever give serious thought to the consequences of their actions. We do stupid things when we're teenagers, and we used to be able to live it down. Teens today aren't so lucky; the things they do sometimes stay on their records forever, and that's just sad.Don't turn the movie into a battle between Lindsay Lohan and Hillary Duff. Leave that stuff in the tabloids where it belongs.
Far from the perfect movie.
posted on 17 Sep 2008It takes a lot for me to say that a movie is horrible, but "The Perfect Man" has given me plenty of ammunition. It was so bad that I nearly erased it from my memory, and writing this review is requiring me to search the farthest depths of my consciousness to bring the memory of this movie back to the surface. The only reason I was able to sit through the whole thing was because of my love for the Duffster, but sadly not even she made this movie worthwhile.First of all there are NUMEROUS plot holes. The most glaring one seems to be the fact that they never explain where the father/husband figure is. He supposedly abandons his family after impregnating his wife (for the second time, mind you). This brings me to the second plot hole. The age difference between the two daughters, if I remember correctly, is something like 9 years. If they have the same father, why did it take him 9 years to realize they weren't worth staying with when I wanted to leave them after the first 30 minutes? If you know the answer to this, please share it with me.Then there is the apartment they live in. The family supposedly moves every time Locklear's character gets dumped. The movie also drills into the viewers head how poor the family is. They somehow seem to be able to afford a moderately sized NYC apartment, well furnished, in a seemingly nice part of town. They can also afford internet access for Duff's brand new laptop, all on Locklear's baker salary.Duff's character makes a best friend at school before she even gets inside the building. Am I the only person who finds this unlikely? Halfway through the movie the friend disappears with no explanation. Once she serves her purpose, she leaves, and no one seems to miss her.Locklear works as a baker at a bakery, as I mentioned earlier, and is pursued by a coworker throughout the movie. At first it would seem this is meant for comic relief, as he is retarded and wholly unlikable as a person. They go on a date, it doesn't go well, and we think that's the end of him. The writers, however, seemed to have a different idea when writing the script. He keeps coming back, for no reason, and each time he did I grew more and more furious, especially the moment (I won't give it away for those of you who still want to see the movie) when he does something so outrageous, so enormously unbelievable, that I could not believe what was actually happening on screen.The younger sister's character is completely pointless. Not only is she obnoxious and annoying, she does nothing. She adds nothing to the movie, but takes away plenty. It did not help that the actress playing her is a horrible actress. I realize she's just a kid, but still. Unacceptable.I can not stress to you enough how horrible this movie is. It was embarrassing enough asking for a ticket to the movie, and after seeing it I understand why the ticket taker could not help laughing at me.
Microphones?!?!?
posted on 07 Sep 2008i saw this movie last night....can anyone who saw it please confirm with me that the microphones were shown above the actors head's through at least 1/2 of the film? other than that the movie was borderline great! despite some of the awful reviews you might have read by some critics i would still highly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys Hilary duff, and mother-daughter types of films! this movie made me laugh a few times, even though everyone else in the entire movie theater was busting up laughing at the viewing of the microphones in almost every shot! i still do not believe that the whole plot of the movie sucked, in fact it wasn't even that bad!
Far from perfect.
posted on 22 Aug 2008A movie which seems best suited for the Disney Channel, "The Perfect Man" should nonetheless appeal to the summer tween moviegoers who have most likely seen every "Lizzy McGuire" episode ever aired.Jean is a single mother who is going through a seemingly endless streak of bad relationships, thus causing her to constantly uproot herself and her two daughters from one part of the state to the other. This time around, they head from Wichita to Brooklyn, after Jean's latest breakup.No sooner have the boxes been unpacked and Jean has settled into her new job at a bakery shop, that she begins thinking about getting involved in yet another relationship, a fact she makes quite obvious during one of her daughters' PTA meetings.The daughter in question, is 16 year old Holly, portrayed by the ever-bubbly pop star/actress, Hilary Duff. Holly keeps us updated on her daily exploits through the writings of her online journal.Overtime, because Holly is tired of moving, and because she doesn't like seeing her mother so lonely and unhappy, she decides to create a fictional secret admirer for her mother, with a little help from her new friend's romantically inclined uncle.Soon, Jean begins receiving flowers, letters and a CD of upbeat dance songs. Holly even goes as far as engaging her mother in online chat sessions, posing as her new admirer.Meanwhile, Jean becomes the object of affection of one of her coworkers, a classic car and 80's rock band fanatic. While he's somewhat sweet and his intentions are good, he soon begins bordering on stalker behavior, especially when he decides to climb up to Jean's apartment window, serenading her loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear. Simply put, Jean is just not interested in him, and after a couple of dates, politely rejects him in favor of her new "love interest".Holly continues her charade until unforeseeable events occur, thus causing her deception to eventually be revealed.A lot of things just don't make sense in this movie. First off, it's hard to believe that a woman with Heather Locklear's appearance would have so much trouble getting herself a date, let alone, a decent one.Secondly, for Jean to be so desperate to be in a relationship when she should be focusing on raising her kids instead is rather questionable. It's one thing to yearn for male companionship, but it shouldn't overshadow the fulfillment and priority of parenthood.It's also quite selfish of Jean to move without even stopping to consider the impact it might have on her children's lives.In conclusion, the "Perfect Man" should please younger audiences, but for the rest of us, the best alternative would be to wait for its release on either DVD or cable, or better yet, dismiss it altogether.
PERFECT if you're looking for the stupidest movie
posted on 10 Aug 2008"Perfect Man" follows the life of Holly (Duff) as she struggles with her inept mother, Jean (Locklear). Firstly, the plot itself is a sinker. Basically, Jean is a single mother of 2 who finds the need to move to another state every time she gets dumped by a guy. That is the most unreasonable thing I've heard since Veronica got mad at Betty after she had a dream that Betty kissed Archie (take my word for it - it was pretty unreasonable). However, according to the makers of "Perfect Man", such unreasonable behavior breeds comedy ("I'm jeopardizing my children's future. HAHA - that's so funny") Because of her mom's lack of rational thinking, Holly has never been to a prom (shock horror). Perhaps if she got up and told her mom that she was being utterly crazy and selfish instead of just sitting there complaining on her weblog and calling herself a "teenage gypsy", she could've made some progress with the situation. Then again, if Holly was smart enough to do that, we wouldn't have this movie. In fact, that'd be true if ANYONE in the movie was smart. No wait...Holly's little sister is smart - after all, she did win the spelling bee. My bad.It gets worse. Holly moves to Brooklyn where BAKER mom manages to afford an amazingly pretty, spacious apartment. Jean starts work and immediately, the loser bread-maker (O'Malley) asks her out. Holly freaks because this means she'll have to move again in the not-so-distant future as mom goes into selfish mode again. Holly's life is also full of surprises. First day of school, she becomes best friends forever with Amy (Lengies) and already has an admirer in quiet comic book guy Adam (Feldman). Apparently, taking someone's seat makes you very attractive...that's what made Adam take an interest in her.Back to freako-mom's case. Holly doesn't want to move anymore and so teams up with Amy to "trick" her mom into thinking she has a secret admirer. The two base this "perfect man" on Amy's restaurant owner uncle, Ben (Noth...who was also the reason why I actually watched this sad sad film) and subsequently ask him for advice on how to woo women. Ben, being in the movie, is also not very bright and actually believes that the girls need this type of information for school. So, following Ben's advice, they start sending Jean flowers and letters. Jean, who just arrived in town does not find it creepy that she already has an admirer who knows where she lives and happily accepts these gifts. Chalk one up for Holly's brilliant plan!! As expected, the lie gets more complicated and Holly eventually has to send her mom a picture of her admirer to convince her that he's real. Being so shrewd, she sends Ben's photo and even names the imaginary admirer "Ben". In the 21st century when we have access to magazines and internet to look up pictures of people, she chooses to send a picture of a man who lives in the same neighborhood. A lot of wooing ensues which is quite disturbing in many ways. One, the wooing is between mother and daughter which is just wrong. Two, Jean STILL doesn't find it creepy that this "secret admirer" who she's never met in her life is sending her some pretty mawkish messages. Three, Holly enlists Adam to act as Ben and talk to Jean on the phone. He starts imaging that he's talking to Holly and starts to say that he loves her...pretty disgusting considering mom's on the other line.Holly is probably addicted to deception. Not only does she lie to her mom and toy with her emotions, she also uses Ben. In one part, Jean goes to Ben's restaurant. Scared that they might see each other, Holly sets off the sprinklers in the eatery, chasing out ALL of Ben's customers and practically destroying his restaurant. Does Holly feel bad? Nope! At another point, she goes up to Ben's house alone despite only meeting him 2 times (if I were Ben, I'd be pretty freaked) and realizes that he TRULY is perfect for her mom. Her reason? They both do the Times crossword puzzle in pen!! Like Duh! OK, I exaggerate, there was also something about the moon and having a nice kitchen. Holly has some really weird way of determining whether two people are soul-mates or not. After realizing that Ben is perfect, Holly runs, in a very dramatically, to stop what she believes to be Ben's wedding to another woman. This woman and Ben could've had an 8 year relationship or something before but Ben and Jean both do crossword puzzles in pen so whatever to the other woman - she's not Ben's soul-mate. Turns out, Ben was just best man at the wedding but Holly manages to wreck it anyways. Does Holly feel bad? Nope! Ben gets angry (FINALLY) and Holly amazingly manages to make it seem like he's the unreasonable one. When Jean finds out that the whole admirer thing was just a scam, Holly's the one who yells at her mom. Not once does she apologize for her totally unacceptable behavior.Well, it's a Hilary movie so it all ends well. Holly finally opens up and admits that she likes Adam and she realizes her dream of going to the prom. Ben finally meets Jean and they hit it off. All loose ends are tied off which should be very satisfying but sadly, is not because this is such a ridiculous movie about how lying and cheating can get you what you want. None of the actors are convincing in their roles (Locklear as woman who can't get a decent boyfriend? Hilary Duff as the insecure outcast-ish character? Like in ALL her movies? Someone as cute as Ben Feldman as the not-so-noticed geek?).Still I HIGHLY recommend watching this movie to see how UNBELIEVABLE and selfish these people really are!!
A "Perfect" flick
posted on 14 Jun 2009If you are a Hilary Duff fan, love happy endings, or just love seeing movies with a good plot, great casting, and funny script, then you will love this movie! Duff and Locklear work great together and make the movie that much more enjoyable and funny. "The Perfect Man" was surprisingly funny, and had many messages that i will let you uncover when you watch this wonderful film. This movie is more a chick flick and a family movie but can be enjoyed by anyone who watches it. Duff does a great job with her role, and looks great. Lenny(a failed relationship) attempts getting Jean back in the funniest ways and makes the movie that much more humorous. This movie leaves you hanging and you don't know what is going to happen next. This romantic, comedy is fun for anyone who watches it and is absolutely worth the $8.50!