“The Perfect Guy” is a movie that you can be late to. You can go get popcorn during the opening credits (credits not trailers) and be back in time to not miss anything you don’t already know from the film’s trailer. It’s the same old tale with new characters, but that doesn’t mean it can't be good popcorn chompin’, throw it at the screen while you yell fun.
Leah Vaughn (Sanaa Lathan) is a 36 year old, hard working woman who by all signs has a lot going for her. She’s got a beautiful house, a great job, and a handsome boyfriend, Dave (Morris Chestnut), to come home to. The only thing she’s missing is a ring on her finger and the pitter patter of little feet running around the house, which Dave doesn’t want to rush into. Unfortunately, that’s the motivation that causes her to chase after completion and happiness by breaking up with Dave and shortly after, getting involved in with Carter (Michael Ealy).
Blinded by her desires, Leah has the time of her life with Carter. She introduces him to her inner circle of girlfriends, and even her parents. Everyone loves him. That’s all you missed while getting popcorn. Over the top, rushed vignettes of Carter being the “perfect” guy in the first half hour is what writer Tyger Williams cooked up for us so that we can finally get to Carter giving us a moment of explosive behavior.
From there, the movie gets decent, tense, and suspenseful in the “I wonder how this will play out” kind of way. You know how it’s going to end. You just don’t know the steps the film will take to get there. Lathan and Chestnut give performances that are good enough to receive their check but nothing more. Ealy shows signs that he tried to get inside Carter's psychopathic head and actually have some fun with his character.
I had a great time laughing at how dumb Sanaa’s character is with my wife. We had fun picking up the bread chunks of foreshadowing that the movie threw at us. We didn’t mind that we paid matinee price to see the film, and neither will you if you know what you’re getting yourself into. Otherwise, you can wait for it to come on Netflix and be entertained from home.
Rating: C-