The Perfect Man - Cox Newspapers movie review

'The Perfect Man' is the perfect parent-daughter date

By TOM and KATIE HALLMAN
Cox News Service

This isn't Shakespeare, it's Hilary Duff, so you know exactly what you are going to get: A gentle morality play, some sweet sentiment, a few innocent laughs and all the loose ends tied up neatly in a cute little bow by movie's end.

On this score, "The Perfect Man" doesn't disappoint. In fact, if there's any surprise at all it's how well this picture satisfies across generations. Duff is aided by some crisp writing and direction, plus some polished performances put in by pros Heather Locklear and Chris Noth.

Universal Studios

'The Perfect Man'

B+

The verdict: Not a perfect movie, but a darn good one, and entertaining for moms and dads as well as kids.

Director: Mark Rosman
Starring: Hilary Duff, Heather Locklear, Chris Noth, Ben Feldman, Mike O'Malley, Aria Wallace, Carson Kressley
Run time: 100 minutes
Release date: June 17, 2005
Rating: PG for some mildly suggestive content.
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Frankly, I'd've enjoyed this movie even if I hadn't brought my teenager for father-daughter date night. With her, it was a blast.

Katie: This is certainly Hilary Duff's best performance so far. She plays 16-year-old Holly, whose single mom (Locklear) packs up her two daughters and moves from town to town every time another of her relationships crashes. Since mom is rushing to find a man while she hears her biological clock ticking, these moves happen pretty often.

When the family unpacks in far-away Brooklyn and mom starts dating another dufus, Holly comes up with a plan to distract her. She creates an imaginary secret admirer for her mom, complete with flowers, letters, e-mails and even a picture snapped of her best friend's Uncle Ben (Noth). The plan works — too well, because sooner or later, mom is going to want to meet the mystery man.

The result is a mixture of comedy over confused identities and relationships as well as tender, heart-touching moments between mother and daughter — and between Holly and her first boyfriend, Adam, a nerdy but caring cartoonist whom Holly is afraid to get too close to.

Tom: Absolutely nothing unexpected happens in "The Perfect Man," and that's not a bad thing. You knew the Titanic was going to sink, too, and that Rose would dump the jerk and that Jack was not long for this world. You still enjoyed that movie. Heck, you knew that Frodo would suffer many tribulations but still destroy the evil ring — and you went to three movies to reach that conclusion.

It's about the journey, not the destination, and Rosman makes this a trip worth taking. It's head-and-shoulders above his previous effort, the Duff vehicle "A Cinderella Story." But with that and a past "Lizzy McGuire" episode to his credit, Rosman clearly understood how best to build a convincing story around Duff's teen talent.

It has its drawbacks. For comic relief, bartender Lance (Carson Kressley of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy") is a gay caricature, not a gay character. Most of his throw-away lines would've been best thrown away.

But if "The Perfect Man" isn't the perfect movie, it's still darn good. And maybe there's some Shakespeare in it after all; Rosman delivers a touching split-screen Instant Message conversation between mom and daughter — the latter pretending to be the perfect man — that could've been torn from "Twelfth Night" and Viola's "pang of heart" for the Duke. It's a very old convention that feels very fresh on the screen.

Katie: Shakespeare aside, "The Perfect Man" is a great parent-teenager movie. It has plenty of laughs, but it also speaks straight to your heart. When Holly finally reveals who wrote the love letters — and tells her mother why — well, I was crying with them right there under the Brooklyn Bridge.

The moral of the story (and there is always one of those in a Hilary Duff show) is that everyone has his or her own idea of the perfect person. We each make this person up from our own desires and dreams. "The Perfect Man" reminds us that we shouldn't rush things and get desperate because the best things are right in front of us. Being desperate only makes things worse.

It's summed up nicely by Uncle Ben, who is Holly's model for the perfect man. Holding up a beautiful flower, he remarks, "There is such a thing as perfect ... and it's out there."

"The Perfect Man" makes you believe.