Everyone can name a few so-bad-it’s-good movies where, despite knowing how cringeworthy it is, it still manages to hook you in to keep watching everything unfold. They are undeniably guilty pleasure movies that didn’t do well among critics or were never meant to be Oscar-worthy. Movies like Sharknado, Cats, Morbius, or Batman & Robin have a certain charm that makes them worth not hitting the pause button.
If you’re looking for the kind that makes you laugh, cringe, and gasp all in one sitting, the 2015 thriller The Boy Next Door is the next must-watch on Netflix. Starring Jennifer Lopez, the movie is for fans of over-the-top drama and unintentionally hilarious moments. It’s a movie that makes you question why you’re watching it in the first place, with an easily predictable plot, and acting that’s questionable. Regardless, The Boy Next Door is for a chill day when there’s nothing else on.
What Is ‘The Boy Next Door’ About?
The psychological thriller film follows Claire Peterson (Lopez), a high school teacher living with her teenage son after separating from her husband after infidelity. One day, she notices 19-year-old Noah Sandborn (Ryan Guzman) moving in with his uncle next door after having lost his parents a year prior. What starts as flirtation becomes something more when Claire and Noah have a one-night stand. But Noah doesn’t take Claire’s remorse over having hooked up well, and it soon leads to obsession.
Claire soon realizes Noah’s increasingly possessive and unpredictable behavior and just how dangerous he can be. His fixation spirals and threatens her career, life, and endangers her family. A charming young man starts to show his unpredictable side and just how harmless he can be, leaving Claire to face the consequences of her actions.
‘The Boy Next Door’ Is a Movie That’s Equal Parts Steamy and Absurd
At the heart of The Boy Next Door is Lopez, whose performance gives just enough in a film that otherwise teeters on the edge of soap opera camp. As Claire, Lopez brings the right amount of depth to a character caught in a vulnerable moment, convincing enough that you don’t go “no, thanks” and put on reruns of Seinfeld instead.
The movie mixes sultry tension with outrageous plot turns, creating a viewing experience that feels both thrilling and unintentionally hilarious. The well-known seduction scene between Claire and Noah is played with full intensity and helps establish the soon-to-be obsessive storyline. On one side, it leans into the sultry appeal of forbidden romance, with Lopez’s character swept into a dangerous, irresistible affair with a young man. It’s the stuff cheap drugstore romance novels are made of. The buildup is filled with lingering stares, whispered promises, and the kind of steamy tension you’d expect in a late-night cable drama.
But for every pulse-quickening moment, there’s an equally comical, absurd twist just around the corner. The infamous “first edition of The Iliad” scene serves as Noah’s unhinged declaration of love, tied together with showdowns that take themselves too seriously. Which is exactly why it’s so much fun to watch. The film veers into camp, permitting viewers to laugh as much as they gasp. It strikes a balance between being sexy and ridiculous, making it a compelling guilty pleasure. The Boy Next Door is the type of movie to watch on a friend’s night where you want to swoon, laugh at the ridiculous twists, and shout at the screen together as the drama spins out of control.
Ryan Guzman Is a Villain That Tries To Deliver Menace With Over-the-Top Flare
There’s no denying that the premise of The Boy Next Door is what would entice any viewer to watch. A handsome young man takes a sexual interest in an older, pretty woman and charms his way into being desirable. Guzman’s character of Noah is portrayed as a typical thriller villain: charming, handsome, obsessive, dream-worthy, and unpredictable. From the start, Noah keeps audiences on edge between a sweet neighborly demeanor and his masked dark side. However, as the story progresses, his actions and dialogue increasingly veer into melodrama.
As Noah’s obsession escalates, so do the characters’ lines acted out with such determination that they edge into being absurd and trying to be intimidating, which never fully lands. Threats, stalking, and over-the-top declarations of love all pile up, creating moments that are as cringe-worthy as they are suspenseful. The result is a villain who’s simultaneously menacing and unintentionally humorous, turning every encounter into a dramatic spectacle.
The Boy Next Door isn’t meant to make you think too hard; it’s meant to be easy entertainment more than it is a cut-throat thriller. The plot is expected, with a sex scene that gives the needed spark of bubbling chemistry, setting up the stage for Noah’s obsession. It has the right male lead to embody the unassuming “boy next door” and the vulnerable single mother who feels desired and quickly becomes dangerous. But the movie never lands as being great or on any Top 5 list. It’s a watch-and-dish movie where it’s perfectly okay to talk while watching and not miss a beat.
The Boy Next Door
- Release Date
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January 23, 2015
- Runtime
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91 minutes
- Director
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Rob Cohen
- Writers
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Barbara Curry
