The Perfect Man

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The Perfect Man
The-Perfect-Man-Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Mark Rosman
Produced by
Screenplay byGina Wendkos
Story by
Starring
Music by Christophe Beck
Cinematography John R. Leonetti
Edited by Cara Silverman
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • June 17, 2005 (2005-06-17)(United States)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$10 million
Box office$19.7 million [1]

The Perfect Man is a 2005 American romantic comedy film directed by Mark Rosman and written by Gina Wendkos. It stars Hilary Duff, Heather Locklear, Ben Feldman and Chris Noth. Shooting for the film began in May 2004. Despite receiving mostly negative reviews from critics, the film was a box office success.

Romantic comedy Film genre

Romantic comedy is a genre with lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is "a funny movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily". Another definition suggests that its "primary distinguishing feature is a love plot in which two sympathetic and well-matched lovers are united or reconciled".

Hilary Duff American actress and singer

Hilary Erhard Duff is an American actress, singer, songwriter, designer, producer and author. Duff began her acting career at a young age and quickly became labeled a teen idol as the title character of the hit television series Lizzie McGuire (2001–2004) and in the theatrical film based on the series, The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003). Thereafter, Duff appeared in numerous films, with leading roles in Agent Cody Banks (2003), Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), A Cinderella Story (2004), and Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005). After experiencing commercial and critical failure in Material Girls (2006), Duff began appearing in independent films such as War, Inc. (2008), According to Greta (2009), and The Haunting of Sharon Tate (2019). She also was an executive producer on the latter two films. Since 2015, she has starred as Kelsey Peters on the TV Land comedy-drama series Younger, for which she has received nominations for People's Choice Awards in 2016 and 2017.

Heather Locklear American actress

Heather Deen Locklear is an American actress. Her first major television role was the part of Sammy Jo Carrington on Dynasty from 1981 to 1989, which began her longtime collaboration with producer Aaron Spelling. She is also known for her role as Amanda Woodward on Melrose Place (1993–99), for which she received four consecutive Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress – Television Series Drama. Her other notable television roles include Officer Stacy Sheridan on T. J. Hooker (1982–86), and Caitlin Moore on Spin City (1999–2002), for which she earned a further two Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy. She had a recurring role on the TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland and a main role on the TNT drama-comedy television series Franklin & Bash in 2013.

Contents

Teenager Holly Hamilton (Duff) is tired of moving every time her single mom Jean (Locklear) is through with her latest mistake of a man. To prevent her mother from making another bad decision, Holly has an idea: create a secret admirer who is the perfect man. However, things spin out of control and Holly has to improvise.

Plot

Single mother Jean relocates every time she gets her heart broken by another guy, much to the dismay of her teenage daughter, Holly. Holly devises a plan to invent a secret admirer for her mother, so she will be happy and not have to relocate anymore. Holly overhears her friend Amy's uncle Ben ordering flowers for a woman, and decides to use his advice on women (which she acquires by telling him she needs help for a school project on romance). Following Ben's advice, she sends her mother orchids and other gifts and love notes, and is soon communicating with her mother as this fictitious admirer (who Holly names Ben) via the Internet. As her mother becomes more interested, Holly has to find a photo of this admirer. She sends one of the real Ben, and then devises a reason why they cannot meet in person, claiming he is working in China. While she is developing the online romance between her mother and fake Ben, and preventing her mother and the real Ben from meeting in person, she finds herself drawn to a cute, artistic boy in her class, Adam, but is unwilling to get close to anyone due to her history of being uprooted and having to say goodbye so often.

As the charade continues, and as Holly spends more time with Ben while picking his brain for romance tips, she slowly begins to see qualities in Ben which make her believe he is her mother's "perfect man". However, there is no way her mother can ever meet the real Ben without Holly's plan being exposed. Holly asks for Adam's help to disguise as Ben in the telephone and break up with Jean. But he fails, as he is revealed to be harboring feelings for Holly as well, in effect telling Holly's mother the opposite of what is planned.

The following day at school, Holly confronts Adam angrily because of his failed attempt to disguise as Ben and break up with her mother over the phone did not go according to plan. Adam apologizes and tells Holly that he just got distracted. Holly demands to know what he could have possibly been distracted by and Adam admits his feelings for Holly by kissing her. That night, Lenny, a man who is infatuated with Jean, proposes to her and she replies with a "maybe". Holly, in an act of desperation, then disguises herself as Ben's secretary and arranges a meeting between Ben and her mother. The next day, when Holly mistakenly thinks Ben is marrying someone else, she disrupts the wedding to tell Ben he should be with her mother, not knowing he was there because the bride is his dear friend and he was catering the wedding. A disappointed Ben follows her out and she admits the full story. Holly then goes to the meeting place and admits the whole ruse to Jean, who seems to take it terribly. Days pass by and Holly and her mother maintain a cold relationship, and Holly is offended by her interpretation of Adam's drawing of "Princess Holly". Holly begs Jean for them to move again. Her mother is humiliated and wants to stay, but Holly tells her to leave this once for herself, as she always has to move for her mother. Her mother cannot argue with that so they start to pack. Adam, for what he thinks is the last time, goes to Holly's home and gives Holly's mother his drawing, commenting that the drawing has another side that Holly did not see before she left, which turns out to be Adam telling Holly that he will always be there for her.

Touched, Jean logs onto the Internet using Holly's screen name and talks to Adam. Adam, thinking it is Holly, says that her mom is setting a bad example, getting up and leaving when things get bad and that, in return, is making a bad role model for her own daughters. Jean is deeply moved by this and decides to stay, finding a new job and trying to rebuild her life without running away. She also apologizes to her daughter and tells her to look at the other side of the drawing, making Holly happy.

Meanwhile, Ben is inspired by what Holly told him about her mother, and with Holly's help, Jean and Ben finally meet and Jean finds her "perfect man" at last. Holly is on the road to her perfect man as well since she has some stability in her life and finally opens up and admits her feelings for Adam. At the end, Adam and Holly go to their first school dance together.

Cast

Ben Feldman actor

Ben Feldman is an American actor. He has done stage acting, including the Broadway play The Graduate along with Alicia Silverstone and Kathleen Turner. He also played a leading character in The Perfect Man and portrayed Fran Drescher's son on the television series Living with Fran. He is also known for his role as Jonah in the NBC sitcom Superstore.

Chris Noth American actor

Christopher David "Chris" Noth is an American actor. He is known for his television roles as NYPD Detective Mike Logan on Law & Order (1990–95), Big on Sex and the City (1998–2004), and Peter Florrick on The Good Wife (2009–16). He reprised his role of Mike Logan on Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2005–08), and reprised his role of Mr Big in the films, Sex and the City (2008) and Sex and the City 2 (2010). He was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television for Sex and the City in 1999 and for The Good Wife in 2010. He studied acting at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City.

Vanessa Lengies is a Canadian actress, dancer and singer. She is known for starring in the drama American Dreams as Roxanne Bojarski. She appeared as Charge Nurse Kelly Epson on the TNT medical drama HawthoRNe, and has appeared in the recurring role of Sugar Motta in the third, fourth, and sixth seasons of the Fox series Glee.

Production

Shooting for the film began in May 2004 and was based on screenwriter Heather Robinson's life in Tucson, Arizona. Carson Kressley missed two days of shooting on his reality makeover show, Queer Eye , due to filming on The Perfect Man overrunning. Queer Eye explained his absence by claiming the fashion expert was busy shopping. On the weekends, Duff was busy recording songs for her then-upcoming self-titled album.

Heather Robinson Screenwriter, Producer, Author

Heather Robinson Ross is an American screenwriter, film producer and author.

Tucson, Arizona City in Arizona, United States

Tucson is a city and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States, and home to the University of Arizona. The 2010 United States Census put the population at 520,116, while the 2015 estimated population of the entire Tucson metropolitan statistical area (MSA) was 980,263. The Tucson MSA forms part of the larger Tucson-Nogales combined statistical area (CSA), with a total population of 1,010,025 as of the 2010 Census. Tucson is the second most-populated city in Arizona behind Phoenix, both of which anchor the Arizona Sun Corridor. The city is 108 miles (174 km) southeast of Phoenix and 60 mi (97 km) north of the U.S.–Mexico border. Tucson is the 33rd largest city and the 58th largest metropolitan area in the United States (2014).

Carson Kressley Television personality, fashion designer

Carson Lee Kressley is an American television personality, actor and designer. He was the fashion expert on the American television program Queer Eye, where he was one of the show's "Fab Five". He was also the motivational host of the TV show How to Look Good Naked and OWN's Carson Nation, as well as a contestant on season 13 of Dancing with the Stars. Since 2015, Kressley has been a judge on RuPaul's Drag Race. Beginning in October, 2018, he teamed up with his old Queer Eye alum Thom Filicia for a new series called Get a Room on Bravo. The series follows the two as Thom mentors Carson in the interior design business, and features two clients in each episode.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a rating of 6% based on 115 reviews. [2] The critical consensus describes the film as "a lifeless, occasionally creepy movie that gives romantic comedies a bad name". [2] Metacritic rated the film as having "generally unfavorable reviews" and gave the film a score of 27% based on a normalized average of 29 reviews. [3]

Rotten Tomatoes American review aggregator for film and television, owned by Fandango

Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang. The name "Rotten Tomatoes" derives from the practice of audiences throwing rotten tomatoes when disapproving of a poor stage performance.

Box office

In its opening weekend, the film grossed $5,300,980 million in 2,087 theaters in the United States and Canada, ranking number eight at the box office, the best debut for a teen comedy film that week. By the end of its run, The Perfect Man grossed $16,535,005 domestically and $3,235,470 internationally, totaling $19,770,475 worldwide. [4]

Soundtrack

The Perfect Man (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by
various artists
ReleasedJune 14, 2005 [5]
Recorded2005
Length44:30
Label Curb

The Perfect Man (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the film of the same name, released on June 14, 2005, by independent label Curb Records. [6]

Curb Records American record label

Curb Records is an American record label started by Mike Curb originally as Sidewalk Records in 1963. From 1969 to 1973, Curb merged with MGM Records where Curb served as President of MGM and Verve Records.

Track listing

No.TitlePerformer(s)Length
1."Collide" Howie Day 3:10
2."I Will Learn to Love Again" Kaci Battaglia 3:15
3."Better Than This" Kimberley Locke 3:21
4."Real Life Fairytale" Plumb 2:19
5."Let It Go" Jadon Lavik 2:44
6."The Real Thing"Sara Overall3:14
7."If You Got What You Came For" Beth Thornley 4:05
8."Make Room"Grits3:38
9."Mr. Roboto" Dennis DeYoung 3:15
10."Lady"Dennis DeYoung4:06
11."Babe"Dennis DeYoung3:53
12."The Best of Times"Dennis DeYoung3:25

Awards and nominations

2007 Teen Choice Awards

2005 Golden Raspberry Awards

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References

  1. ↑ "The Perfect Man (2005) - Box Office Mojo". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  2. 1 2 The Perfect Man at Rotten Tomatoes
  3. ↑ "The Perfect Man". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  4. ↑ "The Perfect Man (2005)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 2011-07-27.
  5. ↑ "The Perfect Man (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". iTunes. Retrieved June 4, 2011.
  6. ↑ "The Perfect Man (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". iTunes. Retrieved June 4, 2011.
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