THE PERFECT MAN

Starring:
Hilary Duff, Heather Locklear, Aria Wallace, Vanessa Lengies, Caroline Rhea, Mike O'Malley and Chris Noth

Director:
Mark Rosman

Running Time:
100 mins

"I don't want to move again"

Every time Holly's (Duff) mother Jean (Locklear) broke up with her latest boyfriend, her and her sister Aria (Wallace) had to move. This meant that Holly could never really make any true friends or have a relationship of her own. When they end up in New York, Holly finally feels that his could be her home but when her mother starts seeing another no-hoper she comes up with a plan to inject some real romance into her life by creating the perfect man. The problem is that her creation is so good that Jean starts to fall for him.

Hillary Duff is growing up but can she move on from her usual teen flicks into something with a little more substance?

Teen Queen, Hilary Duff's big screen experience had been limited to the usual romantic comedies and 'The Perfect Man' is no different but this time the emphasis isn't all on her. The film plot revolves around her slightly dysfunctional family that is constantly uprooted and moved around the country as her mother goes from one disastrous relationship to another. Hilary, of course, takes the lead but Heather Locklear also has a much plot-time as Jean.

The film revolves around Holly's desire to settle down in one place and the only way she can do that is to find her mother the perfect man. After she is told that he doesn't exist and her mother latches onto another potential loser, she takes matters into her own hands and decides to create him herself. Using her new friend's Uncle Ben as a template and source of information and then combining this with internet research, she creates someone her mother can't help but be interested in. While she succeeds in sparking an interest in her mother, Holly never expected her to fall for him.

This isn't the most challenging role for Hilary Duff but it is one that she does well. It will be very interesting to see if her career can continue past her teenage years and if she has the dramatical skill to move onto more challenging roles. Heather Locklear gives her best performance in years as Holly's mother Jean. She captures the unlucky in love character perfectly, proving that even good looking women can be drawn to the wrong man. There is also good support from Chris Noth as Uncle Ben, Vanessa Lengies as Holly's friend Amy and Ben Feldman as Adam.

'The Perfect Man' is a slight step forward for Hilary Duff but not one that will start defining her career as she moves into adulthood. There is a lot to enjoy for the film's target audience and this time her film isn't just about teenage problems but issues that will appeal to a wider, female audience.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the movie is presented well.

BONUS FEATURES

Deleted Scenes (18.45 mins)
'On the road… Again (Original Opening), 'First piece of advice', 'A Rapper's defence', 'Play ball?', 'Daughter knows best', 'I love Rock n' Roll', 'Lenny gets the girl', 'Tough Love', 'The Lady from Dubuque', 'Breaking up is hard to do', 'Stop drawing and kiss me (original ending)' and ' Hit me with your best shot', these deleted or alternative scenes suffer from a lack of an introduction or commentary track.

Outtakes (4.32 mins)
Watch Hilary Duff, Carson Kressley and Heather Locklear fluff their lines and have fun on set.

Mom and Me (4.36 mins)
Director Mark Rosman and stars Hilary Duff and Heather Locklear talk about the on screen chemistry between mother and daughter and how important this dynamic was to the movie.

Getting the perfect look (7.18 mins)
Director Mark Rosman and stars Hilary Duff, Heather Locklear, Chris Noth, Vanessa Lengies, Carson Kressley and Aria Wallace look at the hair and makeup and the wardrobe departments for the movie.

The Clever Clapper (1.18 mins)
Hilary Duff talks briefly about the creative clapperboard loader on the set

Ready, set, soak, shoot (4.22 mins)
Producer Marc Platt and stars Hilary Duff, Heather Locklear and Carson Kressley take you behind the scenes of the sprinkler scene. They reveal how they had to capture the scene in one take and all the preparation that went into it.

The Sweet Arts - Creating the Cakes (3.08 mins)
Stars Heather Locklear, Aria Wallace, Kym Whitley, Mike O'Malley and Caroline Rhea are joined by professional cake decorator Bonnie Gordon, to reveal how what it takes to create the ornate cakes used in the movie

Getting the Drift - Feature Commentary
Director Mark Rosman and producer Adam Seagal provide a chatty commentary track for the movie. The pair talks about the changes to the script as the film developed, casting and characters and what it was like working with the actor and actresses involved. This is a decent commentary but it would have been better if some of the stars would have contributed.

Hanging with Hilary (3.59 mins)
The teenage star of the film talks about her character, her favourite flower, her perfect date and her perfect man

Hanging with Heather (3.24 mins)
Heather Locklear talks about her character, her favourite flower, her perfect date and her perfect man

Chattin' with Chris (4.00 mins)
The former 'Sex and the City' star talks about his character, his favourite flower, his perfect date and his perfect woman

OVERALL

Universal have done a very good job with the DVD treatment of 'The Perfect Man'. While the featurette may be short, there are plenty of them to enjoy and when you add to this a good commentary and some deleted scenes you have a DVD that fans should enjoy

DVD

A Cinderella Story


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