By Shirl Hollenberg

boy next door ..hollywood 1Bad things can happen to good people. Simple infatuation gets out of hand in The Boy Next Door. Better prepare for the unknown in This savvy tale from Universal Pictures now heating things up at Cineplex Odeon cinemas around B.C.
Today families come in All shapes and sizes. Single parent households are the norm and in This movie that tradition continues, albeit in a more offbeat way. Busy working mom Claire Peterson does what she can to impart good adult advice on teenage some Kevin. Saucy Jennifer Lopez ( Selena) tones down her cougar image to play nice as an innocent mom/teacher with Ian Nelson say cast as a nerdy adolescent without a friend in the world.
All is not lost on poor Kevin as the arrival of a boy next door drastically improves his social standing at school . By all counts Noah Sand burn is not only a dream neighbour but a true friend. Handsome Ryan Guzman fits the part of a hunk to a tee. Blessed with good looks and a high libido it doesn’t take long for our newcomer to take more than a passing interest in Kevin’s sexy mom.
Political correctness goes out the wi Dow as this classic Lolita case gets reversed with the young lad doing whatever he can to “romance” Claire. Caught up in this passionate struggle are friends and family of the victimized woman who can’t escape the unwanted attention of a true sociopath.
Despite what some critics say Director Rob Cohen delivers the thrills in this explosive thriller. Good acting despite a few predictable moments makes The Boy Next Door a fearful bit of sexy fun at the movies, complete with a good douse of suspense and some requisite bloodletting. Evil is good and this kid is damn hostile.

The Boy Next Door (PG) ***