Steamy, Underrated Jennifer Lopez Thriller Finally Streaming on HBO Max
Chad Collins
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While Jennifer Lopez’s This Is Me…Now: A Love Story continues a healthy showing on Prime Video, her sudden reemergence into the spotlight has reminded me of arguably my favorite Jennifer Lopez movie of all time. Anaconda is close, and I can’t hate the melodrama of both The Cell or Enough, but for me, it’s The Boy Next Door all the way.
It captures everything I love about sordid, sultry domestic thrillers. It’s sexy. It’s dangerous. It’s incredulously plotted and ethically noncommittal. It reminds me of the best of what the 1990s had to offer when the likes of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and The Good Son were raking in heaps of cash at the local Cineplex. If you’ve somehow missed it, I’ve got great news—it’s now streaming on Max.
Per Max: High-school teacher Jennifer Lopez’s one-time fling with the handsome teen next door takes a dangerous turn in this riveting, sexy thriller.
Sure, it looks conventional. It’s got the hallmark of every post-Fatal Attraction riff made this side of Swimfan. The protagonist has an affair. The person with whom they cheat falls madly in love. They start menacing their lover, desperate to be with them. The protagonist must simultaneously keep their secret and contend with a mounting, more violent threat.
The Boy Next Door, luckily, allows itself to lean into the camp and absurdity without jeopardizing the innate, erotic appeal of these types of thrillers. Jennifer Lopez, wisely, is game for everything the movie has to offer, whether that’s stripping down or getting gifted a signed copy of… The Iliad.
Did I mention Ryan Guzman in it? He spouts lines about Lopez’s delicious, homemade “cookies.” He’s regularly shirtless. He’s adept at playing an increasingly dangerous stalker. Oh no, Ryan Guzman, don’t stalk me. It’s worth the price of a Max subscription on its own.
Which, of course, says nothing of the best part about it. The Boy Next Door was produced by Jason Blum. When it counts, the movie leans heavily into horror territory. The deaths here are violent, and there’s a tactility and grit not regularly seen. This isn’t a Lifetime drama. Someone gets an eye ripped out. I love it.
What do you think? Are you going to check out The Boy Next Door on Max? When you do, please, please let me know what you think over on Twitter @Chadiscollins where you can always count on me to purvey the best of what Bad Taste Cinema has to offer.
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