There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

I can't think of a more by-the-numbers cliché fest. In the early 2000s, Hillary Duff had a modicum of fame, as another Disney channel generated star, in the vein of Lindsay Lohan. To her immense credit, she didn't end up a similar train wreck. Still, her limited appeal as the "charming, good girl next door" is on full display in this calculated safe movie that takes no risks.Holly Hamilton (Duff) is tired of her single mother (Heather Locklear)'s routine of dating, getting too involved, getting dumped and uprooting her and her sister constantly. So, through a variety of passing gifts and letters along, she creates a fictional secret admirer who fits her mother's standards of romantic perfection. What follows is the classic "liar revealed" story, as Holly gets in too deep and has to constantly tell lie after lie. As I said, all the clichés are here: the over-looked guy who is trying to win Holly's affections, the quirky best friend (played by Caroline Rhea, who had some success for a short time in this time of role following her tenure on "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch"), the flamboyant gay guy who is thrown in there for comic relief, the clueless klutz of a guy who provides a "competitor" for Holly's fictional boyfriend. Along with the characters, there's also the "girls just wanna have fun" far too choreographed dance sequence, the "liar revealed" scene where it looks like everything's ruined, the pop song sequence ("Collide" by Howie Day. In fairness, as far as corny early '00s pop goes, it's one of the better ones).There's absolutely nothing "bad" about this movie. If you're looking for a safe teen romance, it's not bad. It just takes no risks and goes nowhere you don't see coming a million miles away.

Hi guys. This is a badly written story. Not much good humor even for a kids movie/chick flick. It certainly isn't the worst in the genre. Slighty offensive to gay people through stereotyping. A few plot holes. On the bright sight I find the acting in itself overall not to bad. There are a few laughs and funny lines. But I can't say I did want to watch it till the end I only did it so I could give a honest rating and review. The film is predictable until the end. And doesn't follow a strong storyline. Which shouldn't be that hard in the genre and even in the story in the film. They could have done a better job at the characters because they aren't very likable as well. I hope this was helpful. Have a nice day.

Well it was better than Material Girls but didn't compare to A Cinderella Story or Raise Your Voice.Me personally i like a little bit of drama in a movie... a character dies (the more important to the story line the better) they lose everything etc... therefore i enjoyed the fact she was new at the school and was so messed in the head after the mums failed relationships that she wanted to run away.umm to be honest i didn't like the hair styles Hilary was wearing. it made her look plain and boring...The story line was good... the acting was good ( a few cheesy lines not even Denzel could make believable) the drawing was wicked! Overall its worth a watch :) xSx87x

Hilary Duff has never made a movie on her own that I've liked. "A Cinderella Story" was mediocre at best and "Raise Your Voice" had to be on the worst films of 2004. "The Perfect Man" is another Duff vehicle that received horrid reviews, which is funny because I actually thought it was sort of decent. It is the type of movie that is bland and indistinguishable, yes, but also decently so. The storyline zips along with enough plausibility and chuckles for you to feel like the rental fee was worth it. Unlike "A Cinderella Story" and "Raise Your Voice," Duff is not a victim this time, which was refreshing. In fact, she's can be narcissistic and cruel. Heather Locklear plays her distressed mom, and I haven't seen any of her other films but I thought she was believable enough. Ben Feldman is affable as Duff's love interest and Chris Noth is quite good as a charming restraunteer. Speaking of Noth, a good way to sum up "The Perfect Man" is that it plays out a more extended version of a Sex and the City episode, only without the risqué humor or racy subject matter, which makes it a good fit for moms and their daughters. Not a great film, but it follows its dubious formula well enough for me to recommend it to some.GRADE: B