Customer Reviews

Perfect Stranger

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(21)
2 star:		(21)
1 star:		(27)

 

 

In the movie Perfect Stranger Halle Berry plays Rowena, a journalist dedicated to uncovering greed and corruption among people in positions of power (read: rich, white men) with the help of her tech-savvy partner in crime, Miles (Giovanni Ribisi). She writes under the name of David Shane, perhaps in an effort to give her stories more clout among those she seeks to bring to justice. Rowena is partying in a bar with Miles, celebrating the success of her latest story, a senator who has a penchant for sleeping with his male interns, when her boss comes in to tell her that the story is being shut down by the bigwigs at her paper. Rowena quits her job in a huff and runs out of the bar, only to be followed by a friend from her past, Grace.

Grace seems to know all about Rowena's secret identity as David Shane, and hands Rowena a story that will help her rebuild her career and show the men at her paper that she really is a great journalist. Grace is involved with Harrison Hill (Bruce Willis), the owner of the largest advertising agency in New York, H2A. Grace met Hill in an Internet chat room and became sexually involved with him. Hill, a married man, breaks off their affair in due time, but Grace refuses to go away quietly. She wants Hill exposed as a cheater and a liar and she wants Rowena to do the exposing. Rowena takes Grace's evidence, but doesn't agree to do the story. When Grace turns up dead a week later, Rowena finally decides to investigate. She infiltrates H2A, with Miles's help, and poses as a temp to get closer to Hill. She wants to find out if he's the man behind Grace's death, but she doesn't suspect she might begin to fall for him in the interim...

Coming from a person who likes bad movies and revels in the trash that Oscar winners go on to star in (eg, Catwoman, Aeon Flux), Perfect Stranger is virtually unwatchable. For starters, there's the director's penchant for extreme close-ups. And I mean extreme. At one point, I could see the inside of Bruce Willis's nostrils. Then, there's the newsboy cap that Halle Berry runs around in for most of the film, which I guess is meant to convince us that she's really a journalist. Also, we have Berry's gratuitous sex scenes with the hottie from CSI, which in no way add to the plot or continuity of the movie, but I guess if men don't get to hear Halle Berry talking dirty they won't feel they've gotten their money's worth. And let me not forget the fact that Halle Berry takes on a distinct lisp when she says the F-word (seriously, every single time it sounds like she might spit on someone), and she says it quite a few times over the course of the film. Finally, there was the end-of-the-movie voice-over wrap up, which I just cannot tolerate. You know what I mean (think Wild Things), when the movie's ending doesn't make any sense so instead a voice-over tells you all the clues you were supposed to have seen but didn't, so that the real story can be uncovered. It's a cop out and sloppy story-telling, and put the finishing touches on an already crappy film.

There were 100 other things wrong with this movie that I might have been able to forgive if it had aired on Lifetime instead of in a movie theater. I laughed out loud more times than I can count, and this movie is billed as a "psychological thriller," not a comedy. Take my advice and rent Wild Things or Gothika or heck, even Glitter, and you'll be guaranteed to have a better time than wasting $8 to see this drivel.

This is a pretty good film but it realy does take its time to get going. Have to say that for about 2/3 of the film you are realy struggling to keep your attention especially due to the plot realy not helping much.

Film starts with the brutal murder of a friend of Halle Berry, prime suspect is Bruce Willis who runs a large company. Berry decides to investigate by posing as a temp in his company and on an internet chat/date service which Willis uses to pick up women for his numerous affairs.

The film does kind of drag on but their is a nice little twist at the end, you are thrown a couple of hints to this throughout the film but it is only at the end when they all come together. Sort of reminds me a littel of Gothica Berrys other film (more in the sense of there being a traumatic event in the past that someone in the film has to come to terms with)

One big problem with the film is that it does at times try to be clever what with all the internet chat, breaking through firewalls etc the problem with all this is it has been done so many times before.

Though Willis is on the cover of this film he realy takes a bit of a background role it is Berry who is the main actress in this. Think the director of this film has made a point of picking out the lowest cut dresses he could find for Berry to fit into.

Overall a good film worth watching.

This movie really has a lot going for it. Great actors, an interesting and unique premise, just the right amount of excitement, and a halfway decent twist at the end!

"Perfect Strangers" takes audiences on a thrilling journey as one woman fights to uncover the truth behind the murder of a childhood friend. After evidence suggests Rowena's ex-friend, Grace, was murdered by a millionaire married man she had met on the internet, Rowena goes undercover at Harrison Hill's ad agency to try to gather enough evidence to put him away. With the help of her technologically savvy friend, Rowena begins an illicit online affair with the target of her investigation -- but as usual, things are not always what they seem...

I really enjoyed this film. It held my attention, and kept me interested. A couple times I thought I had figured out the twist, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover I was wrong (don't worry, I won't give anything away!). Interestingly enough, they actually filmed 3 different endings -- each one with a different person as the killer. I'm satisfied with the ending they chose, but it would have been nice to see the other 2 alternate endings in the form of a special feature. Sadly, the only special features available on this disc are a "making of" featurette, and a couple trailers. I would have really liked to see more special features.

As thrillers go, I think this is a solid film. Bruce Willis's character was a little stoic and one-dimensional, but in a quiet, creepy sort of way (which overall works to the benefit of the movie). Halle Berry is beautiful as ever, and even though I'm not sure the chemistry between Ms. Berry and Mr. Willis was exactly electric, I think they did what they could with the material, and played off each other fairly well.

One of the things I liked most about this movie was that it was very adult. More and more often, studios are watering down the material to obtain a PG-13 rating in the hopes of appealing to a wider (i.e. old and young) audience. This movie is rated R, and it's not afraid to show it. There's sex, violence, and language -- but it also doesn't rely too heavily on disgusting gore to get it's point across (although, admittedly, there are a few disturbing images -- but again, it doesn't overdo it too much).

Bottom line, don't miss out. I think you might be as pleasantly surprised as I was! 4 stars all the way.

Is hacking computers really this easy?

In Perfect Strangers, Giovanni Ribisi can hack employee files from a high powered New York advertising agency with ease, and manipulate AOL accounts with about three strokes of his keyboard. So I guess that's why he has enough time to build a kinky photo shrine to Halle Berry in a secret back closet in his lime green apartment.

Which sounds fun. But this movie takes itself too seriously.

***SPOILERS***

Basically, Halle Berry's character is a b!tch. She's an investigative reporter. And uses her colleague (Ribisi) as her pu$$y whipped intelligence expert. He's (not so secretly) in love/lust with her. Which creates some decent tension. He's believable. And Berry exploits his obsession. She's quite the domme, ordering him to hack files and fetch coroner's reports. But every time he fulfills her demands, she gets irritated and plays a mind game, mentally beating him into submission (which he seems to get off on.)

The plot...

really doesn't matter. Halle goes undercover as a temp at Bruce Willis' ad agency. One of her duties is stuffing pink gift bags for a Victoria's Secret event. She's really sloppy, getting the bags and delicate tissue paper on top all wrinkled. And thank goodness the office gossip is helping her. This colleague gives Berry a rundown on the entire office, including who the boss (Willis) has been sleeping with. For an esteemed investigative reporter, Berry seems to get all her info handed to her on a silver platter.

Not that any of this starts to add up to anything.

***THE REAL SPOILERS***

Much later in the movie, thru flashbacks, you learn that Berry was molested by her father (or possibly stepfather), a white man. Her black mother finds out, and kills the man with a fireplace poker. Berry and her mother bury him in their backyard. And Berry's friend witnesses it from her window.

Near the beginning of the movie, the friend, who has grown up to be a trashy Melanie Griffith prostitute/drug addict/swinger type, tells Berry she's been sleeping with the married Willis. And that he's a kinky SOB. Then the friend is found murdered.

So the movie is all about finding out who killed the friend.

Is it:

WILLIS (motive: didn't want his wife to know about affair)
WILLIS' WIFE (motive: jealousy)
RIBISI (had secret s/m sex with the victim)
BERRY'S BLACK BOYFRIEND (had impregnated the victim three months earlier)

But no. HALLE BERRY DID IT!

Why?

Because she was afraid the friend would tell everyone about Berry and her mom burying the father in the backyard.

This all could have been a fun plot. But the movie doesn't take it far enough. And it denies us scenes. With all the build up between Berry and Willis, they should have had a sex scene together. A playing out of the father/daughter dom/sub thing. They hinted that Willis, the powerful businessman, liked to be dominated in the bedroom.

In one of her flashback/dreams, from the child Berry's point of view, she imagines her molesting father to be Willis. They really could have played this up. Her subtext could have been that she sees Willis (and all men) as molesters. Which is why it was easy for her to set up the innocent Willis for the murder rap. And why it was easy for her to stab and kill Ribisi at the end when he discovered Berry was the murderer.

There's also a tall, severely beautiful woman who plays Willis' assistant. I kept mistaking her for Milla Jovovich. Her character is a lesbian. Her primary function is to make sure Willis doesn't have affairs with women in the office. So you'd expect a great catty scene with her and Berry. But it never happens.

Oh, and there's a scene where Willis picks up Berry to take her to work. And remember, he thinks she's just a temp. But her apartment building looks like the Waldorf Astoria. But it didn't raise any red flags for the shrewd Willis. Weird, huh?

I would definitely watch a sequel. A lower budget, direct-to-video production. But who would replace Berry? Tyra Banks? Vivica Fox? Or better yet, a no-name actress with a lot of spunk. And a director with no shame.

I knew watching a movie with two stars in the business had to be interesting from the start. The pace of the movie is fast and u have to pay attention to every detail because it all comes together in the end. Halle Berry was definiely the bad guy but she was very clever at the same time, knowing exactly what she was doing convincing everyone of her conniving plot aganist Willis except for her ex-co worker who ended up being penalized for his brillance(hint). This is a good flick & Halle Berry fans shouldn't be disappointed.

I was looking forward to seeing this movie for a few months after seeing the trailers. After viewing it yesterday on opening day, I am very disappoiinted, this movie has no action, no suspense, and no chemistry between the actors. Unfortunatly, the storyline could have worked with another script, instead the viewer sits through one boring scene after another of Rowena (berry) talking to her friend Miles. When Bruce Willis comes on the screen, you expect more suspense, but in never materializes, even Willis can't save this movie.

If you are going to see this movie to watch Halle Berry in steamy sex scenes with Willis or anybody else in this movie, forget it, there are none.

Believe all the bad reviews you read about this movie, they are all correct. My friend fell asleep in the middle of it, and I was embarrassed because I suggested the movie. I thought it was going to be a great film, boy, was I wrong!

If you want to see this film to see Halley Berry's pretty face and clothes than spend the money, because that's all it is, she should give back the star on Hollywood Blvd, that she got last week if she continues to make crummy movies like this one.

I'll admit it, the beginning of the movie was pretty good. It kept me interested, the acting was good, and so far the script was pretty good as well.
But after a while, the movie just got completely predictable and the script became horrendous. Whatever beginnings of a plot line the writers had soon diminished and the ending was completely ridiculous. The movie was not satisfying in anyway; it left me with an incomplete feeling. The only thing that was up to par, in my opinion, was the acting. The actors did a pretty great job with the not so great script they got.

My advice is, save your money and buy another movie(or rent or however else you may see it).

Be hold movie fans because you're about to read one of the worst reviewed films of 2007. We believe this turkey is a strong candidate for the Razzie Awards. The abomination called Perfect Stranger starring no less than academy award winner Halle Berry and super star Bruce Willis. Despite Berry's looks, the film takes you to a long path of pain and suffering. Don't say we didn't warn you. It is a "perfect" mess.

Brief Story Intro:
Rowena (Halle Berry) is a sexy New York City reporter who is always looking for the truth, and apparently has an agenda. She fights to bring down corrupted rich and powerful white men--especially if they are republicans, which is very cliché. She is successful with the help of her sidekick, the annoying computer nerd Miles (Giovanni Ribisi) who has a big crush on her. Who wouldn't? Together, they are dynamite, but this kind of work is risky and sometimes doesn't go as expected.

She gets suspended for few weeks for trying to bring down a gay US Senator--did you guess which political party? After the suspension, a long time friend Grace (Nicki Aycox) goes missing and ultimately found dead--Rowena saw her few days right before her death. Apparently the number one suspect is magnate Harrison Hill (Bruce Willis) who owns one of the biggest advertising companies in New York. He had an affair with her, but she was going to tell his wife. Grace was about to tell the truth. It is up to Rowena to infiltrate his company and find the facts about what happened to her lifelong friend. As the story progresses, we find more ugly truths about these characters and their real motives.

Review:
This is without a doubt, the worst movie of 2007. An unholy mess full of tedious dialogue, depressed characters, confusing flashbacks, bad acting, and pointless sequences of instant messages--which take most of the screen time. It is marketed as a "thriller" but there is none of it. We never get to understand these characters and their real motives until the very end, but by the time we get there, we are too bored and confused to even care. To create some momentum, director James Foley relies on Berry's sexy body, but not her acting. We see her flirting, having sex and making her sidekick crazy. A lame formula to save this car wretch. If I have to give a Razzie award this year, I'd give to Halle Berry as worst actress, hands down. Bruce Willis is not far behind either; he is like a male version of Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada. He tries to be mysterious and tough--it's hard to imagine that when he is getting awards at a Victoria's Secret party. He even hit an employee right in the office where they work because he wasn't loyal. Is that a reference to his upcoming Die Hard 4 movie? Is he trying to bring the macho character back that made him famous? We are just guessing.

The Verdict:
Even if you're a fan of Halle Berry, please avoid Perfect Stranger because there are no thrills, not even a good moment of suspense. It is Berry's Basic Instinct 2. The "twist" is something that few expected, but nobody cares.

Perfect Stranger is a very interesting film as it explores a few different topics, one of them being the aura of anonymous online communication. The other main topic would be the damage of a person's psyche from a childhood experience, as seen with the main character in this movie (played by Halle Berry) that also stars Bruce Willis and Giovanni Ribisi.

From the previews, this film seems like it is going to have a pretty basic plot, but fortunately there are so many more things going on in terms of twists and turns that it is a pleasant surprise, especially at the end. Although the film seems a tad slow at times, it never made me feel like it was losing direction, and kept throwing enough suspenseful scenes and questionable possibilities at me that I was never bored with its overall style.

Bruce Willis fans may be disappointed for the simple fact his character is not really a main focus in the film, but you better believe that the mere presence of this actor adds a lot to the character he plays. The film starts picking up steam when Berry's character (Rowena) finds herself running into some deadly secrets that could mean trouble for her if they are let out into the open. Rabisi's character (Miles) is a tech savvy friend who helps her out in many ways, but has some mysterious things going on in his own present day world. Overall I really just liked the characters and especially enjoyed how well written this script was, it had a good depth within the back stories of the main characters and answered many questions at the end, although you may not like the way some answers come down the pipe!

With star-wattage this high, you could reasonably have expected this movie to glow a lot brighter. As it is, it is a tired mess that harks back to far superior similar `thrillers' from the `90's.
Halle Berry has a friend who is killed in an unusual way, just after confiding to Berry she was meeting and potentially blackmailing Bruce Willis, a married high flying executive with an eye for the ladies.
Halle Berry, being an investigative journalist, pulls in her friend Giovanni Ribisi ( the best thing in the movie, and the only true acting with any ambiguity attached) to go under cover. Or under the covers, might be more appropriate. She poses online to meet him in his preferred chatroom, and as a temp in his office seducing him to get close enough to find out what she needs to know.
Needless to say, twists and turns follow. Let's just say right off - watching people type instant messages to each other is NOT exciting. And if you are expecting some frisson of sexual tension or action on screen, you are also likely to be hugely disappointed. Although advertised as an erotic thriller, the action is all of the internet kind and any supposed tension in the story is of the whodunit variety rather than whodunwho... and it's a good thing Willis and Berry don't get down and dirty, with the appalling lack of chemistry they appear to have, and lack of conviction in their roles they exude.
Ribisi is the only successful wild card in the proceedings that leaves us in any doubt as to the outcome. That ending may be a supposed twist, but lacks the credibility to be satisfying, as the facts all jump out at the end like a cheap trick in a funhouse, rather than thought provoking moment that puts pieces together strewn through the movie, in the way a better scripted effort might have achieved.
Disappointing, with suitably flimsy `making of..' as the sole extra. Perhaps with the ludicrously over the top product replacement they did not feel they needed money back from the movie...