The Perfect Man

About The Perfect Man

The Perfect Man is a 2005 romantic comedy drama film directed by Mark Rosman and written by Gina Wendkos. It stars Hilary Duff, Heather Locklear and Chris Noth. It is rated PG for some mildly suggestive content. The film received mostly negative reviews from critics and did not live up to box office expectations making little above $19,000,000 worldwide.

Single mother Jean (Heather Locklear) moves every time she gets her heart broken by another guy, much to the dismay of her teenager daughter, Holly (Hilary Duff). Holly devises a plan to invent a secret admirer for her mother, so she'll be happy and stop moving. Holly overhears her friend Amy's (Vanessa Lengies) uncle Ben (Chris Noth) ordering flowers for a woman, and decides to use his advice on women (which she acquires by telling him she needs help for a school project on romance). Following Ben's advice, she sends her mother orchids and other gifts and love notes, and is soon communicating with her mother as this fictitious admirer (who Holly names Ben) via the internet. As her mother becomes more interested, Holly has to find a photo of this admirer (she sends one of the real Ben), and then devise a reason they can't meet in person (she claims he is working in China). Holly has one sister named Zoe Hamilton, (Aria Wallace). While she is developing the cyber romance between her mother and fake Ben, and preventing her mother and the real Ben from meeting in person, she finds herself drawn to a cute, artistic boy in her class, Adam (Ben Feldman), but is unwilling to get close to anyone due to her history of being uprooted and having to say goodbye so often.

As the charade continues, and as Holly spends more time with Ben while picking his brain for romance tips, she slowly begins to see qualities in Ben which make her believe he is her mother's 'perfect man.' Unfortunately there is no way her mother can ever meet the real Ben without Holly's plan being exposed. Holly asks help from Adam to disguise as Ben in the telephone and break up with Jean. But he fails, as he is revealed to be harboring feelings for Holly too, in effect telling Holly's mother the opposite of what is planned.