The Boy Next Door

A small-town murder provides both aggravation and literary inspiration for mystery writer Dina Meyer when she becomes the prime suspect, in this obvious and uneventful whodunnit. Naturally, it's up to Meyer to play Nancy Drew and prove she didn't kill her hunky neighbour (Christopher Russell) - a way-too-easy endeavour that's not only increasingly unrealistic but also deadly dull. With clues conveniently just dropping into her lap and no proper action until the predictable climax, there's little for Meyer to do except look attractive. A surfeit of pointless shots of her jogging or getting in and out of her car accentuate the feature's flimsiness, while the underused and forgettable supporting cast, including late Glee star Cory Monteith, seem to exist more for padding than plot development.