Andrew Barker of Variety agrees with all of the "typical January" reviews, noting "January releases don't get much more January than this, but given its reported $4 million budget, The Boy Next Door shouldn't have too much trouble finding its way into the black." He does, however, note that Barbara Curry's first-time script allows Guzman (of Pretty Little Liars and Step Up fame) to become "adrift" in a "pivotal role."
"It doesn't help that his attempts at smirking, unhinged malevolence are more Ace Ventura than Norman Bates...but he has precious little to go on," he writes.
The New York Daily News' Joe Neumaier finds the 90-minute film to be just as disappointing as the rest, but can't help but notice that the camera loves Lopez despite the poor content.
"Over more than 20 years of movies, Lopez's style, in good movies and bad, has been beguiling and unhurried," he writes.
