The Perfect Assistant (2008)

Fantastic!

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

The acting in this movie is really good.

Be aware you have to stay with this film for it to gell together correctly. At the start of the movie, my finger was hovering over the off button for at least the first twenty minutes. I was close to the pressing point. But something in my mind stopped me from depressing the button.The story starts out with David Prescott's (Potter) wife Carol (Marcil) being rushed to the hospital. David contacts his personal assistant, Rachel (Davis), to bring her up to speed and to cancel and rearrange meetings until his wife is better. However, Rachel isn't as stable as she appears. She sees David as one of the good men and is truly upset to hear about his wife. She asks how their daughter, Isabelle (Szalankiewicz) is coping. From here on in we get to see her slowly immerse herself into the Prescott's life and family as her delusion grows. It's this growth and the path it leads her down that makes this movie watchable. It gives the story twists and turns that show the workings of a broken mind. Her morals lose ground as her infatuation and obsession grow... how far will she go in what she believes to be true love?I believe that had this been given to a stronger cast and director it would have been a fantastic thought-provoking and chilling film. However, what we get is an entertaining and easily watchable afternoon TV movie.Though the direction is pretty standard for this style of flick more powerful atmosphere and tension were called for to add strength to the project. For me, the worst thing about the film was the acting. Especially from Josie Davis who is a little too over the top with her characterisation - less definitely would have been more. However, it's not a constant thing as there are times when she's spot on with her portrayal. Then there's Deborah Pollitt as Nora... okay, so I actually know people like this so she conveys a realistic character, however, with Josie Davis' performance it makes Pollitt's idiosyncrasies more than a little irritating. One annoying character per film is enough.Since this film surprised me I would recommend it to all psychological thriller fans, though you have to stay with it for the full effect - it's a potboiler.

Josie Davis does a fantastic job in this as "Rachel", an assistant who is obsessed with her boss. Even though she is crazy as a loon, there are aspects about her character that are quite likable. She's got more than one side to her, unlike some of the nuttier one-dimensional lifetime villains I've seen. Sophie Gendron's character as the meddling, goody-goody aunt, Mary-Beth, was annoying. I thought she was a horrible snob and cannot figure out why she is praised as a good person in this movie. When she first meets Rachel, she snidely says "Oh yes, you're the Secretary.". Rachel corrects her and says, "Actually, I'm an Executive Assistant" and Mary Beth just smirks at her in a really condescending way. I thought, what a rude *#^%$! Sophie is much more likable in other lifetime movies IMO. Rachel Hunter's acting as Judith was boring and plastic. She has the personality of a doorknob. However, I thought the boss (Chris Potter) was perfectly cast and did a superb job in his role. His acting is real and very believable.

Perpetually perky and seemingly psycho Josie Davis (as Rachel Partson) works as a secretary for attractive executive Chris Potter (as David Wescott). "Actually, I'm his executive assistant," she corrects. Once tragically orphaned, and displaying a compulsive use of anti-bacterial hand lotion, Ms. Davis is extremely devoted to Mr. Potter. She wants to take the place of his hospitalized wife and be a mother to cute little Veronique Natale Szalankiewicz (as Isabelle). Suspicious co-stars like Rachel Hunter (as Judith) and Jason Harper (as Wally) provide fun watching but, compared to several similarly-titled "The Perfect…" cable-ready TV movies, "The Perfect Assistant" is tragically slow.**** The Perfect Assistant (2008) Douglas Jackson ~ Josie Davis, Chris Potter, Rachel Hunter, Jason Harper

This movie was terrible. The lead character Josie Davis was about a C- throughout the entire time. There was not one scene in which I found her believable or even interesting. And as soon as I saw Sophie Gendron walk on the screen, I groaned. Having suffered through a movie with her once before, I was hoping her role would be very brief. Ms. Gendron is badly in need of a coach, or perhaps another profession.While these two roles were desperately in need of recasting, Chris Potter was absolutely fantastic. He played a difficult part, and did it exquisitely. Every scene of his had just the proper amount of inflection and purpose. He was completely believable and his contribution kept me from giving this movie fewer stars.I also enjoyed Judith Manion, and think she did a great job. She and Chris Potter completely outshone the others.However, this movie is not worth the two hours it took to watch to the end. Save your time and do something more worthwhile.