The Perfect 46
The Perfect 46
| 28 October 2014 (USA)
The Perfect 46 Trailers

A geneticist creates a website that pairs an individual with their ideal genetic partner for children.

Reviews
Tayyab Torres Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.
Leoni Haney Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.
Asad Almond A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.
Kimball Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
snowboarderbo This is a mostly expository film, so if you don't like people yammering, you're prolly not gonna like it.I agree with many others that the film breaks some good rules such as:Complete lack of sympathetic characters. The ostensible protagonist is a jerk. His main business rival is a smarmy clown, like a real life Sideshow Bob ffs. The two burglars are ciphers until the very end and then the main one just comes across as a pathetic idiot.And the end is the worst part. All this build up and then there's no release, no cathartic moment, no resolution at all. The film does contain an interesting take on the potential upsides and downsides to widespread genetic testing, but it fails as a film.I don't regret watching it, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone not already interested in the debate within. And I certainly will never watch it again.
sexton-timothy Review -- The Perfect 46 was supposed to be a science fiction movie but, this science is actually fact! There are several start-up companies using the concept of DNA matchmaking today, just google "DNA romance".I felt the directors took this concept in an unlikely direction and turned the idea of DNA matchmaking into Frankenstein's monster. I felt they missed the real value people would see in a DNA based matchmaking. The perfect 46 pretends that DNA based matchmaking will only give health reports and the idea has no other value. Education -- Unlike what is described in the perfect 46 there are no companies offering health based compatibility reports. The approach these DNA matchmaking companies use for compatibility reports is based on opposite HLA genes, meaning the have couple will have biological chemistry, they will find that their partners odor smells sexy.
Jenny Clarke The Perfect 46The Perfect 46 follows in a recent trend in science fiction, that is more interested in exploring the potential of human experience than actually depicting that future through CGI and fancy sets. The Perfect 46 offers new slant on this trend though; whereas the work of Shane Carruth, Gareth Edwards and Duncan Jones focuses on ordinary people dealing with future concepts. The Perfect 46 looks at the experience of the person who has invented the new 'thing' and who has to take responsibility for it when it fails. That person is Jesse Darden, creator of theperfect46.com: a website service which takes the genome sequence of you and your partner and tells you the likelihood of any future child inheriting a life altering condition. The film is an interesting mix of stories than depict Jesse's life in various different ways. Snapshots of his personal life and the business' development are contrasted with a tense and slightly sinister break-in at Jesse's home and the discovery, by one of the burglars, of a TV-style documentary about the company and Jesse (which does well to provide all the contextual information and science-fictionally elements of the plot). In combining these elements the film is able to convey a lot of information whilst still having the space to explore the impact of theperfect46.com in a more naturalistic way. The central example being an extended dinner party scene, where the guests challenge Jesse on his ideals and a technology conference where Jesse spells out his idealistic view of theperfect46.com.These aspects of the film are so unusual and well conceived that it is almost disappointing that the film takes a more emotional turn in the ending, revealing the motivation of one of the burglars is connected to a very personal experience. The Perfect 46 is a remarkably brave film that deals with the difficult topic of eugenics, calls into question the responsibility of the dotcom tycoons who have a significant affect on everyday lives and doing so without grandstanding special effects but with a naturalistic and intricate script and an outstanding central performance by Whit Hertford.
Donald Buehler Debuting on January 25th, as part of Winter Garden's StarLite Festival, Brett Ryan Bonowitz' latest feature film is a smash. It chronicles the rise and fall of Jess Darden, played masterfully by Whit Hertford, and his genetic engineering company, The Perfect 46. The story of The Perfect 46 and their efforts to rid the world of a number of devastating diseases is told thru a home invasion of Jesse's residence and a video which documents the rise and fall of the company.Coming across in a "Steve Jobs" like story, the video (which is being viewed by one of the home invaders) shows how Jesse's vision and of a disease free world through using his algorithm to test couples who are going to procreate gets corrupted and eventually leads to his downfall.The skill with which this micro-budget film is presented is impressive - worthy of any of Hollywood's multi million dollar efforts. And the beauty of indie movies like this is is that you know you have seen some of the actors (in my case both Whit Hertford and David Neher), but you cannot quite place them. The film explores the familiar territory of how far man should go in protecting future generations from disease through genetic engineering. But this treatment of the subject is fresh and could have been extracted from a number of the .coms or other visionary companies who started out strong with a clear vision, were initially successful, and suffered a set back which eventually brought them down. The film captures that youthful enthusiasm and idealism, as well as the impact that the media, the government , and society in general play in evaluating and encouraging or destroying these kinds of efforts. The only card which was not played in the film was the religious one - which would have certainly been present in the real world. Nevertheless, the film sparked a very thoughtful discussion between myself and my daughter.Even though the StarLite Festival is not over (I couldn't wait to write the review), I will be surprised if The Perfect 46 is not a strong candidate for an award.Enjoy, DonB