# Perfect Stranger (film)
**Perfect Stranger** is a 2007 American psychological thriller directed by James Foley, in which investigative reporter Rowena Price ([Halle Berry](https://www.edgepedia.org/halle-berry)) goes undercover, both as a temp at an advertising agency and as an online flirtation, to investigate ad executive Harrison Hill ([Bruce Willis](https://www.edgepedia.org/bruce-willis)) for the murder of her childhood friend.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1171939-perfect_stranger) The film was written by Todd Komarnicki from a story by Jon Bokenkamp, released by [Sony Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/sony-pictures) in April 2007, and produced by Revolution Studios.[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-apr-13-et-perfect13-story.html) • [3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0457433/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writer | James Foley; screenplay by Todd Komarnicki from a story by Jon Bokenkamp[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1171939-perfect_stranger) • [2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-apr-13-et-perfect13-story.html) |
| Lead cast | Halle Berry (Rowena Price), Bruce Willis (Harrison Hill), Giovanni Ribisi (Miles Haley), Gary Dourdan (Cameron)[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1171939-perfect_stranger) |
| Release | Wide domestic release April 13, 2007 by Sony Pictures; earliest release April 11, 2007 (EMEA)[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0457433/) • [4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Perfect-Stranger) |
| Box office | Worldwide $73,534,117 per Box Office Mojo; $62,526,388 per The Numbers, with estimated DVD sales of $24,117,011[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0457433/) • [4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Perfect-Stranger) |
| Critical reception | 9% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (141 reviews); Metascore 31 on Metacritic (31 reviews)[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1171939-perfect_stranger) • [5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/perfect-stranger/) |
| Rating / runtime | Rated R for sexual content, nudity, some disturbing violent images and language; about 110 minutes[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Perfect-Stranger) |
| Home video | DVD release August 21, 2007 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Perfect-Stranger) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Rowena Price, an investigative reporter, learns that her friend Grace has been murdered after an affair with Harrison Hill, a powerful advertising executive.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Perfect-Stranger) Suspecting Hill of the crime, she goes undercover under two identities: [Katherine](https://www.edgepedia.org/katherine), a temp working inside his agency, and Veronica, a woman he chats up online.[6](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/perfectstranger) She is helped by her associate Miles Hailey, a friend at the paper who has a secret interest in her.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Perfect-Stranger) • [7](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/perfect-stranger/2000281866/) The film is built on misdirection and closing twists about who is playing whom, and it ends with a man looking out of a neighboring window, apparently having witnessed what really happened.[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-apr-13-et-perfect13-story.html) • [8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457433/plotsummary/)
The story also draws on Rowena's own past: flashbacks indicate she was traumatized by an abusive stepfather as a child, and her earlier exposé of a closeted family-values senator is spiked before she quits and turns to Grace's murder.[9](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/perfect-stranger) • [7](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/perfect-stranger/2000281866/)
### Content and rating
The Motion Picture Association rated the film R for sexual content, nudity, some disturbing violent images and language.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Perfect-Stranger) The film contains a decaying corpse in a morgue, flashbacks to a stepfather threatening a child, a stabbing, and strong profanity, and Common Sense Media rates it suitable only for adults.[9](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/perfect-stranger) Its plot elements, as cataloged by The Numbers, include child abuse, infidelity, internet deception, a closeted homosexual character, and a surprise twist.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Perfect-Stranger)
## Release and box office
The film opened wide in the United States on April 13, 2007 in 2,661 theaters, earning an opening weekend of $11,206,163 and ranking fourth for the weekend; the opening accounted for 47.2% of its eventual domestic gross.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Perfect-Stranger) The two box-office trackers report different totals: [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo) lists $23,984,949 domestic, $49,549,168 international, and $73,534,117 worldwide, while The Numbers lists $23,760,822 domestic, $38,765,566 international, and $62,526,388 worldwide.[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0457433/) • [4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Perfect-Stranger) Estimated domestic DVD sales of $24,117,011 exceeded the domestic theatrical gross reported by The Numbers.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Perfect-Stranger)
International openings in the first days of release included Spain ($1,921,042), France ($1,692,521), and Italy ($977,655); Japan, where the film opened September 29, 2007, contributed $6,351,999.[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0457433/) • [10](https://eiga.com/movie/34208/)
## Reception
**Critical response was strongly negative.** The Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus calls the film too convoluted to work, with a twist ending described as irritating and superfluous, and the site records a 9% Tomatometer from 141 reviews against a 51% audience Popcornmeter from more than 250,000 ratings.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1171939-perfect_stranger) Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 31, based on 31 critic reviews, categorized as generally unfavorable.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/perfect-stranger/) Reviewers singled out the ending: Time Out wrote that the film supplies clues supporting four possible outcomes,[11](https://www.timeout.com/movies/perfect-stranger-1) the Los Angeles Times described the story as heavy on misdirection and closing twists,[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-apr-13-et-perfect13-story.html) and The Washington Post called the plot twist ludicrous.[12](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/entertainment/2007/04/13/perfect-stranger-r-110-minutes/76c6515e-4e56-4553-b801-953c55130f3f/) Some reviews were more favorable; the [San Francisco Chronicle](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-francisco-chronicle)'s review on Metacritic scored 75, wishing for a more sophisticated vehicle for Berry while calling it better than most.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/perfect-stranger/)
Berry's performance was recognized with the 2008 BET Award for Best Actress.[7](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/perfect-stranger/2000281866/)
## References
1. [Perfect Stranger, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1171939-perfect_stranger)
2. [Whodunit? 'Stranger' makes it hard to care, Los Angeles Times (April 13, 2007)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-apr-13-et-perfect13-story.html)
3. [Perfect Stranger (2007), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0457433/)
4. [Perfect Stranger (2007), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Perfect-Stranger)
5. [Perfect Stranger Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/perfect-stranger/)
6. [Perfect Stranger, Sony Pictures Entertainment](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/perfectstranger)
7. [Perfect Stranger, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/perfect-stranger/2000281866/)
8. [Perfect Stranger (2007) Plot, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457433/plotsummary/)
9. [Perfect Stranger Parents' Guide, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/perfect-stranger)
10. [パーフェクト・ストレンジャー, 映画.com](https://eiga.com/movie/34208/)
11. [Perfect Stranger 2007, Time Out](https://www.timeout.com/movies/perfect-stranger-1)
12. [Perfect Stranger (R, 110 minutes), The Washington Post (April 13, 2007)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/entertainment/2007/04/13/perfect-stranger-r-110-minutes/76c6515e-4e56-4553-b801-953c55130f3f/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2005–2009 films › Released 2005 to 2007*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license