The Girl Next Door (2004)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Luke Greenfield

Writers (WGA):

David Wagner (story) &
Brent Goldberg (story) ...

Release Date:

27 March 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Matt never saw her coming... but all his friends had!

Plot:

A teenager's dreams come true when a former porn star moves in next door and they fall in love.

Plot Keywords:

Teen Sex Comedy | Prom | Public Nudity | Actress Breaking Typecast | Sex Comedy

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Emile Hirsch	...	Matthew Kidman
Elisha Cuthbert	...	Danielle
Timothy Olyphant	...	Kelly
James Remar	...	Hugo Posh
Chris Marquette	...	Eli
Paul Dano	...	Klitz
Timothy Bottoms	...	Mr. Kidman
Donna Bullock	...	Mrs. Kidman
Jacob Young	...	Hunter
Brian Kolodziej	...	Derek
Brandon Irons	...	Troy
Amanda Swisten	...	April
Sung Hi Lee	...	Ferrari
Ulysses Lee	...	Samnang
Harris Laskaway	...	Dr. Salinger (as Harris Laskawy)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual content, language and some drug/alcohol use.

Runtime:

109 min | USA:110 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:14 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:18A | Chile:14 | Czech Republic:12 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 | Ireland:18 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) (cut) | Singapore:R21 (re-rating) | Spain:18 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #40269) | USA:Unrated (unrated DVD version)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Regency Enterprises

Trivia:

Elisha Cuthbert filmed this movie while she was filming "24" (2001). When asked about the hectic schedule, she said, "Our weekends were Monday and Tuesday and the show was, obviously, Saturday and Sunday, so every day for three months."

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: The camera truck is reflected in the windows of the house across the street as Matt walks past with the inner tube.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Woman: [voiceover] How do you want me?
Man: Oh, that's good. Yeah. Just, uh... just get comfortable.
Woman: I'm a little nervous.
Man: Nah, you're doing great.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Veronica Mars: The Girl Next Door (#1.7)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

PURPLE HAZE

Kind of a homage to Risky Business but much more than that

I did not see this movie in theaters. I usually wait for teen films to come out on video before viewing them. I must say, the way this movie was marketed, one would figure that this flick is along the lines of such classics as Bring It On and Can't Hardly Wait. Though this movie definitely is now part of the illustrious teen film library, it runs a little bit deeper than the average adolescent flick.

As the title suggest, this movie does have Risky Business written all over it. The characters (the pimp vs the adult film director) the props (glass egg vs the golden "trophy") as well as the music and language definitely give this film an updated twist on RB. However, it would be erroneous to write this film off as a rip-off, it just isn't afraid to show it's influence.

Emile Hirsch is great as Matthew Kidman, the ambitious high school senior (who actually looks like he's in high school) with an Ivy League future. Straight and narrow, his life is spun on it's head once Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert) enters the picture. Cuthbert, playing a free-spirited porn star, actually gives a rather understated performance that is sincere and sweet. Matthew's once planned out life is now lived more on the edge, and with that, he encounters some interesting characters, such as Kelly, the shady porn director, played flawlessly by Timothy Olyphant.

However, as the film progresses, the movie didn't delve as deeply into Cuthbert's character as it should have. No insight into her background, how did she get to where she is right now, etc. She also takes a back seat to the growing tension between the Matthew and the sleazebag Kelly. I must say, Olyphant is great in this film. He goes from being hilarious to charming to scary in the span of about five minutes and steals almost every scene he's in. The other supporting characters are great. Chris Marquette (Eli) and Paul Dano (Klitz) are funny as Hirsch's dorky friends, and hopefully Marquette will land more roles like this. They too seem to become more adventurous once Danielle enters the picture, what an influence one person can have.

So in the end, this does have a lot of the typical teen flick campiness. There are jocks, hot chicks on campus, geeks, and the movie itself has plenty of swearing, bathroom humor, slapstick, you name it. There is a sweetness to the movie, as it's amazing what a person will do when they fall in love. This movie has plenty of twists and turns, so come along for the ride and have some fun.