The Girl Next Door (4 March 2004)
directed by Luke Greenfield
starring Emile Hirsch, Elisha Cuthbert, Timothy Olyphant, James Remar, Chirs Marquette, Paul Franklin Dano, Timothy Bottoms, Donna Bullock, Harris Laskaway
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MPAA rating: Studio: Regency Enterprises, New Regency Pictures, Daybreak, Epsilon Motion Pictures Script: Stuart Blumberg, David Wagner, Brent Goldberg Music: David Gray, Paul Haslinger Running time: 109 minutes Tags: Comedy; fencing; high schools; porn star; prom; Romance; sex education Tactical strength: [6/10]
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for strong sexual content, language and some drug/alcohol use
Matthew (Emile Hirsch) has spent his time in high school as the good boy. He has received his acceptance into Georgetown University, but he feels that with his focus on good grades, he has missed out on part of his high school experience. Watching the jocks and cheerleaders skip class and head for the beach, he says to his friends, "How do they get away with it." His friend Eli (Chris Marquette) says, "Because they just don't care." Matt then makes a short-lived determination to throw caution to the wind, but as he imagines himself trying to leave the school property and his subsequent arrest, he gives up the idea and goes to class.
Matt's life seems doomed to nerdy boredom until Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert) moves in next door to Matt. He develops an instant infatuation with Danielle, and he takes her on a sightseeing trip around town. Danielle asks, "What's the craziest thing you've done lately?" Matt doesn't have a good answer, and in the next scene we see him stripped naked in Danielle's headlights. Matt starts seeing Danielle regularly, including skipping classes when she shows up at his school. Matt really enjoys his new found rebelliousness until Eli shows him a porn movie starring Danielle. This revelation provides the basis for the requisite romantic comedy break-up, and Matt spends about half of the film trying to reunite with Danielle.
I always have to comment on ridiculous casting. Except for the principle characters, the "high school" students cast could easily play seniors in college and don't make plausible teenage students. When you see numerous Disney efforts successfully and authentically cast with teenagers, I just wonder why more studios opt for such unrealistic casting. Although the background casting leaves must to be desired, the casting of Paul Dano and Chris Marquette as Matt's high school friends added to both the plausibility and the humor of the film. Dano plays well as self-doubting nerd, and Marquette does an excellent job at playing the audio-visual geek with visions of grandeur as a movie director.
Director Luke Greenfield has created a well constructed teen comedy with a bit of a plot twist at the end. I especially liked the touch of reality when Matt tries to make a speech at a scholarship contest while high on ecstasy. In most comedies, the drugs would have enabled Matt to deliver a speech unhindered by his natural inhibitions which should overwhelm the judges with Matt's greatness. In this case, Matt gives a weird yet rousing speech, but he fails to win the scholarship. In fact, Greenfield has avoided most of the romantic comedy clichés in creating this fun look at modern teenage misfits.
