The Girl Next Door (Unrated Version) Reviews

• Saw a review copy - loved this entertaining comedy drama

  
  By A1HX00DL0SZM1G on 2004-08-12
  There is a point in "The Girl Next Door - Unrated Edition' (which I received and promptly devoured, extra's and all, in one sitting) where the movie is in danger of changing in tone and focus from American Pie to Showgirls, but luckily for the movie - and viewers it recovers itself and ends in a definite teen comedy spirit.
  
  I never saw this movie in the theater so I cannot comment on what has been added to this "unrated edition" but there is certainly quite a lot of nudity, but nothing involving the main actors. There are some graphoc scenes at a strip club (including lap dancing) and we get shots of one of the main actors watching a porn video at home. There are some nude scenes from behind of both principal actors Emile Hirsch and Elisha Cuthbert, but as Hirsch points out on Side B of the disc (where most of the extras are located) the movie used a stand-in for those shots.
  
  I have a word of caution regarding the list of extra's on the Amazon page. One is titled a scebne specific commentary bu Hirsch and Cuthbert. What we have here though is not a commentary for the whole movie from the two stars, but rather several scenes on the flip side of the disc in which the two actors both give separate commentary.
  
  Largely (and unjustly) ignored at the box office this teen comedy starts of really well and within the first few moments had me rolling with laughter. The movie starts with a montage of sorts, we see the jocks, brains and cheerleader-types all stating, for their entry in the yearbook, what they "will always remember."
  
  Then there is Matt (played by Hirsch) who is pondering this question. Sure, he has had a successful academic career - as illustrated by his acceptance to Georgetown - but he really hasn't done anything memorable in his senior year of high school.
  
  That's about to change for Matt though with the arrival next door of Danielle (played by Cuthbert), who mplays a breathtaking beauty house sitting for his neighbors.
  
  Entranced by her Matt is unable to stop himself from watching Danielle undress in the window opposite his bedroom - but he is spotted. From that moment he is on a rollercoaster ride. Danielle, amused and evidently attracted to Matt, shows him the excitement of living on the edge, from running naked through the streets to moonlight skinny dipping in his school principal's pool.
  
  Just as everything seems to be going so well between Matt and Danielle, Matt is shocked when one of his best friends Eli (who is a connoisseur of porn movies and full of in-experienced sex advice) shows one of his porn movies - in which Danielle is the main star.
  
  Foolishly following some of his friends advice, the two part company and moments later the movie changes tack and takes on a decidedly darker and more serious tone as Matt becomes sucked into the shadowy world of the pornographic movie industry. Initially charming and friendly towards Matt, Danielle's producer and one-time boyfriend Kelly (played well by Timothy Olyphant) turns violent and antagonistic towards the youth who has his mind set on getting Danielle out of the industry.
  
  This all comes to boiling point when the sleazy producer drugs Matt and sets him up for a robbery.
  
  What follows is both inventive and highly amusing. How will Matt afford to get into Georgetown? What will become of Danielle? These are just some of the questions in this entertaining movie that borrows heavily and liberally from a number of the John Hughes movies of the 1980s and the AMERICAN PIE movies of more recent years. The movie ends on a high note in a conclusion that is both satisfying and enjoyable.
  
  Now onto the part that most readers of this review are more interested in - the extra's. On Side A of the disc we have an okay director's commentary from director Luke Greenfield and an at times amusing and at other times fascinating trivia track.
  
  Then on Side B of the disc we have the aforementioned seven to eight scene specific commentaries from Hirsch and Cuthbert (Hirsch curiously has one more) and deleted and extended scenes with optional directors commentary. None of these scenes are of any particular value to anyone but completists or fans of the movie. They add nothing to the feature, but do have a curiosity factor to them. They also chose the better of the two endings also.
  
  Of more interest is an amusing featurette in which actor Chris Marquette (who plays Eli in the movie) poses as a porn producer and lures in all too interested men (there'e a cute blonde on the bed afterall) who get decidedly less interested (for the most part) when the girl is replaced by a big burly guy.
  
  We are also offered a stills gallery and a VERY short gag reel as well as trailers for a couple of other like minded movies in addition to one promotional trailer for several other Fox titles. There is also a trailer for THE GIRL NEXT DOOR with the subtitle `Dirrrty,' which in reality isn't really that much of a big deal.
  
  All in all, this is a good and entertaining movie, it seems to lose its footing half way through but successfully and engagingly returns to top form before the final credits roll. This is a definite must-buy for fans of the movie and the genre and certainly great entertainment
  
  

• All you need to know.

  
  By A1XPFJWVPWZ62O on 2004-08-13
  She changes her ways and shows him how to live life to the fullest.
  
  There, i just saved you two long, boobless hours.
  
  

• Yes, it rips off "Risky Business" but still a fun film

  
  By A2NJO6YE954DBH on 2004-08-26
  I can see where the 2004 film entitled "The Girl Next Door" (they have been making films with this title since 1914) would be squarely in the crosshairs of critics. In this film, which obviously wants to be "Risky Business" for this generation the titular character turns out to be a porn star, whose real name is Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert, finally getting away from being daddy's little girl on "24"). Fortunately, Matthew Kidman (Emile Hirsch; bend your mind around the idea of him as the next Tom Cruise) falls in love with her at first sight and has to be informed of her vocation by his friend Eli (Chris Marquette; who is as far removed from his character on "Joan of Arcadia" as you can get).
  
  Now, on the one hand the idea of a teenage boy getting involved with a teenage porn star is rather offensive. I mean just think about it in real world terms and unless you are a teenage boy there are some serious problems with this idea. Add to this the fact that the trailers for this movie made it seem like this was another innocent teenage boy hooks up with slightly older beautiful woman (you know, the entire good boy meets hot girl sub-genre), so when you throw a bunch of "adult film" actresses into the mix it certainly violates expectations. No wonder this movie was nominated for a Teen Choice Award as a Choice Movie Your Parents Didn't Want You to See.
  
  But what salvages this film is that it really is about the boy next door. They keep telling us that Danielle is a porn star, and we see some rather tame clips from her films, but despite the encouragement of his friends to the contrary (and the one obligatory misstep) Matthew sees her as Danielle, the girl next door, and not the porn star. So, since we like the kid, whose dream is to win a scholarship so he can afford to go to Georgetown, we are inclined to see her this way too. Besides, it is not like she really acts like a porn star (fill in your own idea of what that would be, because whatever it is, she does not do it) and Cuthbert wisely stays away from full nudity, knowing full well it is sexier that way.
  
  In the end "The Girl Next Door" is really just a love story, which will not only surprise but also disappoint those who are looking for a raunchy teenage sex comedy. Of course there are all sorts of "Risky Business" like complications involving $25,000 to bring the next Einstein to America from Cambodia and Danielle's producer Kelly (Timothy Olyphant, in a scene stealing role) who does not like the idea of some high school boy getting his girl to give up show business. Kelly is as close as Luke Greenfield's film gets to the sleazy side of the adult entertainment film industry, but his idea of how to mess with the kid is more creative than violent and I really did like his reaction to the twist the film takes at the end. I was wavering on whether to round up or down from the 3.5 this film was going to get from me, and that was enough to shift the scale towards the high end.
  
  In the end your ability to enjoy this film is going to come down to how much you like the two stars, whether you are offended there is not more sex, and how much it bothers you that "The Girl Next Door" follows the "Risky Business" playbook from start to finish. The comedy is better than the sex and I was thinking more about the old Andy Hardy movies where the kids decide to put on a show during the end of this film as anything else. Maybe it was wrong to laugh at some of the hijinks in this film, but that was what I was doing, although it seems strange to be giving credit to a movie for not going to far given all the opportunities that it has to do so. But you do get credit for negotiating the curves in this world, which is why "The Girl Next Door" is probably going to become a late night cable cult classic (albeit in the "rated" version of the film).
  
  
  
  

• What love can do...

  
  By A37UCJK99MRHJV on 2004-08-02
  This was an absolutely great film. It kinda reminded of me, and that's what a man is capable of doing, risking it all, putting everything at stake, including his future, for the love and the idea of a woman. And that's the whole point of the movie i guess. I saw it twice because those were images that moved me a lot and i felt emotioned, and trully, to say the first as well the the second time that i saw it, and even the fact that it was a comedy, i cried but i was glad as well. True feelings i suppose. And i hadn't had these type of feelings before since the "A Beautiful Mind", except that here we see a strong support and belief of a man towards a woman doing all he can for the love of her's.
  
  Elisha Cuthbert is absolutely stunning and i will agree with another reviewer who said, who wouldn't want Elisha move right next to him. And make no mistake, looking at the scene where Matthew goes and takes him prom date, where Danielle opens the door, only one thing comes to your mind: Elisha Cuthbert is the next Cameron Diaz. Her face just goes through the glass, a shiny face and her smile is something off the hook. Emile Hirsch also played very well giving all the details of a man ready to do whatever needed for his love.
  
  A great romantic movie and i will add it to my collection as soon as it hits the street.
  
  

• Girl Next Door...Not Your Average Movie Next Door...

  
  By AUMQ508RU10L3 on 2004-06-17
  Remember when you saw the first "American Pie?" It was funny, it was crude, and it was also sweet. The characters were well written and you genuinely cared about them. The same can be said for "The Girl Next Door." A new sexy comedy from Luke Greenfield whose previous films include "The Animal." In the girl next door we are once again thrust into the high school hell. Douche bag jocks, snotty girls, and geeks are all accounted for, and of course the geeks shall inherit the earth. The title character Danielle, (played perfectly by the gorgeous Elisha Cuthbert "24", "Old School") moves next to uber-student, presidential hopeful Matthew (Emile Kidman, previously in "The Emperor's Club, The Secret Life of Altar Boys.) And naturally his world is turned upside down. Now Matthew is living his life, and doing things he would have never dreamed of, from sneaking into his principals pool, to jogging naked. Danielle has a secret though, she's not on hiatus from college, and she's in-town because she's hiding from her last career...PORN!! So she's hot, the movie is funny, and she's an ex-porn star, is there any reason not to see it? The Girl Next Door is much more than a 21st century teen sex comedy, its well written, smart, and has genuinely great performances. Matthew is a character you want to see succeed, you want him to get the girl because a.) She is ungodly hot, but more because b.) He might just deserve her, and The Girl Next Door also deserves a look.
  
  
• My god, a good comedy from this decade!
  By A283NP8NG7X11F on 2005-08-17
  Get this- The Girl Next Door is an actual comedy. It's not a teen-comedy, it's not a romantic comedy. It's all around funny. And for that, I was shocked. While The Girl Next Door looks like yet another American Pie rip-off, it couldn't be any more different. Granted, a lot of scenes are iffy and flat-out outrageous, but when it's over, you'll be in a good mood, knowing you just watched something funny and something with actual heart. But the best part is- the movie isn't entirely predictable.
  
  We start out with a nice montage of a high school where the main character, Matthew, attends. Every senior student remembers something about their high school lives, but not Matthew. He realizes he's done nothing. Where the jocks run around partying and skipping school all the time, the "extreme" kids do skateboard stunts, and the metalheads rock out, he's a geek who's yet to do anything. And school's almost over. Matthew's problem is that while he's conservative, he wants to do something risky that people wouldn't expect. His two buddies are from the AV club, one who looks like John Lennon and the other who's a smaller version of Stiffler, saying things that we're thinking ("YOU HAVE TO [synonym for "screw"] HER. DO IT FOR ME!" in front of dozens of students). Soon, Matthew comes home to see a beautiful girl , Danielle, undressing in the house next to his from his window. But, he's caught, and she comes over. It turns out that she's watching that house for two weeks. She didn't tell his parents about what he was doing. What a nice girl. She takes Matthew out, and seemingly screws him over. But the two become friends- she shows him how to have a good time and has him skip class now and then. Just when they become a couple, Matthew's sex-crazed buddy shows him a movie Danielle's in. Of course, it's porn, and Matthew freaks out. Where this could be a good thing, he doesn't know what to do. Here he's a good mannered kid, going out with who he thought was nice and well-mannered. He screws things up in trying to sleep with her, being someone he's not, and chaos ensues. For once, it's not predictable in what happens, as I was surprised every 10 minutes. Going to a porn convention, trying to find a way to make up thousands of dollars for his school, and the intense ending all make up a solid (excuse me) movie.
  
  I think what makes this movie even better to me is how much heart it has, and also how real some of the scenes feel. Nevermind the once in a lifetime chance of having an adult film actress living next door- a lot of the scenes involving parties and school remind me a lot of things that happened in my high school life. The jocks seperating Danielle and Matthew so one of them can get with her is something that's always happening- people thinking a regular guy can't get someone seemingly "too good" for him. Matthew really cares for Danielle, and will go to any length to get her back. Normally, the girl would come back just seeing how far the guy's traveled just to see her, but that's not how it goes. A LOT goes on in his attempt to win her back. Simply, you'll be surprised at how much goes on in The Girl Next Door. Sure it's a comedy, but it's also a good movie.
  
  The picture quality was mixed. Some scenes are blurry and look a little soft while others look great, the ones outside in particular. But for some reason, when Matthew's watching Danielle undress, everything looks terrible. Maybe a transfer error in production? As for the audio, it's all good. The use of loud music isn't too loud and you can hear the actors' dialogue perfectly. Though the voices do see a little quiet even when music isn't the prime element being used.
  
  I have to hand it to the director, Luke Greenfield, for giving us a great commentary track. He's almost up there with Robert Rodriguez. He talks at a mile a minute, telling us about problems with scenes, problems with time, scenes that he felt didn't have a good transition (like how Danielle knew there was a pool at a home), and how some scenes are related to his high school life. And the guy has a good time talking- it's like he's actually talking to you. Some commentary tracks have the actors just sounding like they're reading from a teleprompter (ie- like any new SNL actors). Also on the first side of the disc is a trivia track. If you've seen Pop-Up Video, that's basically what this is. It gets boring near the end, but you're bound to learn some cool new things. On the other side you get scene specific commentaries by Elisha Cuthbert and Emile Hirsch. They're nothing too interesting, but Elisha also tells us why she didn't do any scenes naked. I respect her for this. She's beautiful and a perfectly good actress, but I don't want to see her be the next Shannon Elizabeth- someone Hollywood only calls when they need a girl naked in their movie. The deleted scenes should've been left in- the added a lot to an already good movie. Some have Matthew trying to get some cool points from Danielle (like telling her that he mowed lawns. Good job there Matt), and some add great dialogue that could've been used in the finished product. You can also watch these with optional commentary. I didn't realize how stupid some test audiences were until he explained the original ending and how it confused some people. The Eli Experience is my favorite though, the actor who plays Matthew's Stiffler-like friend goes to the real adult entertainment expo. Former WWE star Matt 'Horshu' Wiese also goes around asking random guys if they want to make out with him, and things beyond that. There's also the usual behind the scenes featurette where everyone sucks up to everyone else, trailers, and a pretty good gag reel. Definately get the unrated edition, as these are exclusive to it.
  
  What more is there to say? I was pleasently surprised with The Girl Next Door, and it stands as one of the better dvds I've seen overall. Very few single-disc releases have this much put into them. I look forward to Luke Greenfield's next movies, along with the guys that play Matthew and Eli. Forget Ebert's review about this movie. He hates anything with high schoolers in situations like this, as he has a teen daughter. If you're under 30, you should like The Girl Next Door.
  
  
• CREEPY,HAUNTING,DISTURBING.........BRILLIANT!
  By APQ8N1UKS1RDC on 2008-02-10
  My Amazon friends have been gloating about this for some time
  so I finally took out the cash and bought it. It starts off
  in present time (2008) which made me think was this a commercial
  I fast forward the first minute until I realize that it was indeed
  the movie. Flash back to 1958 where we have a 12 year old boy
  catching crayfish is introduced to a 16 year old girl Meg.
  She is pretty and kind but seems a little sad. Why she is sad
  you will have to watch for what this poor girl and her younger
  sister went through will break your heart! I have seen TONS
  of HORROR and drama movies but not made me feel like this one
  angry,hopeless and scared for poor Meg has a SICK TWISTED aunt
  named Ruth(played very well by Blanche Baker...I wanted to smash
  her face in) who does and has her boys do everything imaginably
  AND THAN SOME!!!! To this poor girl Meg. To tell the truth
  I was happy for Meg in the end.... This movie is gripping
  and worth every penny of the $23.98(OUCH!)I spent.
  See this movie for you will not come out of it the same
  ever again.
  
  
• Better than expected and what they had to work with
  By A2TI8XP8GY1RO1 on 2004-08-28
  I basically just bought this movie because Elisha Cuthbrest was in it and she is one of the most gorgeous, freshest faces in Hollywood (in my mind) for quite some time. While my friends still eat up dime-a-dozen high-school and college comedies (as well as simplistic, style over substance action movies) I have begun to resent these types of movies as an actor myself. I now dissect every film's plots and acting much more than I ever did and much more than the average filmgoer, and it appalls me how people will flock to movies that basically tread on familiar, yet hard to point out, territory. The best years are definitely behind Hollywood until a whole new generation of fresh-thinking, visionary actors, directors, writers, and producers emerges.
  Okay, this movie does cover a lot of familiar territory. Although I admit I liked it much more than I thought I would. Actually I was really into it but the ending seemed to be too convenient, and everything worked out too perfectly with some questions unanswered. In retrospect, I can point out a few flaws before the ending as well. The acting performances are about as good as you're gonna get out of young, inexperienced actors, and the guy who played the porn producer Kelly, did a remarkable job I thought.
  There were only laughs occasionally (some really big ones at times), but I remember at one extended point in particular (the scene with Matthew and Kelly breaking into the house) where it didn't feel like a comedy at all. So this can be a good or a bad thing. The relationship between Matthew and Danielle was really underdeveloped I believe. He was so nervous around her, and then he kisses her at a party and next thing you know they're all lovey-dovey. She goes away to Las Vegas trying to forget him, and comes back to him and next thing you know lovey-dovey. You don't see any conversation or nothing explaining their feelings and changes of heart. Plus, Matthew never really declares that he loves Danielle, not Danielle the porn star.
  Overall, I liked this film enough to watch it a few times. It may have been done before, but I like the idea of an innocent, all-work-no-play type of kid going out on a limb for the beautiful, living-life-too-fast-no-more type of girl. It just squeezes itself out of that dime-a-dozen comedy category. I prefer this mightily to those overrated, fantasized tales of the American Pie movies, Eurotrip, etc., etc. which are easy attempts to cash in on the ignorance and shallowness of the mainstream young moviegoer. I bet if you loved those movies, you will really like this one.
  
  
  
• Too hot to handle.
  By A29SCPNEKK24PB on 2005-01-14
  I was reported... The people of Amazon got a look at my review... And it was deleted. I already stated why I hate this movie, so I'll just rant about the people who were offended by my first review (entitled This Movie Gave Me Blue Balls). And when this one gets deleted too, I'll rant some more.
  
  I wouldn't get mad if it was taken off because it was pure spam, but since it wasn't, I've questioned the logic about some people who found my review offensive. It's ironic how anyone could be offended by anything I said since you guys are the ones checking out this movie. Here is what I believe most people were offended by:
  
  -My negative attitude toward the movie. Oh boo hoo! Some one has a different opinion than you do, now let's report the guy. How about you realize that not everyone is going to like the stereotypes, the shallowness, and the boredom that is induced by this movie as you do?
  
  -Its vulgarity. Yes, this one astounded me too. People were actually offended because I said that this movie gave me blue balls (a joke, and a catchy statement to make people actually read my review, by the way). Hello! If it was the vulgarity that offended you, why then are you looking at the reviews of such a movie? The movie only has vulgarities and sexual innuendos about every minute, so why should the reviews be any different or not mention them?
  
  -The reality. It feels good when you like something you think is very good, until you get a reality check served to you on a plate. People just can't stand that this movie sucked, and that they do too.
  
  Oh, and, let the reporting commence.
  
  
• Just Plain Dumb
  By A2V2TROLGF21OG on 2005-06-29
  I like T&A as much as the next guy, but this movie is pure trash. But that's not its worst transgression -- I haven't seen a movie this dumb since... Well, since I don't know when.
  
  Very simple things are completely botched. For no reason whatsoever.
  
  1) The kid gets a nosebleed at a formal function. He spends the entire evening with a bloody smear under his nose. Does he bother to wipe it off? Does his date? No, certainly not.
  
  2) We think (spoiler!) he's making a porno during his prom. But surprise, he's making a sex ed film. With porn actresses. It's not so much about the biology of sex and how to prevent disease as it is about teaching different sexual positions -- in as raunchy a way as possible. Just what sex ed is all about! Because hey, that's where teens are really lacking -- knowledge of sexual positions. His parents are totally fine with it, of course. Who are these parents?
  
  3) The porno producer (who acts more like a pimp) bursts into the kid's class and forcibly hauls him out. No one seems to care. Where is this school?
  
  4) Time and time again the kid goes off alone with the producer despite clear evidence that he's psychotic.
  
  5) The "girl next door" thinks it's okay to make the kid strip naked in the street after knowing him for ten minutes, but she's offended when he wants to have sex with her. Um, yeah.
  
  6) Much is made of the need to shoot the sex ed film in multiple locations within the school -- the half-naked porn actresses have to scurry through the halls from one location to the next, and a crew person trips and breaks a piece of equipment. But why? There's absolutely no need.
  
  On the issue of whether the film is funny... I did laugh at how dumb it was.
  
  
• Classic Teen Comedy That Everyone Can Enjoy
  By A2Z8UHV4XOW526 on 2004-03-30
  I have seen this movie twice already, once at a rather unadvertised sneak preview and again at an advertised sneak preview. It is terrific! The best teen comdey to come along since American Pie. It isn't a gross-out comedy like a Farrelly Bros. movie or even the American Pie movies. It has a surprisingly believable storyline, just get past the central concept of an ex-pornstar living next door and you can imagine these two falling for each other. The movie has a lot of heart, and is funny in all the right places, with no cheap jokes. It doesn't play down to the audience and in fact has a very smart twist ending. The best movie to come this year so far, other than Eternal Sunshine, which is a vastly different type of movie.
  
  
• A surprisingly solid film, despite the marketing hype image
  By A328S9RN3U5M68 on 2005-03-15
  THE GIRL NEXT DOOR looks for all the "Unrated Version" stamps that unfortunately hide the figure of Elisha Cuthbert on the DVD box like this is a moron audience directed chick flick. But inside the poorly advertised trappings is a nice little light film that is far better than the average movie aimed at the school age audience. Credit director Luke Greenfield and his writers David Wagner and Brent Goldberg for instilling some sense of dignity and tenderness into this story about hormone-pumping highschool kids.
  
  Much of the success of this film must also be credited to Emile Hirsch who is surfacing as an actor to watch (if anyone has a chance to see him in THE MUDGE BOY you'll know what I mean). He plays Matthew, a bright but naive highschool senior who depends more on his brain than his sexual prowess to make it through school. His two fellow nerdy friends Eli (Chris Marquette) and Klitz (Paul Dano) may always be on the lookout for their first sexual experience, but the three boys do represent the saner side of teenage life.
  
  The story involves a new neighbor for Matt, one Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert), an ex-porn star who moves next door to housesit. Slowly Danielle entices Matt into showing her around her new town, plays a few cute tricks on him until the playing field is level, and their adventure can begin.
  
  Trouble enters when Danielle's 'producer' Kelly (Timothy Olyphant) appears to re-claim his 'property' and Matt discovers Danielle's background. The remainder of the film deals with how Danielle and Matt interact with Eli, Klitz and the entire highschool bunch and involve the town in a staged scandal that has its own rewards.
  
  The dialogue is fairly clever and more interested in matters of the heart than in matters of the toilet, and in the end there is much to be said for the philosophical stance the story takes. The acting is good to excellent (especially fine are Hirsch, Cuthbert, Olyphant, Marquette and Dano) and the pacing is brisk and warmly entertaining. I'm not sure why the 'Unrated' label is placed because this is a rather tame movie despite its subject matter. If it is there as a marketing ploy, it didn't work in the theaters. Maybe it will have a happier life as a DVD! Grady Harp, March 05
  
  
• Fall For the Girl Next Door...
  By AIFXFHO2N9WJB on 2006-07-03
  Teen comedies always turn up big business at the box office, this is generally due to the fact that the creative forces behind these movies include plenty of crude humor, sex, and nudity as can be allowed under the MPAA ratings system. Most of the time these teen comedies are a dime-a-dozen, opening big and fading shortly thereafter, with little lasting appeal with audiences. However, there have been some successes in the genre that have had more staying power than others, examples would be "Animal House", the `Scary Movie' franchise, and the `American Pie' series. With those examples of successful teen comedies, they all have some common traits in which they share, basically they are packed full of sex, nudity, and crude humor and language. However, one thing these examples of successful teen comedies, and even the unsuccessful ones lack is any amount of heart or soul in the story. In 2004, Fox Studios produced yet another teen comedy to appease the masses for a short while, "The Girl Next Door". Starring Elisha Cuthbert (TV's "24") and an unknown lead actor named Emile Hirsch, "The Girl Next Door" would stand out from the other teen comedies that have come before it or even after it, for this movie contained the one thing that I said was lacking in those others, that is heart and soul.
  
  "The Girl Next Door" is the story of 18-year-old Matthew Kidman (Emile Hirsch), a straight-laced, overachieving, good boy who has never really lived life to the fullest. That is, until he spies his incredibly sexy neighbor (Elisha Cuthbert) changing in the window, and finds that through his desire to be with her, he will do anything and everything to be with her. But, Matthew gets thrown for somewhat of a loop when he discovers that his perfect `girl next door' is actually a former porn star, who is trying to forget about the life she used to lead. Now, Matthew's sheltered life quickly begins to spin out of control as he attempts to help his new girlfriend leave the life she knew to embrace the life she longs for.
  
  The reason I feel this movie is far and above those other teen comedies I listed, some of which I enjoyed by the way, is like I said earlier "The Girl Next Door" contains plenty of heart and soul in its story. This movie isn't simply about having sex, yes there is that obligatory teen comedy element in this movie, but this movie is actually about the discovery that sex isn't the only thing to look for in a relationship with someone. To prove that point the main character in the story, Matthew, who by the way is played perfectly by Emile Hirsch, is forced to learn that to have a true meaningful relationship with a woman, he must get past his lustful desire to only want the physical body, with no regard for the emotional side of the woman. A lesson he has to learn the hard way, and it forces his character to mature throughout the story, until finally he is able to have a committed relationship with this `girl next door', as he discovers that she is more than just a beautiful woman, and former porn star, and in fact that she is a person with real feelings. And all she asks of Matthew is that he move past her former life and see her for who she truly is.
  
  The writing in this story is better than most contained in this type of movie, generally the story is fairly thin, and is pretty much there to link each crude joke to the next or to bridge the gap between sex scenes; however, in this movie the story is the main focus, yes there are the crude jokes and a couple of sex scenes, but the story isn't simply a minor plot device to get the audience to these obligatory teen comedy sequences. The actors all do a very good job of bringing their characters to life, and appear to be enjoying themselves immensely with the roles they've been given. Elisha Cuthbert and Emile Hirsch share a great chemistry that helps to elevate this movie to almost a romantic comedy level, instead of just teen comedy. Timothy Olyphant ("A Man Apart" and "Scream 2") makes several appearances throughout the film as a shady porn producer, and he manages to steal almost every scene that he's in, and actually provides Matthew with some rather sage advice, though inadvertently I might add.
  
  If you are a fan of teen comedies, but are perhaps tired of the same old thing, then check out "The Girl Next Door", I promise you it is more than your average teen, gross-out sex comedy.
  
  "The Girl Next Door" is available in both rated R and Unrated editions, both contain language and sexuality/nudity.
  
  
• Better than expected. Hilarious and Smart!
  By A1UJ9RSACDJF7K on 2004-02-22
  I have finally seen it and I have to admit that while my expectations were low, I was surprised with how funny, smart and fast-paced this movie turned out to be. Yes, it might be a bit convoluted at times and have too many things going on, but the movie handles that incredibly well. You are entertained every step of the way, the movie doesn't feel slow or long at any point and it's downright hilarious.

  I have to admit that the only reason why I wanted to see this movie was because of Emile Hirsch. I first saw Emile in The Emperor's Club and was amazed at how good he was in that film. He played the cocky troublesome kid with such ease that I was instantly reminded of another younger actor who acted in a similar fashion: River Phoenix.

  I really believe that if River hadn't died, he would be one of the greatest actors around. But since that's not to be, then someone else should take that title and I am convinced that Emile Hirsch is the Next Best Thing. Let's hope he makes the right role choices and projects that will ultimately advance his career. Because he has incredible potential and it would be a waste if he doesn't take it seriously.

  Aside from having such charisma and charm on screen, the kid can act. He's not just a pretty face. And in The Girl Next Door he plays Matthew, a straight-laced senior high schooler who is getting ready for college but needs a scholarship to attend Georgetown, his university of choice. He follows the rules, he studies hard, he never parties and his life is on the right path.

  That is, until he meets Danielle, who is housesitting next door. She disrupts his life but in a good way. She forces him to take chances, to take risks, to skip school, to enjoy life to the fullest.

  Now all of a sudden his life has been derailed. But it's all good until he discovers that she is a former porn star. He is upset and handles it badly. He makes attempts to win her back but is confronted by her manager, Kelly, who will have none of her quitting the business. Timothy Olyphant plays the manager in a casual manner, as if it's not hard to envision him doing this on a regular basis. I was a bit appalled to see he got porcelain veneers over his crooked teeth (which you can see in "Go"). They looked fake and much too big for his mouth. But anyway, Kelly is a scoundrel looking to make it big in the biz. And he considers Matthew very much an obstacle in achieving that goal.

  Much hilarity ensues as Matthew attempts to win Danielle back, try to win the scholarship for college, try to fix all the messes Kelly has left behind. Amazingly enough, in the end, it all ties up very nicely. You are always cheering for Matthew and Danielle and enjoying yourself along the way.

  I didn't expect to like Elisha Cuthbert in the role of Danielle. I had seen her before in the TV show "24" and I always considered her boring and vapid. But she was good here. Although I am not sure if I completely believe her to be the same age as Matthew as portrayed in the film, but that's neither here nor there.

  I highly recommend this movie is you just want to see a smart comedy a la Risky Business/Ferris Bueller's Day Off (and no Matthew never speaks in the camera - Broderick was the only actor who could pull that off successfully and it should never be attempted again).
  
  

• Couldn't stop laughing
  By A2QH5NMHW1KTJ1 on 2004-04-16
  The girl next door is a hilarious comedy about a boy named Mathew (Emile Hirsch) whose new neighbor Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert) is a girl he falls in love with. He then finds out she is a porn star, he then makes a dumb mistake of trying to sleep with her just because she's a porn star. Danielle then thinks Mathew is an a**, then Mathew realizes he can stop carrying about Danielle. Then a porn producer comes along, which then dislikes Mathew because he's taking Danielle away from the porn business. Mathew raised $25,000 to get the next Einstein from Cambodia, The producer lost $30,000 from losing Danielle from a porn movie, he then steals the 25,000 from Mathew, then its up to Mathew and his pals to come up with the money.

  This is a really funny movie. It shows a great message in saying, porn stars are people too. This is another teen classic comedy like the American Pie series. It has classic scenes with acceptable performances. This film could be romantic in a way girls would say. I guess it was. This film has great cameos. From the director of the "Animal", if you love teen comedies like American Pie, Not another Teen movie, and old school teen classics like "Porkys, you will definitely like this film. This film has some nudity like other teen comedies, so I'm just warning people who get offended by that kind of material. This is a great romantic/comedy about living as a teen. I highly recommend you watch this film, it is a definite must see.
  
  

• An underrated film - Extremely funny and entertaining
  By A27RJ30RN5K9MX on 2004-08-25
  Matthew Kidman ( Emile Hersch) is in his senior year of high school. His future is looking bright due to the fact that he was excepted into Georgetown University. Unfortunately, Matt's family does not have the money to send him, and he has to compete for a full scholarship based on moral fiber. Standing in the way of this, is the girl of his dreams in the form of a porn star named Danielle ( 24's Elisha Cuthbert)who has recently left the profession and moved in next door to housesit for her aunt that is away on vacation. Matt and Danielle soon hit it off and fall for each other instantly. However, Matt is forced to choose between his future and his girl, when Danielle's film producer Kelly ( Timothy Olyphant) comes calling to convince Danielle to remain in the adult film industry.
  
  Going into this film, I was in the same boat as a lot of the people who are going to see The Girl Next Door. I figured that the movie would be your typical teen sex comedy. While the film does play out like a modern day version of the Tom Cruise film Risky Business, the laughs are non-stop, the story is extremely well done, and there is the perfect amount of sex and nudity to keep the film from going over the top. You are probably asking yourself what the perfect amount of nudity is. In my opinion, the perfect amount in a film like this, is enough to get the point across, without taking anything away from the story. After all, the movie is centered in the porn industry which may turn some people away. But, it actually turns out to be a very good film. It is also great when a movie makes you laugh, but it is even better when the story for the film keeps you involved. In fact, I would probably call The Girl Next Door, the best "dramedy" I have seen in awhile. The performances were top notch in this film as well.
  
  Overall, The Girl Next Door is an amazing movie. The great performances, non stop laughs, and incredible story are what make this movie one of my all time favorites. The DVD itself is very cool. It is packed full of special features including a short film called "The Eli Experience" in which actor Chris Marquette goes to an actual adult film convention and plays his character Eli Brooks from the movie. He actually manages to convince people he is an adult film director. This is reason enough to buy the DVD.
  
  A solid 5 stars...
  
  
• Knock, Knock....
  By A1NV8HZTGKIPXQ on 2004-09-26
  A geriatric woman with a horrible cough brought on by decades of smoking. A couple with four noisy dogs and four kids who like matches. These are the people who live next door to me. Not one of them looks like Elisha Cuthbert. But one can dream. This is yet another member of the teen sex comedy canon and it's a bit better than most others recently in that genre. It might be a downright monstrosity to some, and it just may be a breezy surprise for others. Granted, it's fluff thru and thru, but it was better than I had expected. Emile Hirsch stars as Matthew Kidman, an ordinary kid with the nice boy next door demeanor. The do gooder striving to graduate high school and become the next president. In walks his beautiful new neighbor Danielle(Elisha Cuthbert)from Los Angeles,who is housesitting next door for her aunt. After an eyeful of a first meeting, the two become inseperable and Matthew can't believe his good luck. That a gorgeous, hot, and sexy blonde is with him, and rubbing it in the faces of the brainless jocks. But all is not merry when he finds out, through his sleazoid friend Eli(Chris Marquette), that Danielle is actually a porn star. Things get worse when her producer Kelly(the solid Timothy Olyphant), gets into the mix, and Matthew's perfect world starts to collapse. The film is a hodgepode of teen sex farce, romantic comedy, and parts where it tries to be serious and poignant. It's an odd mix, and they don't all gel. The direction and style, courtesy of Luke Greenfield, comes off like a new version of "Risky Business" for the new generation. It's a style that is sets it apart from some of it's kin, and is kind of refrshing. The leads are pretty good too. Emile Hirsch has a strong likeability factor, and you really do like him and want him to win. Elisha is a vision, and she is perfectly cast because she exudes the perfect fantasy girl you wished lived next door. Olyphant is equally engaging and funny to watch. Matthew's friends are funny comic reliefs as well. The premise is obviously silly to the nth degree and is beyond plausible. But in movies like these, plausibility probably isn't the first thing on everyone's minds. While the decent acting and stylish direction is most welcome, it still can't hide the fact that the movie is raunchy, and is indeed a teen sex fiasco with some fancier coating. If it's not your thing, this won't grab you. If you are open to anything, or to this type of film, you might be surprised.
  
  
• They need to make more movies like this......
  By A1BSECHTQHWBM9 on 2005-02-07
  This is one of the best movies i have ever seen.....its not just your average teen flick with the one linear jokes and crude humour....its so much more.......this movie is really moving it takes time to develop the characters and you makes you care about them....another highlight is the music for this film it is catchy and great really captures the mood of the movie........This is a great film......don't listen to people who rip on it........just go with it...and buy this movie....you won't regret it
  
  
• WOW! Check Out the Girl Next Door
  By A179GX8E3M4G52 on 2005-06-01
  That girl is gorgeous and just look at that bod, Matthew thinks as he walks into a garbage can out side his house.
  
  Later, while Matthew is upstairs in his bedroom when he sees her, in the house next door, through his window and she's UNDRESSING! Just as she finishes taking off the last piece, she turns around quickly and looks Matthew straight in the face. A shy and shocked Matthew quickly ducks below the window sill and after a minute, slowly, ever so slowly, peeks over the sill but the girl is gone.
  
  Just then Matthew (Emile Hirsch) hears the doorbell ring and his parents call for him. He comes out of the bedroom and there with his parents is the girl. "Oh Oh" he thinks "She's telling them I'm a voyeur, a Peeping Tom". The girl, Danielle is her name, has a Cheshire smile on her face, then his mother says Danielle is new in town and wonders if you could show her around town.
  
  Unknown to Matthew, who is the not so popular class president in high school and about to graduate, is that Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert) has been in pornographic films and is trying to break away from the business. This fact is thrust upon Matthew by one of his nerdy friends, Eli (Chris Marquette), who is obsessed with pornography, when he begins to show him one of Danielle's films.
  
  So begins The Girl Next Door A racy teenage comedy directed by Luke Greenberg and written by screenwriters David Wagner and Brent Goldberg, which bounces back and forth between Matthew's High School, when he has earned new found credibility because of his foxy new girlfriend and the annual Pornography Convention in - where else - Las Vegas in a tug of war for Danielle with Kelly (Timothy Olyphant), her former adult film producer with designs of landing her back in front of the camera.
  
  Conclusion
  
  I liked this film but I didn't love it. The story was clever and some of the situations were funny but I found the subject matter a little silly if not distasteful. I had only seen the two lead actors before and they had both played petulant, surly teenagers, Hirsch as the troublesome son of a senator in one of my favorite movies "The Emperors Club" and Cuthbert as the querulous daughter in the TV series 24 Hours . My impression of both actors has improved with this movie. Neither was great but they performed in a yeomanship manner and despite the subject matter their characters were upbeat and impressive. Cuthbert has blossomed from the temperamental child/woman of 24 Hours into a very attractive and sensuous actress. I look forward to more work from both actors. Another bright spot was the kinky quirky acting of Timothy Olyphant. One minute a friend the next an enemy, he played the part to a tee. Cheers for Olyphant. Matthews two nerdy sidekicks also gave good performances
  
  There is a R Rated version and an unrated version. I watched the unrated version which had some nudity (surprise) but only in cameo appearances from minor actresses and at the porn convention. That's right, only girls, no guys. Sorry, girls, equal rights hasn't progressed that far.
  
  Despite the fact that this is a so called "teen comedy", you might want to keep any teens under, say seventeen away from the racy unrated version.
  
  Overall I found the movie to be entertaining, Final rating a low four stars @ 3.6
  
  
  
• Risky Prom Business
  By AEVFN5Y6Q25CX on 2004-04-07
  Emile Hirsch plays Matthew, an 18 year-old who's about to graduate high school with nothing "off the hook" to show for it.

  Elisha Cuthbert plays Danielle, the beautiful blonde that moves in to house-sit next door to Matthew's house.

  Without giving away too much of the plot, Matthew tries to lose his inhibitions as Danielle is trying to lose her previous identity as an adult film actress.

  Most teen angst movies tend to be a bit humdrum but this one takes it up a few notches.. yes, mainly because of the gratuitous nudity in it.. but it's a good thing.. really. :)

  For a movie that has mostly new actors in it, Luke Greenfield does an excellent job with it. The only problem I have with it is that Luke must have seen the movie 'Risky Business' one too many times because certain parts reek of the Tom Cruise favorite. Luke even uses some Tangerine Dream-style music and Muddy Waters' "Mannish Boy" in the soundtrack. This is why I gave it four stars instead of five.

  For those adult film fans out there, Kobe Tai plays one of the prom dates. Wow! Who knew she could really act with her clothes ON? ;) Dasha and Kira Kener have about a split second cameo, but those was about the only others I recognized.

  Movie Warnings: profanity, nudity (by male and female.. I didn't think Emile was old enough to have that much body hair), carseat mini-fight, dream sequences that may throw you off, and it may cause possible bad high school flashbacks.

  For those comfortable with a number of sexy scenes in their comedies, I would highly recommend seeing this movie; however, I do not recommend this for kids or teens.. definite "R" movie.

  (...)
  
  

• Risky Business for the New Millennium
  By A21B2TJBWCSK1R on 2004-08-30
  If the American Pie movies were a new Millennium reworking of the Porky's films, then The Girl Next Door is Risky Business for the 21st Century. Whereas Risky Business was a reflection of the age of materialism that defined the 1980s, The Girl Next Door also represents its time by blending raunchy humour with romantic idealism. In a canny marketing ploy, Fox has released two versions of The Girl Next Door: the theatrical version and a slightly longer, unrated version with a bit more nudity included.
  
  The first disc features an audio commentary by the film's director, Luke Greenfield. He wanted to recreate the high school experience for an audience that was of that age or much older. Greenfield does a fine job of analyzing his own movie and explaining the autobiographical elements.
  
  Also included is the "Trivia Track: Revealing the Girl Next Door" with the occasional factoid popping up in the corners of the screen. However, they are mostly statistical in nature (i.e. "More than 60% of people believe in love at first sight.").
  
  The second disc contains the bulk of the supplemental material. First up, is the "Scene Specific Commentary by Emile Hirsch and Elisha Cuthbert." He comments on four scenes while she talks over five.
  
  "The Eli Experience" is a mock-featurette hosted by Christopher Marquette and follows his character (who has now become a porn film mogul) around.
  
  "A Look Next Door" is a pretty standard Making Of featurette that mixes interview soundbites from the cast and crew with behind-the-scenes footage.
  
  Another standard feature, the "Gag Reel," is included and features lots of blown lines, pratfalls and other hi-jinks that occurred during filming. Mildly amusing.
  
  There are also 16 deleted and extended scenes with an optional commentary track by Greenfield.
  
  Rounding out the disc is a "Stills Gallery" with production photos and a couple of trailers for the movie and for two other Fox films.
  
  While there are many similarities between The Girl Next Door and Risky Business, the former has much more heart than the latter. There is a sincere sweetness to this movie that Risky Business lacks. Again, this is indicative of the times each film was made in. However, The Girl Next Door is superior in one very significant way: the idealized woman is actually given some depth and dimension and isn't merely a sex object that fuels the man's fantasy as in Risky Business.
  
  
• I absolutely loved it...
  By A284HMJZ0GY8R3 on 2004-09-07
  Grade: A+
  
  I was expecting this movie to be more of a slapstick humor American Pie type. And was absolutely surprised. This movie has become one of my favorites. Like it says on the case this movie "it's Risky Business meets American Pie." But with a lot more sensitivty than either films. The characters are attractive and likeable.
  
  Emile Hirsch plays Matthew, an ambitious overachiever, but a kid who is still confused and unsatisfied with his highschool experience even towards the end of his senior year. Emile provides a vulnerability to his role that really hit home with me. I felt a connection with him. Elisha Cuthbert plays Danielle, a former porn star who wants to break away from her past but is having trouble adjusting to different environment. You may think Elisha Cuthbert was put in this movie just to attract a teenage male audience, but she is exceptional and absolutely shines, it would not have been the same movie with either actors. She brings confidence and emotion to all of her scenes, which makes her character even more attractive and believeable. There is a definite chemistry between the two on screen, and you get to see how Danielle helps Matthew find a love, passion and excitement that he didnt know he could have.
  
  The score is also excellent, including some great songs by the Who and David Grey (they even featured the main song from Risky Business, Love on a Real Train). However it is a shame some of these were missing on the Soundtrack.
  
  This movie is often compared to Risky Business (the similarities are obvious), but there is a genuine sincerity and sweetness to this movie that is not in Risky Business. Risky Business is more about coming of age in the form of lust and fantasy rather than romance. The character Danielle is given much more depth than Rebbecca DeMornay's character in Risky Business. However, it is wrong to compare the two movies because though there are many parallels between them, the overall messages in the two films are very different. Even though I like Risky Business, I actually found this movie a lot more heartwarming.
  
  
  
• Pleasantly surprising
  By A2R4XG0L7Z01V8 on 2005-03-29
  After watching this movie, I realised how different it was from all the other teen movies out there. Although it does stick to the typical boy-meets-girl-boy-loses-girl-boy-wins-girl-back formula, there's a lot of twists, and nudity inbetween.
  
  Although the cast were a bunch of unknowns to me (although Elisa Cuthbert was previously in a blink-and-you'll-miss-her scene in Love Actually), I found myself identifying (not with the porn bit obviously) and liking them. Emile Hirsch, looks extremely boyish, and has a real baby face, but I was shocked in a couple of scenes that he has a really hairy chest and legs! From a guy that doesn't actually look like he could shave, he could rival Robin Williams in the body hair stakes! Ugh!
  
  While I wasn't overly keen on the front cover of this movie, as I thought Elisa looked quite strange, she surpassed herself in this movie, and definitely looks prettier than she does on the cover. And the outfits she wears are absolutely gorgeous! I want her wardrobe!
  
  I haven't seen Risky Business, which this movie is really similar too, so I can't really comment on the similarities - although I do want to see it now!
  
  I loved the character of Timothy Olyphant, nice one minute, nasty the next. I'd previously only seen him play Mickey in Scream 2, and I liked him in that too. I did not like Eli's character, and the extra feature dedicated just to him was so bad I switched it off.
  
  From a female's point of view, this film doesn't really offend that much, but it does make you feel really insecure about your body. There's lots in it for the guys - although just to ruin your fantasies, some of the bikinis were digitally removed. Not so much a film for a girl to watch, if you get an attack of the green eyed monster, or you just don't like watching other prettier girls parading about in not very much. However, the one sex scenes there is, is very subtle, and appears near the end. Unless you count the porn movie scenes on the TV. For guys who have a thing for Elisa, although being the focus of the movie, she spends an alarming amount of time not actually on screen. It's more a Boy Next Door movie!
  
  The extras are unsurprisingly dull - can't they think of some more interesting extras? There is a commentary by Luke Greenfield; trivia track (does anyone watch these?); Revealing the Girl next Door; photo gallery; 16 uncensored deleted/extended scenes, including the original ending; hilarious unrated gag reel; 2 provocative featurettes "A Look Next Door" and "The Eli XXXperience" and there's apparently an Easter Egg (ooooh, chocolate!) somewhere, but I have no hope of finding it.
  
  This is a film worth taking a look at, particularly if you like the teen movies, or if you're an adolescent boy. I'm the former, and this definitely surpasses other teen movies that are around at the moment.
  
  
• Cuthbert is Breathtaking!
  By A1VJYW5O2WBNLL on 2005-04-22
  Holy cow! Elisha Cuthbert is beautiful! She can act too! She has a face well suited for acting and she really knows how to use it to convey emotions. She is a young lady that is not just beautiful on the outside but her inner beauty comes out as well just making her all the more breathtaking! My fond wish is to see more of her in the movies in the future. The young lady can act, she's down to earth and is just heartbreakingly beautiful. I did not expect much from this movie but enjoyed it a lot.
  
  
• Not the typical girl next door.....
  By A2MUD2VY9HWFXQ on 2005-09-01
  This movie is mindless fun. It's not as good as your "American Pie" or early 80's sex comedies (i.e. Porky's, Last American Virigin), but it does have a little bit of heart to go with all the overblown fluff.
  
  Matthew Kidman (Emile Hirsch) is just your everyday average nerdy senior- whose never even gotten close to getting laid. He's terribly envious of all the popular kids in school who seem to be having the time of their lives. Howver, he's so out of their league that he really is quite pathetic.
  
  Enter Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert) the new girl next door. After Mathew lamely busts himself by getting caught watching Danielle change by the window, and a quick act of revenge by Danielle, the two become friends.
  
  Mathew is too much of a wimp to make a move on Danielle, but she eventually eases him out of his shell more and more each day. When at a party and one of the jocks begins hitting on Danielle, Matt finally makes his move and kisses Danielle.
  Looks like the kid has some balls after all! Good job Matt.
  
  Matt eventually finds out that Danielle is a washed up porn star, and she has moved in next door to start a new life as a clean and wholesome girl. That is until her ex boyfriend and manager Kelly (Timothy Olyphant)strolls into town to haul her off to the annual Las Vegas porn connection.
  
  After Matt blows Danielles cover and makes her feel like the tramp she once was, she decides to high tail it with Kelly. Matt is completely whipped over her by this point and begs her not to go -but alas, she bails anyways.
  
  Matts balls have gotten pretty big by now, and he takes off to rescue her from the clutches of her evil pimp. Eventually after Danielle returns home- Kelly comes back with a vengeance for Matt - causing him to lose the school funding he has been working on to bring a foreign exchange student to his school. He also manages to slip him some Ecstatsy - on the very night he has to give a speech in an attempt to gain the scholarship to college that he has worked so hard for.
  
  Nerds and porn stars eventually come together to hatch a plan to raise the money once again - this time by making their own porno right at their very own school.
  
  "The Girl Next Door" is the kind of movie I would have enjoyed a lot more as a teenager than as an adult. Now grown up- you realize how far from reality this kind of stuff is--but as a kid- this would have been a fantasy flick that I would have killed to see come true in my own life.
  
  Overall stupid but enjoyable.
  
  Recommended for all you nerdy/horny teens with big dreams and not much else.......
  
  
• Wrongly titled film which should have, instead, been called........"The Boy Next Door"
  By A8QG61LYK0XO1 on 2005-09-05
  
  The "Boy Next Door" is the inspiring story of a young boy's beginning the journey into manhood........and in doing so, undertaking the quest of saving a girl from harmful forces overtaking her. That's right; it is only secondarily the story of this one lucky, lucky, girl who, through a fluke of chance, happens to find perhaps the only person who can save her from what she's becoming and doesn't want to be. Yet under all there is this girl who can help this boy come to be so much more.
  
  Yes, this is really the tale of a "special" boy next door whose faith in someone (the girl next door) is so strong that it can literally save her from a life of possible ruin. And Matthew is "special" in so many ways, but mostly in his ability to hold onto that innocence (most of us lose) which enables him to continue believing in people and their goodness, even as he grows older.
  
  You tell me: Isn't Matthew someone you would want by your side? Isn't Danielle, too?
  
  ****
  
  
  
• Cute romance with a healthy dose of funny!
  By A24OFOIWNQI4DG on 2006-03-11
  Worth a view. This film is more "cute" than it is funny, but it does have some very funny moments! Elisha Cuthbert is amazing. WOW! And the Leonardo DiCaprio look-a-like kid does a very believable acting job. The story is mostly a romance until the end when all signs of a romance dissapear and it just gets silly, pretty funny silly!
  
  
• Horrible Teen Movie
  By A3LWNDSJ2UQZI7 on 2006-03-23
  It was a while ago, but somebody came up with a painting that contained everything Americans like about art. The painting, as you would expect, is horrid (i.e. animals, little kids, sunsets, etc. all thrown into a jumble.) Well, this movie is just like that painting. It's got all the stuff folks are supposed to like about teen movies, but it's an incoherent, idiotic mess full of horribly, uninteresting and cliched characters. Go watch Risky Business, even it's for the tenth time.
  
  
• the girl next door one of the greats
  By on 2004-03-25
  i went in to this film not expecting much but this film had me laughing and entertained from start to finish. This film is a classic one for future flims to compare to. This film proves Hollywood can make good films and not just throw money at something rubbish like GET OVER IT and NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE and all the other rubbish that has come out over the last 5+ years.

  About a month ago i was saying to a friend of mine that these film today are rubbish and hollywood need to make a modern day version of the classic FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF and here it is THE GIRL NEXT DOOR we should not compare the two because one was made in 1986 and the other 2004 but if i had to i would go with THE GIRL NEXT DOOR it is the better film because not only is the female lead hotter but this film has what FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF had missing sex appeal and the subject of females this is what makes this film THE GIRL NEXT DOOR A CLASSIC and a film which i think in ten years time people will be saying a great and classic and entertaining film.

  This film is 1 hour and 40 min of great fun entertainment and i would recommend this film to everybody and i would go and see it again and ther is not many films that can get me to pay twice to see it at the cinema and when it comes out on dvd a must have for any body that has a good collection of dvds.
  
  

• Raunch and cheese balances out with heart and soul
  By A1HVJELFV84ISH on 2004-06-28
  THE GIRL NEXT DOOR is a likeable comedy. Look beyond the raunch and smut, participate in the many laughs the humor brings, and try to dig deeper and deeper. You'll find something.

  Could it be ::gasp:: heart and maturity? Could you find a couple of significant life lessons? Perhaps you have heard them before. THE GIRL NEXT DOOR has no qualms about reiterating them for today's teen and adult world - that's the audience this flick is targeted at.

  THE GIRL NEXT DOOR borrows more than a little bit from the classic 80's flick RISKY BUSINESS. Pay attention closely. Emile Hirsch plays Matthew, filling the shoes of the straightedge Tom Cruise role. Elisha Cuthbert is ethereal, with a Marilyn Monroe-esque appeal. Here, rather than conquering the role of Kiefer Sutherland's daughter on the drama 24, she is the Rebecca DeMornay character.

  Much of this comedy occurs in the high school world. Matthew is a straightedge who is Ivy League-bound to Georgetown, hopefully by scholarship. He has a few close buds who are nothing like him, depicted as porno-obsessed and headed off to some random community college. The night he sees Danielle (Elisha), he is instantaneously transfixed by how beautiful she is. For the summer, she'll be house-sitting the place next door. The two teens get to know each other and soon enjoy one another's company very much, as friends, basically - with the potential to be more.

  The potential declines thanks to one of Matthew's buds. He has discovered a porno film with a familiar-looking star. To Matthew's shock, the sexy starlet is none other than Danielle, who at first glance, had an innocent sort of allure to her. Rather than being psyched to personally know a porn star, he's more shocked than anything else - shocked to near tears, actually. He knows he needs to help Danielle to leave her shady past behind. But how can he with her ex-boyfriend and porno producer (Timothy Olyphant) back in the picture, trying to get her back into the biz? Those attempts to lure Danielle back into the world of film sex are succeeding, to Matthew's dismay. Once Olyphant leaves the film, he takes much of the heart with him.

  Still, there's enough heart left over for a few additional laughs, I suppose, despite the fact it's rather difficult for me to fathom how this stole profusely from RISKY BUSINESS, which is annoying, being that I search for originality in a movie...

  What are the lessons of THE GIRL NEXT DOOR? It's never too late to start over, no matter how wretched your past. And sometimes, those straightedges need to loosen up and let the good times roll, if you get the gist of what I'm saying.

  Will Matthew's determination be enough to save Danielle from the porn industry? Will it be good enough to help her reclaim her innocence? AND WILL MATTHEW AND DANIELLE HOOK UP?

  Don't you just wish...
  
  

• Eurotrip (Unrated Widescreen Edition)
• Road Trip (Unrated Edition)
• National Lampoon's Van Wilder (R-Rated Edition)
• Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (Unrated Extended Edition)
• Old School (Widescreen Unrated Edition)