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:

Love | High School | Porn Star | Lesbian Kiss | Male Nudity

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:

108 min | USA:110 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:18 | Italy:VM14 | 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:

In the scene-specific DVD audio commentary for the film Emile Hirsch reveals that when shooting the scene where Elisha Cuthbert forces him to strip, director Luke Greenfield wanted him to shave his chesthair but Hirsch who was 17 at the time refused because, as he himself puts it, "did not wanna shave off my manhood".

Goofs:

Factual errors: The music that plays when Matthew opens the door to reveal Danielle ready to accompany him to the prom is not "Hootchie Cootchie Man" as credited in the soundtrack listing and end credits, but is actually "Mannish Boy".

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:

References The Good Girl (2002)

Soundtrack:

ARRIVAL

marketing is deceiving...one of the sweetest movies in years

The Girl Next Door's tagline "Matt didn't see her coming...but all his friends have!" is very deceiving, because the movie is not like that at all. When you see this, you'll expect a raunchy, borderline porn movie, but what you get is a refreshing, adorable, and sweet love story with great performances from Emile Hirsch and Elisha Cuthbert.

Matthew Kidman (Emile Hirsch, The Emperor's Club, Lords of Dogtown) is not a geek by any means. He's your everyday nice guy who's never really 'lived'. He is the top student, the class president, and he's in charge of bringing a teenage super genius to the U.S.A. Everything is going fantastic, because he even gets accepted to Georgetown. Only problem is, he needs the money to get to the school, and this can only be paid by winning a scholarship. A few days before his speech on why he deserves the scholarship, Matt meets Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert, '24', Weezer's 'Perfect Situation video), a breathtakingly beautiful girl who (after a hilarious few scenes where they meet) he instantly falls for, and she falls for him.

For the first part of the movie, you see Danielle, the near unfairly sexy girl, push Matt to limits he hasn't gone to, such as running in the street naked, swimming in a stranger's pool, and skipping school. They're falling in love, and it's easy to see on screen, and it's adorable.

Just when it can't get any better for Matt, things take a turn for the worse. One of his best friends, Eli (the hilarious Chris Marquette), who is a massive porn addict, goes through his collection, and finds a tape...and who is the star? Danielle. Turns out, Danielle had just quit her job as a porn star and decided to turn over a new leaf. After a near tear-jerking scene, Danielle returns to her old career by contacting her old boss, a gritty and suave porn producer named Kelly (Tim Olyphant). It's at this point that Matt decides that he doesn't care about Danielle's past, and he's in love with her. He decides that he'll do anything to get her back, including taking on Kelly, the porn industry, and some very weird people.

After some events, the plot strays away from just Matt and Danielle, and thickens to become a real movie, not just a teen movie. The movie does an excellent job of keeping us interested, because just as the plot becomes serious, Eli and Matt's other friend, Klitz, add some very funny moments and ideas. Yes, the movie does sound like the classic Risky Business, but it does things that separate itself from that movie. The chemistry between Hirsch and Cuthbert is magical, and despite her gigantic sex appeal, the character of Danielle is so lovable for how sweet and caring she is to Matt. There are some great plot twists that keep you interested, not to mention hilarious in jokes and one liners, and not to mention a classic quote: "The juice was worth the squeeze". You'll understand. Tim Olyphant is great in a somewhat opposing role, and veteran actor James Remar makes a few appearances as a porn producing giant. The movie's ending is so great and funny that you can't help but enjoy, not to mention mysterious, keeping you hanging by a thread the whole way through.

Luke Greenfield has directed a movie that is so well liked and cherished, that I have never heard a bad thing against this film (I'm 17, and all my friends, guys and girls, loved it). I own it on DVD, and have watched it at least 10 times. I've finally gotten around to writing a review, because writing this has reminded me of how great this movie is. In a few one word sentences, The Girl Next Door is...fun. hilarious. sweet. lovable. classic. I recommend this movie to anyone from the ages of 13 to 30, because this is the age group it is intended for.