One of the nicest things that can happen to a film critic is to be surprised by a movie for which you had no expectations, as I was by The Girl Next Door. Here is a movie that barely registered on my radar before seeing it, except for the brief flash that passed through my mind of, "Oh, another teen sex comedy." However, never was the old adage of not judging a book by its cover truer than with this movie. It's smart, funny, and features a cast that we will definitely be hearing more from soon.
Relatively unknown Emile Hirsch plays Matthew, a straight-arrow high school senior on the eve of his graduation. President of the Student Government, he has just been accepted into Georgetown University, from where he hopes to launch a career in politics. But as his high-school days begin to wind down, he starts to wonder if he hasn't missed out on certain experiences by playing things too safely. While the lonely and awkward high-school boy, with a couple of geeky friends, is not a new device in movies, rarely has it been played so well and with such a script. I feel assured that this movie will push Hirsch into the spotlight.
When Matthew meets Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert of TV's 24), the titular girl next door, it seems that he has found the person who can pull him into the real world. Beautiful and daring, she shows him that sometimes you have to take chances and stand up for yourself. Hers is definitely the weaker of the two lead characters, however, as she is never as fully fleshed out as Matthew.
Just when everything is looking up for him, one of Matthew's friends shows him a porn video starring Danielle. It seems that the girl of his dreams is a former porn star trying to start a new life. The first, and sweetest, portion of the movie deals with their budding relationship and Matthew's attempts to come to grips with this discovery about Danielle's past.
The second, and much wilder, half of the movie covers the return of Danielle's old video producer (played with swaggering gusto by Timothy Olyphant) and his attempts to get Danielle back into the porn biz, while Matthew juggles trying to keep her out of it and graduate high-school and win a scholarship at the same time. Some of the actions here, while very funny, do stretch the realms of believability, but that is this movie's only weakness.
Some of the funniest moments in the movie come from its supporting cast. Matthew's two friends, particularly Chris Marquette as Eli, the budding film director, steal several scenes and add greatly to the laughs.
If I seem overly exuberant about The Girl Next Door, it is only because a movie this smart, funny, charming, and with such a great cast, comes along very rarely. Take advantage of this one while you can.
