Different - and better - than I expected

Rating: 9/10 (29 March 2004)

I really enjoyed this film. I was fortunate enough to see it a couple of weeks ago at a sneak preview, and I was surprised at how much better it was than I had originally anticipated. The initial marketing, to me, did not do the content of the film justice. I expected a raunchy teen comedy along the lines of American Pie, Road Trip, or Eurotrip, but The Girl Next Door had a lot more heart and concern for the characters than any of those other films.

Granted, it has its weak moments - I WISH someone like Danielle would move in next door and instantly be drawn to me like she was with Matt - but no one's claiming this will be an Oscar contender - and it doesn't try to be. It is a sweet story showing how a worldly-experienced, yet not-quite confident young woman brings a sort-of sheltered, naive young man out of his shell, with both of them benefiting from things they learn from each other.
I hope this movie has good word-of-mouth appeal for audiences, since it does have a good cast, a good soundtrack, and a cheesy-but-sweet story. I highly recommend that individuals see it for themselves before making an opinion based on critics' summaries - it's definitely worth the price of admission.