Risky Business can rest easy.

Rating: 5/10 (24 January 2010)

Though not a complete disaster, The Girl Next Door doesn't come close to reaching the status of that 1983 classic it so often tries to imitate. With this film, we have a lot of ideas and an uneven tone that just cannot be formed into a truly worthwhile experience. Some scenes are clearly inspired by the Tom Cruise vehicle of yesteryear, and other ideas seem to have wandered in from such films as Weird Science, or even Something Wild. Though filled with sleazy situations and characters, in the end the film seems to fancy itself as some kind of nostalgic feel-good movie about the most memorable thing about high school for the lead character.
Emile Hirsch, a likable kid, stars as Matthew Kidmann. He's an intelligent kid just about to wrap up a successful senior year of high school. All he is focused on is winning a scholarship to pay for his education at a prestigious university. (Harvard? I forget where) Of course his world is turned on its head when a beautiful young woman moves in next door and causes him to make some very bad decisions. Sound like a familiar plot? Making matters worse is the fact that the girl is a porn star, which is a fact his friends soon point out. And her smarmy producer/boyfriend doesn't like this high school kid trying to get his woman out of such a lucrative business. Still sound familiar? It should. Lots of plot complications ensue and the kid is forced to make what we are led to believe is a porno film to raise a bunch of money he lost that would have allowed an exchange student to come to America from Asia.
The film probably fails more than anything due to the fact it isn't that funny. There are some laughs here and there, but it doesn't measure up to more raunchy teen films of the day. Lots of stereotypical characters in most scenes. Is it just California high schools where the popular kids pile into convertibles and ride around acting like their lives are the greatest as the less-popular kids sigh when they drive past? Never seen that around my neck of the woods. Here they use pick up trucks. Another big problem is this film's lack of conviction regarding the world of pornography. Lots of talk about sex, but very little nudity. Even in the unrated version. No compelling love scenes here like there were in Risky Business. And the twist ending regarding the film these people make during their prom is more of a cop-out than anything. The film does have a good soundtrack, and Elisha Cuthbert is a welcome sight in every scene. Nice try, but watch Risky Business instead. 5 of 10 stars.
The Hound.