Are we back in the '80s?

Rating: 8/10 (21 July 2004)

"The Girl Next Door" is one of 2004's most entertaining movies -- sweet, crude; funny, sad; moralistic, filthy. Uneven mixtures of opposites attract, much like the leading stars of the film, for a movie that delights the audience at every turn. It manages to satirize the teen comedy genre whilst exploiting it. This is raunchier than "American Pie" and yet also far more sophisticated.
Emile Hirsche plays Matthew Kidman, a 19-year-old high school senior who hasn't lived life to the fullest during his pre-graduation phase. While fellow schoolmates skip school to go party at the beach, Matthew sits in class, gazing outside at the partying teens, wishing he could be like them.
Then the girl next door moves in: Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert), a drop-dead-gorgeous blonde beauty who undresses across the street from Matthew as he watches in his bedroom. She spots him peeking at her, then plays cruel revenge tricks on him, and then eventually falls in love with him because "of the way he looked at her."
She is touched by Matthew's honesty because she is a former porn star (at the age of 19) and is not used to receiving true affection. When Matthew finds out about her background he is mad, then happy, jumping at the opportunity to sleep with Danielle. Danielle feels betrayed and rushes off to Las Vegas for an adult film star convention. Matthew follows her and tries to "get her back" as so many heroes always do, but falls out with Danielle's producer, Kelly (played perfectly by Timothy Olyphant).
The movie eventually tackles a number of subplots -- Matthew learning to "go with it" and loosen up; Danielle abandoning her past and looking forward to the future; a Cambodian genius being transferred to Matthew's school; Kelly and Matthew's falling out; Matthew's college scholarship, etc. The film juggles all these different ideas, managing to maintain the audience's interest.
Yes, it is a bit raunchy at times and the subject matter is probably inappropriately handled in some scenes. However, the core message of the film is beautiful. It's hidden underneath an unfortunate layer of smut that nevertheless fails to harm the film in any way.
Obviously inspired by the teen films of the 1980s, such as "Risky Business" and the plethora of John Hughes-produced/directed flicks, "The Girl Next Door" even boasts a great soundtrack that complements the nature of the film.
The acting is one of the movie's most surprising elements -- Hirsche and Cuthbert share chemistry, despite the fact that their two-year age different in real life is quite obvious (Cuthbert looks much older). That's sorta the point, though. Cuthbert is absolutely beautiful, but people wandering into the theater hoping to see her nude should look elsewhere. "The Girl Next Door" is better than that -- an honest and touching teen comedy that cares for its characters and studies them carefully. When Matthew and Danielle finally share a love scene it is handled with tenderness, something rare in movies like this.
"The Girl Next Door" is a teen comedy for adults.
4/5.