Funny, witty, very enjoyable.

Rating: Null/10 (9 March 2004)

On Friday, I went to see The Girl Next Door with Benji because they were offering a sneak preview. The movie doesn't come out until March 12.
The worse part of it all is that I actually got free passes for this movie but decided not to go as the last minute. I didn't even realize that the movie I got passes for was this one. Because I had seen previous of this movie and I was dying to see it. Oh well . . . no use crying about it now.

I have finally seen it and I have to admit that while my expectations were low, I was surprised with how funny, smart and fast-paced this movie turned out to be. Yes, it might be a bit convoluted at times and have too many things going on, but the movie handles that incredibly well. You are entertained every step of the way, the movie doesn't feel slow or long at any point and it's downright hilarious.
I have to admit that the only reason why I wanted to see this movie was because of Emile Hirsch. I first saw Emile in The Emperor's Club and was amazed at how good he was in that film. He played the cocky troublesome kid with such ease that I was instantly reminded of another younger actor who acted in a similar fashion: River Phoenix.
I really believe that if River hadn't died, he would be one of the greatest actors around. But since that's not to be, then someone else should take that title and I am convinced that Emile Hirsch is the Next Best Thing. Let's hope he makes the right role choices and projects that will ultimately advance his career. Because he has incredible potential and it would be a waste if he doesn't take it seriously.
Aside from having such charisma and charm on screen, the kid can act. He's not just a pretty face. And in The Girl Next Door he plays Matthew, a straight-laced senior high schooler who is getting ready for college but needs a scholarship to attend Georgetown, his university of choice. He follows the rules, he studies hard, he never parties and his life is on the right path.
That is, until he meets Danielle, who is housesitting next door. She disrupts his life but in a good way. She forces him to take chances, to take risks, to skip school, to enjoy life to the fullest.
Now all of a sudden his life has been derailed. But it's all good until he discovers that she is a former porn star. He is upset and handles it badly. He makes attempts to win her back but is confronted by her manager, Kelly, who will have none of her quitting the business. Timothy Olyphant plays the manager in a casual manner, as if it's not hard to envision him doing this on a regular basis. I was a bit appalled to see he got porcelain veneers over his crooked teeth (which you can see in "Go"). They looked fake and much too big for his mouth. But anyway, Kelly is a scoundrel looking to make it big in the biz. And he considers Matthew very much an obstacle in achieving that goal.
Much hilarity ensues as Matthew attempts to win Danielle back, try to win the scholarship for college, try to fix all the messes Kelly has left behind. Amazingly enough, in the end, it all ties up very nicely. You are always cheering for Matthew and Danielle and enjoying yourself along the way.
I didn't expect to like Elisha Cuthbert in the role of Danielle. I had seen her before in the TV show "24" and I always considered her boring and vapid. But she was good here. Although I am not sure if I completely believe her to be the same age as Matthew as portrayed in the film, but that's neither here nor there.
I highly recommend this movie is you just want to see a smart comedy a la Risky Business/Ferris Bueller's Day Off (and no Matthew never speaks in the camera - Broderick was the only actor who could pull that off successfully and it should never be attempted again).