Worth the price of admission.

Rating: 9/10 (13 April 2004)

One of the key elements to making a memorable film is knowing your demographic.
In the 1980's no film maker demonstrated this ability with greater savy than John Hughes. His films not only launched careers and packed in box office receipts; they also spoke to a generation and helped define a cadre of actors who, to this day, still dominate their profession.
In 2004, its hard to say exactly who to consider when awarding the title of heir-apparent. `The girl next door' director, Luke Greenfield, seems to have crafted a gem that's worth the price of admission. But this relative unknown, whose previous efforts included Rob Schneiders 2001 effort, `The Animal', is also working with a strong script and well cast talent.

One of the underlying themes of `The girl next door' deals with the idea of updating school teaching material, an interesting thought given that the film itself can be considered much in the same way. The cast comment on how `Someone should update these films', while viewing an outdated sex-ed movie from the 1950's. `The girl next door' is as updated, in comparison, as its counter parts, `The Breakfast Club', `Sixteen Candles' and `Weird Science'.
Young stars, Emile Hirsch (The Emperors Club, 2001) and Elisha Cuthbert (Old School, 2003) both give credible performances and may very well look back fondly one day on this film as a ground breaking performance in their respective careers. Timothy Olyphant (Rockstar, 2001, Dreamcatcher, 2003) is likewise, both easily hateable, yet roguishly charming (a la `Han Solo') in his role as Hirsch's tough ex-boyfriend/boss.
Crafted by individuals who obviously recognize that this generation accept sex and nudity without the hang-ups of the Hughes generation, `The girl next door' speaks expertly and with a cunning tone that, while it probably won't see any Oscars, may give Greenfield the first sleeper hit of the year.

Ivan Mulkeen Toronto, ON