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Rating: 7/10 (28 July 2011)

I had to contemplate long and hard what grade I would give this movie. It was teetering on the edge of recommendation, when ultimately, a few little things docked it down to a state where I can't really recommend it. With that being said, I will say that The Girl Next Door did however keep me entertained for all one hundred and ten minutes because of its very vibrant casting and quite a few jokes that were actually funny that weren't seen in the trailer.
Speaking of the trailer, it is another film that pretty much covers up parts of the plot to draw more of an audience. The same thing happened in the trailer for Dream a Little Dream where the big part about the body swapping element was left without a mention. In the trailer for this film, it tries to make this look like a teen comedy following in the footsteps of the American Pie franchise. When really, it is more of an adult raunchy comedy.
The plot: Matthew (Hirsch) is a high school Senoir stressing over his big speech he is set to give on the topic "moral fiber," which may get him a scholarship to the prestigious Georgetown University. Looking back on his High School experience when asked what he'll remember, Matthew tries hard to recollect what he will remember but can't find anything.
Matthew is in luck because he gets a new neighbor. Her name is Danielle (Cuthbert) and she is probably every guy's masturbatory fantasy come true. Matthew is in his room and notices her changing clothes and can't help but stare. Seeing him, Danielle comes over to introduce herself of all things instead of tell Matt's parents he was snooping.
They hang out frequently, developing an awkward yet likable friendship until Matt's friend Eli (Marquette) informs him that she was a porn star under the stage name "Athena." Matt is shocked, and in disbelief, and soon enough, he meets the cut throat producer of Danielle's named Kelly (Olyphant) who means business. Kelly and Matt form a very unsettling relationship, and his life begins to spiral out of control between the love of his life and the consequences.
The story does have a good motto and moral that is probably one of my favorites next to the meaningful bit in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle. In that film, a guy in prison tells Harold that "there is no sense getting all riled up every time a bunch of idiots give you a hard time, (because) the universe tends to unfold as it should." In this, Kelly firmly tells Matthew to ask himself "is the juice worth the squeeze?" meaning is Danielle worth the possible consequences. Because of what Matthew tells Danielle in the movie at an adult convention, she declines Kelly's offer and goes back home.
While bringing good actors and a good motto into the light, the film also has a number of inconsistencies that I found. One of them is age seems to mean nothing in this film. There's one scene where Kelly and Danielle take Matt to a strip club. Keep in mind, Matthew is in high school and is no older than eighteen or nineteen. How did he manage to get into the strip club? Same thing with the adult convention. How did the three friends get into the convention when they're only Senoirs in high school? Also, why is Danielle going to an adult convention as "Athena" when she is a "former" porn star? Wouldn't that mean she quit doing it, and usually when you quit something, you don't make public appearances as the job you quit. In order for this movie to exist, many things also can't. Like age and occupation rules.
Those things really drag the film down, along with the fact the film does nothing but glorify the world of porn. Not one women in this film, except for Matt's mom (Bullock), is not put in this film to show of their body. I find it a little odd that we see such a world of porn stars and personality lacking women in a film that tries to have a strong motto. While the film packs on a good motto, it doesn't do much to eliminate stereotypes.
But for some reason, this film still stood out to me for the music, the performances, and the overall feel. Obviously, the poster child for this type of genre is Risky Business. If I would've seen the full movie, I probably would've found this less in quality. But standing on its own, it really does get laughs despite a few inexcusable inconsistencies. It's a respectable, yet not strong enough Hollywood debut by actor Emile Hirsch, who I still believe will go on and do some brilliant things in his lifetime.
Starring: Emile Hirsch, Elisha Cuthbert, Timothy Olyphant, Paul Dano, Chris Marquette, Timothy Bottoms, and Donna Bullock. Directed by: Luke Greenfield.