Fizzles after an excellent first hour.

Rating: 8/10 (7 April 2005)

A teenaged romantic comedy with a twist, The Girl Next Door has more than just a little of Risky Business in it.
Matthew (Emile Hirsh) is a senior in high school. Academically an overachiever and president of the Student Council, Matthew's greatest wish is to attend Georgetown. Without the financial means to do so, Matthew's only hope lies in winning a scholarship. Matthew, however, struggles with an empty feeling due to his lack of popularity and thus romance. When the beautiful Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert) moves in next door for a short stay, she turns Matthew's world upside down.
This movie works mostly because of the performances of Mr. Hirsh and Ms. Cuthbert. While the two do not do any great acting, their on screen presence and general charisma make them a joy to watch. It is perhaps, not a surprise then that the film suffers when Ms. Cuthbert is reduced to a trophy girlfriend after actually having a role in the movie. Timothy Olyphant (as Kelly the porn producer) steals the show with a delightful performance in a supporting role.
The Director (Luke Greenfield) also deserves credit, mostly for the first hour, for keeping this film from being another teen movie. Besides some nice camera shots, he allows the movie to build at a nice pace and perfectly captures the feeling of the characters, especially in uncomfortable social situations.
The plot for the movie is quite uneven. After such a brilliant first hour, the movie fades quickly to the point of ludicrousness before improving slightly for the end. For instance, no scene in the film is better than when the characters are at a house party and Matthew is in an uncomfortable situation. It is so well expressed that one can easily see the 'fight or flight' impulse that he faces. On the other hand, the worst scene in the movie involves a character, high on ecstasy and showing it, giving a terrible speech on 'moral fibre' and receiving a standing ovation. A further vexing moment occurred late in the movie, when a boom microphone is clearly visible at the top of the screen for several seconds. This sort of mistake from a Hollywood release is unacceptable.
In the end, I have decided to recommend The Girl Next Door based solely on its opening hour. In that first hour, the film captures high school life as perfectly as I have ever seen on cinema. Disappointingly, however, the film drops off quite a bit, but those opening 60 minutes are enough to earn it a recommendation.