If only every teen sex comedy were this way

Rating: 9/10 (15 August 2006)

The art of making a teen sex comedy is usually associated with immaturity and gross-out tactics that for some reason make most people double over in laughter (prime example: American Pie's "Pale Ale" scene). While those tactics usually prove to be quite entertaining, The Girl Next Door puts it all to shame.
The most noticeable difference between this movie and the dozens of others in its genre is the form of the laughs; plenty of them are crude, but they still retain good taste. A lot of the lines are just plain great, such as when Eli sits in the kids' Health class claiming, "I could make a better sex ed video with my mom." Even more can be said about the characters. Half the fun of this movie is seeing the different sides of these teenagers as they deal with their problems, and how they develop in doing so. Eli is a hilariously shy teen with hormones raging beyond belief; Klitz reminds you of every nerd you've ever seen, yet the irony is that he's the ballsiest of the bunch; and Matthew's start as a highly motivated, up-tight kid who's almost too smart for his own good makes for even more fun when he comes out of his shell and becomes a realistic, confident young man. The acting in all these roles is better than most would expect, and the fact that each of the actors are about 20 years old makes it seem much more real than films that used actors like Jason Biggs and Freddie Prinz, Jr. as high school students. Elisha Cuthbert's performance is especially good as the sexy title character, Danielle: she pulls the character's air of hidden innocence off with great skill.
Behind all the great humor and characters, The Girl Next Door's story and direction are just plain terrific, and for once in a teen sex comedy, there is a presence of vision. The camera angles and editing are well-utilized to reflect the mood of each scene. The incredible soundtrack gives it another big boost, as every track seems like it was made exclusively for its scene, especially in the ending sequence with the use of the Who's Baba O'Riley.
Though this film is near-perfect, it does leave you wishing for more. Even though it's all richly entertaining, you finish the movie wishing that it made you laugh more than it did. However, that is no reason to miss this masterpiece.