Review of The Girl Next Door (2004) by Raj N — 14 Jul 2009

When I first saw a viral trailer for The Girl Next Door, I thought it was going to be just another teen romance spoof or gross-out guy-comedy. What it actually is is a play on the old wh*re-with-a-heart-of-gold cliche that plays in a lot of westerns. The movie does a really good job with the cliche though, and makes us care about the characters more than this type of comedy would usually let us. What helps me enjoy this movie more is that I can completely relate to the main character, as my high school senior year was very similar. His character is all the positive bits and pieces of every NON-popular high school student I've ever known, and to me he was instantly sympathetic. It's too bad one of his friends is a bonehead and causes a big rift in the story, but who doesn't have friends like that?

Elisha Cuthbert is the adult film actress with the heart-of-gold who has tried to leave behind the obviously seedy world of adult films. Through normal circumstances, she meets the main character and they become almost natural friends (until his bonehead friend tells him who she really is). Things go from bad to worse, as he follows some stupid advice to get her into bed, and starts to drive her back into the industry (she thinks it's all she's ever going to be associated with if even a seemingly good friend expects that of her). It doesn't help that she is pursued by her former manager (an absolutely excellent Timothy Olyphant).

The resolution in their relationship is satisfying, but the ultimate resolution in the story is a little hard to believe (the story involving the videotape). I've never met adults who would be okay with that, especially in the education community. Also, everything is wrapped up nicely for EVERYONE involved, which is a little too unrealistic (but, in a way, no less satisfying if you don't care too much for realism in your movies).

Overall, The Girl Next Door puts a nice twist on some common cliches in high school movies (and westerns), and fairly strong acting elevates it to a higher quality comedy-romance than I would have imagined from the trailers or at first glance. It won't be for everyone, but should satisfy some people more than they expect.