Review of The Girl Next Door (2004) by Mike S — 30 Jul 2010

THE GIRL NEXT DOOR is not the most original film out there. It borrows heavily from RISKY BUSINESS, but for what it lacks in originality, it makes up for in other areas.

One of the areas that really helps to make up for the lack of originality in this film is the cast. Elisha Cuthbert plays Danielle, a former adult film star looking to make a new start. She ends up moving (as the title well suggests) next door to Matthew, played by Emile Hirsch. Both Cuthbert and Hirsch turn in astounding performances in this film, certainly performances that are much better and much more honest than an otherwise low-brow comedy really needs or deserves. Both actors have an excellent on-screen chemistry that radiates throughout the entire film, making the viewer actually care about these characters when such characters in other low-brow comedies are usually just fodder for the gross-out humor that permeates the genre. That's not the case with this film, though. While it does have a significant amount of low-brow humor, it's the performances of Cuthbert and Hirsch that keep the film grounded, and give it an excellent emotional core that really elevates this film over most others in the genre.

Filling in the supporting cast are a trio of outstanding actors as well. First and foremost, the duo of Eli (Chris Marquette) and Klitz (Paul Dano), who are Matthew's two best friends, are absolutely hysterical. Dano displays some phenomenally subtle comedic chops, while Marquette is so over-the-top at times that it's difficult to not laugh out loud at some of the ridiculous things that come out of his mouth. Timothy Olyphant is also on hand as Danielle's former manager/boyfriend Kelly, who shows up and causes some major problems for Matthew, which make up the bulk of the conflict in the film. Olyphant, as he would later show in films such as LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD, makes an excellent villain, although doing it in this film with a tongue planted firmly in cheek. He's all over the place emotionally, going from happy to enraged to everything in between, and Olyphant handles it so well.

As already stated, it's the acting that really makes this film. The characters are, for the most part, put in fairly familiar situations, but it's the chemistry of Elisha Cuthbert and Emile Hirsch coupled with the eclectic group of supporting actors that really gives this film a great amount of heart, which is not seen in most films in the genre. For that alone, THE GIRL NEXT DOOR is worth seeing, and it really is one of the best mainstream comedies of the last decade.