Review of The Girl Next Door (2004) by Joel P — 14 Jan 2019

I thought it was great mirage-like comedy romance, with subjects similar to the Iliad and the disappearing wonder/castle theme. The "Girl Next Door" represents the sort-of attainable fantasy of human relations, a dream-like situation that one could only imagine, or strive for, but rarely, if ever, attain. Another great subject is the idea of there being no necessary definite answer or conclusion on how to live, one could be a traditional exploiter, or live a risky life, or one could just go with the flow and enjoy it without placing control over it. The movie seems to be a coming-of-age where an individual realizes the reality of his existence, including fantasy, control, ethics, and relationships.

There's a particularly great scene where Filter's "Take A Picture" plays that I'd recommend.

Great movie, I disagree with the popular consensus.