Every young man dreams of meeting the gorgeous girl next door, especially if that girl is Elisha Cuthbert, the blossoming young hottie from Fox’s hit TV drama “24” who struts her stuff in a red lace bra throughout Luke Greenfield’s latest addition to the teen comedy genre. Unlike most of its kind, though, “The Girl Next Door” succeeds by taking an overdone story and making it fresh with interesting characters and a genuinely funny script.
Matthew Kidman (Emile Hirsch) is a nerdy, down-to-business high school senior on track to earn a full scholarship to Georgetown when his neighbor’s niece Danielle (Cuthbert) moves in next door. Matthew begins to let loose as he falls for the sexy girl until his best-friend and self-proclaimed porn fan Eli (Chris Marquette) spots Danielle in one of the videos in his vast collection, igniting a huge argument between the couple that leads to their breakup.
“The Girl Next Door” is filled with plenty of sincere laughs and a remarkable, all-around cast. Hirsch, Marquette and Paul Dano form a great team of cool yet nerdy high school kids while Cuthbert delivers an amazing, breakthrough performance as the amateur porn star Danielle, a memorable role that should perk the interest of producers and studios all throughout Hollywood. Olyphant turns in the most notable performance as Kelly, Danielle’s gritty adult film producer and ex-boyfriend who livens up the tedious two-dimensional second half of the film. “The Girl Next Door” isn’t a masterpiece in any film collection, but it does breathe life into a dying genre for a new generation requesting its own slice of “American Pie.”
2.5 / 5 Stars
Starring: Elisha Cuthbert, Emile Hirsch, Timothy Olyphant, James Remar, Paul Dano, Chris Marquette
Director: Luke Greenfield
