The Girl Next Door (2004)

Directed by: Luke Greenfield | 110 minutes | comedy, romance | Actors: Emile Hirsch, Elisha Cuthbert, Timothy Olyphant, James Remar, Chris Marquette, Paul Dano, Timothy Bottoms, Donna Bullock, Jacob Young, Brian Kolodziej, Brandon Irons, Amanda Swisten, Sung Hi Lee, Ulysses Lee, Harris Laskaway

In the eighties a film was released about the ultimate boyhood dream: two nerds in high school, who until recently had no chance with girls, manage to bring their dream woman to life on their computer – the then immensely popular Commodore 64. awaken her, and actually conjure her into flesh and blood. In the guise of the sultry British actress Kelly LeBrock, she rapidly increased the boys’ popularity at school, and provided a huge boost in the boys’ self-confidence. ‘The Girl Next Door’, starring “24” star Elisha Cuthbert as the dream woman, is a film that seems to be cut from the same cloth. The seductive Cuthbert has the role of mentor in the “coming of age” story in the film and is more or less responsible for the (sexual) budding of young Matthew. There are more layers and angles in the film, but in the end it is this ratio that is most convincing and keeps the film interesting. In addition, on the surface there is more than enough to enjoy for the lover of feminine beauty, with Cuthbert himself as a shining example.

It takes a while for the viewer to bond with Danielle (Cuthbert), who at first appears to be little more than a domineering “tease”, who derives her pleasure from mere gloating and playing games. For example, when Matthew is spying on his brand new girl next door – quite understandably – from his bedroom when she is undressing naked in front of the window, she immediately goes to tell him/his parents at home. His parents then suggest that he show her the neighborhood in her car, since she is unknown there. When they’re on their way, she demands that he get out and undress for him in return for what he’s seen (which isn’t much), and when he does, she rips off with her car. A somewhat sadistic character, therefore, that Danielle.

Later, however, it turns out that she really does care about Matthew and mainly wants to encourage him to push his limits and to dare to take risks. “Just go with it.” is her motto, which she uses again later, for example, when they impulsively decide to take a dip in the evening in the private swimming pool of, as it soon becomes apparent, Matthew’s headmaster. “Going all the way” is also one of Matthew’s most important conclusions during his speech to class president in the field of “moral fiber”. Another lesson, which comes to him through another mentor in the film, is whether “the juice is worth squeezing.” Nice life mottos in themselves, but some additions may be required. Because although self-discipline and perseverance are good character traits, the question is whether they are also a sign of one’s moral sense. After all, Mohammed B was also very goal-oriented, but there are few who would call his goals morally sound. There are, for example, more aspects of ‘The Girl Next Door’ that are often ambitious or well-intentioned, but just not convincing in terms of execution. For example, Danielle is not only a mentor figure for Matthew, she also has issues herself and in turn has to be rescued by the boy. It makes for a potentially interesting dynamic, and it’s also a sign and a reason for Matthew’s maturity that he’s saving her from the porn world, but it’s not that likely. Just like their relationship together, where she seems to feel just as much for him as he does for her, while she really does seem to have a very different personality and should fall for different types. At the beginning of the film she states that Matthew needs to find a girlfriend, and it would probably have been better if it had remained in the third person and she/the film did not refer indirectly to herself. It is also admirable that Danielle’s “manager” Kelly is not a pure bad guy, but that there are also good sides to him and his position is understandable to a certain extent. He builds a kind of love-hate relationship with Matthew, only it is a pity that the friendly aspects of this relationship are less convincing. He still behaves like a villain too often for this. Furthermore, the ending is surprising and entertaining, but actually a bit too well-behaved given all the sexual innuendo, the world in which the film takes place and the flirting with danger. On the other hand, it remains mainly a (spicy) comedy for a young target group, and within this genre a positive, funny and educational ending is an excellent solution.

Despite some missed opportunities, there’s plenty in ‘The Girl Next Door’ to get excited about. It’s nice to see how Danielle matures Matthew and gives him the courage to stand up for himself, with the pay-off for this being the scene where Danielle and Matthew end up at a party and he finds her, after first being eliminated by the popular kisses boys who want to conquer her full on the mouth, showing his backbone (and masculinity) and showing once and for all that he is not to be messed with. In addition, of course he shows (to Evelyn) that he really wants to go for her. Then it’s nice that, even though there are a lot of piquancy and (half) naked ladies in the film, the sexual context usually also contains a serious or dramatic layer. For example, Matthew is taken by Kelly to a strip bar, but there the bare silicone breasts shown are not without “price”. There he meets, much to their embarrassment, a friend of his father’s who, in a funny scene – in which they are offered a lap dance together and their breasts rubbed – very dryly asks him how he is doing at school, trying to ignore the context. Finally, what benefits the film experience is the good casting of the actors. Emile Hirsch is excellent as the rambunctious teenager who doesn’t know what hit him when his gorgeous girl next door decides to take him in tow, and his dorky pals strike a good balance between (feigned) toughness and awkwardness in their acting. And Cuthbert splashes off the screen with her teasing, sexy look and tasty imaged body. You will meet such a girl next door…

“’The Girl Next Door’ is a versatile film with a lot of potential, but it doesn’t succeed equally well in its execution. The film feels a bit long due to the various twists and story elements, but in the end it does just fine as a charming, sexually tinted high school comedy with a more mature touch than usual. So look!