|
Matthew Kidman is an ambitious high-school senior on the brink
of graduation, with his sights set on a coveted scholarship.
Danielle is looking for a fresh start in her new neighbourhood,
which happens to be next door to Matthew. The pair embark
on a whirlwind romance full of fun and laughter. What Matthew
doesn't know is that Danielle is a porn star...!
Despite its racy "Uncovered" tagline, the DVD version of this
romantic teen comedy is only reasonably risqué. There is some
nudity, on a TV screen as kids watch adult movies and at a
strip club, but anyone wishing to see the lovely Elisha Cuthbert
(24) reveal more in her role as Danielle than she did
in the cinema will be disappointed. However, her performance
remains very sexy indeed, and the eye contact she exchanges
with Emile Hirsch as Matthew communicates a real sense of
love.
Both Cuthbert and Hirsch demonstrate great range, providing
comedy (Hirsch as a loser; Cuthbert as a mischief-maker) and
well as more serious moments (Hirsch threatened with violence;
Cuthbert disappointed when Danielle realises Matthew thinks
she will be an easy lay just because she's a porn star). Their
co-star Timothy Olyphant (Dreamcatcher) is also brilliantly
versatile as Danielle's agent Kelly, switching effortlessly
from easy-going comic relief to frightening bouts of anger.
On the strictly humorous front, Chris Marquette (Freddy
Vs Jason) and Paul Dano (who co-starred with Hirsch in
The Emperor's Club) also provide good support as Matthew's
similarly undersexed best friends Eli and Klitz.
Though not of the same quality as American Pie, which
the DVD's packaging and promotion seek to emulate, this movie
is similar in that, beneath its crude exterior, this is a
genuinely touching romance. Most impressive of all is the
fact that Matthew convinces Danielle that she is "better than
this" (meaning her job in the porn industry) little over halfway
through the film. A lesser narrative might have ended there,
but life is not that simple, and fittingly Matthew faces far
more challenging obstacles, due to the actions of the vengeful
Kelly.
There
are occasional breakdowns of logic, though. For instance,
I doubt that Matthew's parents (Timothy Bottoms and Donna
Bullock) and headmaster (Harris Laskawy) could have been won
over quite as easily as they are at the end of the movie.
And, contrary to events earlier on in the story, you need
proof of identification to withdraw a five-figure sum from
any bank account.
However, as the deleted scenes and director's commentary reveal,
The Girl Next Door could have had a few more realistic
notes to it, had the studio permitted director Luke Greenfield
to keep them in. One deleted scene in particular shows Matthew
expressing some very realistic regret about his pursuit of
Danielle, having blown his scholarship speech as a result.
Further
deleted scenes include a couple of very funny extended sequences
involving Eli. Other special features include The Eli Experience,
an eight-minute featurette in which Chris Marquette, in character
as Eli, gatecrashes a real-life adult film convention. There's
also a ten-minute "making of" featurette, scene-specific commentaries
by Emile Hirsch and Elisha Cuthbert, a gag reel, trailer and
stills gallery. The feature-length trivia text commentary
is OK, but at least half of the trivia displayed on screen
isn't directly related to the production of the movie: instead
it deals with real-life historical facts and statistics.
American
Pie it isn't, but The Girl Next Door is certainly
in the neighbourhood.
Richard
McGinlay
Buy
this item online
We
compare prices online so you get the cheapest
deal!
Click on the logo of the desired store below
to purchase this item.
|
|
|
£11.99
(Amazon.co.uk) |
| |
|
|
|
£15.49
(MVC.co.uk) |
| |
|
|
|
£15.49
(Streetsonline.co.uk) |
All prices correct at time of going to press.
|
|
