Plot
A teenager's dreams come true when a former porn star moves in next door and they fall in love.
Release Year: 2004
Rating: 6.8/10 (84,756 voted)
Critic's Score: 47/100
Director:
Luke Greenfield
Stars: Emile Hirsch, Nicholas Downs, Elisha Cuthbert
Storyline 18-year-old Matthew Kidman is a straight 'A' over-achiever who feels that he has never really lived life till the fall. This is, until he meets 'the girl next door'. Danielle moves in next door, and Matthew thinks he's found the girl of his dreams. All is going well, until Matthew's sex-mad friend Eli reveals that Danielle is actually a ex-porn star. Matthew doesn't know how to take the news or how to treat Danielle, and things go from bad to worse when Danielle's former producer Kelly appears to take her back.
Writers: David Wagner, Brent Goldberg
Cast: Emile Hirsch
-
Matthew Kidman
Elisha Cuthbert
-
Danielle
Timothy Olyphant
-
Kelly
James Remar
-
Hugo Posh
Chris Marquette
-
Eli
Paul Dano
-
Klitz
Timothy Bottoms
-
Mr. Kidman
Donna Bullock
-
Mrs. Kidman
Jacob Young
-
Hunter
Brian Kolodziej
-
Derek
Brandon Irons
-
Troy
Amanda Swisten
-
April
Sung Hi Lee
-
Ferrari
Ulysses Lee
-
Samnang
Harris Laskawy
-
Dr. Salinger
Taglines:
Matt never saw her coming... but all his friends had!
Opening Weekend: $6,003,806
(USA)
(11 April 2004)
(2148 Screens)
Gross: $14,589,444
(USA)
(27 June 2004)
Technical Specs
Runtime:|
(international version) (unrated version)
Did You Know?
Trivia:
During the scene in the strip club when Emile Hirsch is trying to figure out how to smoke the cigar, it falling out of his mouth is an accident. The director liked it so much, he left it in.
Goofs:
Continuity:
When in class Mathew's book is turned to a page with a photo, and then as he looks out the window and the view goes back his book is on a different page. Then when we seem him close his book a second later, the page he was on is an different page again.
Quotes:
[first lines]
Woman:
[voiceover]
How do you want me?
Man:
Oh, that's good. Yeah. Just, uh... just get comfortable.
Woman:
I'm a little nervous.
Man:
Nah, you're doing great.
User Review
The juice is definitely worth the squeeze
Rating: 10/10
Here we have a great example of how decent writers, armed with creative
juice to spare, can take a well-worn plot and rework it to make it seem
fresh. Just when you think you've got the next twist figured out, you're
surprised. This happens throughout the movie, making
The Girl Next Door one of the most charming, smart and subversive teen
comedies I've seen in a long time - beautifully written, perfectly cast, a
real pleasure from start to finish.
Emile Hirsch, Elisha Cuthbert and Timothy Olyphant shine in their respective
roles as the young man at a crossroads in his life, the girl next door of
the title, equally confused, and the scuzball with a heart who knows he has
to do the right thing even if it goes against his 'business instincts.'
These characters are not one-dimensional, thanks to the superb writing, nor
are they caricatures; they come across as genuine individuals, and the
comedy in the film comes not at their expense but rather organically, as
part of their journey. As Olyphant's character asks Hirsch at one point: "Is
the juice worth the squeeze?" In this case, it most definitely
is.
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