Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
First up today, we’ve got Capone’s look at Luke Greenfield’s new comedy:
Hey, Harry. Capone in Chicago stating the bloody obvious: sometimes I can't help but love my job. Sometimes, I just hear a certain phrase describing an aspect of an upcoming film and my mouth begins to water, my eyes sparkle, the hair on the back of my neck becomes electrified with anticipation. Here, let me test this one out on you: "Elisha Cuthbert plays a porn star." See! See what that does to all of us who lust after her as Kim Bauer on "24" or have freeze-framed her barely-clad ass cameo in OLD SCHOOL. It just so happens there's a movie coming out March 12 in which the lovely Ms. Cuthbert does indeed play a porn star. Even better, the film is R-rated (Glory Be!) and it's actually pretty good. Let me tell you about THE GIRL NEXT DOOR.
Matthew (played by Emile Hirsch, the non-Culkin lead from THE DANGEROUS LIVES OF ALTER BOYS) is a high school senior on the brink of graduation. He's already been accepted to Georgetown to pursue his goal of being a clean-cut politician, so he really has nothing to lose by acting out a little in the weeks leading up to prom and graduation. But he and his two friends, Eli and Klitz ("Joan of Arcadia's" Chris Marquette and L.I.E.'s Paul Dano) aren't exactly the type of guys who act out, even when nothing's at stake. They're not nerds; they're just boring and fearful of any level of excitement. Enter Danielle (you know who), the niece of the woman that lives next door to Matthew and his parents. She's housesitting while auntie's away, and shockingly enough her bedroom is directly across from Matthew's. Now it's entirely possible (and probably likely) that the side boob and thonged ass shots we get at this point in the film belong to a body double, but I don't care. I don't ever want to know that they're not Elisha's finely toned body parts. I want to go to my grave thinking we see her partially naked. Danielle, of course, catches Matthew looking and responds with a funny payback scene that I won't ruin for you.
As a result of this encounter, the two become friends enter the early phases of falling in love. It's at about this time when respected porn expert Eli finally meets Danielle and later shows Matthew a tape of her at her previous job as a budding young porn queen named Athena (very original). Matthew is crushed and in a fit of confusion responds to this knowledge badly by treating Danielle like a dirty little whore. She realizes right away that he's discovered her secret and breaks things off before they really ever get going. I have to interject here to say that there's a scene at this point in the film set in a motel room where Cuthbert acts all sexed up and says things like "Do you want to fuck me?" and "How do you want it?" I sort of blacked out for a minute or two, contemplating these questions...
Anyway, the next time Matthew sees Danielle, her ex-boss, a porn producer named Kelly (Timothy Olyphant), has shown up and she's all packed and ready to get back into the business. Despite pleading to her to stay, Matthew can't talk her out of leaving for Vegas to attend a porn convention. What's interesting about the film up to this point is that it plays out like a sweet coming-of-age story, not all that dissimilar to certain John Hughes films. Michael's goofy sidekicks provide some great humor to balance the potentially corny love story. There are a host of jocks and hot high school girls who torment our heroes, but not as much once they start showing up to parties with Danielle. But once Olyphant enters the story, the THE GIRL NEXT DOOR shape shifts into a wacky sexually-tinged adventure strikingly similar to RISKY BUSINESS. Perhaps not quite as clever or off-the-wall as Cruise's groundbreaking film, but closer than anything I've seen in a while. The best part of GIRL NEXT DOOR is that is doesn't really resemble any of the dumb-ass, sanitized, PG-13 teen comedies we've been subjected to of late. Nor is it like the AMERICAN PIE films, which wouldn't have been a bad thing, necessarily, but it doesn't aim for that level of raunch despite it's heavy porn-centric second half.
The back half of the film weaves together stories retrieving Danielle from Kelly and the business, a powerful porn kingpin played by James Remar, stolen money, Matthew trying to give an important speech while tripping on ecstacy, and the top secret filming of a porno on high school grounds during prom. I'm sure there's a kitchen sink in here somewhere too. The bottom line is that THE GIRL NEXT DOOR is funny, original (or at least borrowing from good movies), good-hearted, and nasty at times. There is plenty of nudity (male and female) for everyone, and director Luke Greenfield (THE ANIMAL) keeps things moving at a nice clip. Sure, some of the jokes fall flat, and a few of the situations don't really go anywhere. (There's a subplot about Matthew raising money to bring a Cambodian student to the states to study that seems to exist for no other reason than to make fun of the kid's Asian accent.) But overall this movie worked for me. With the right mix of laughs, vulgarity, and sweetness, it's not too tough to pierce my thick skin and black heart. And, of course, it doesn't hurt that Elisha spends most of the film in skimpy outfits, flashing us her underwear once in a while just to make sure we're paying attention.
Capone
This second review seems equally effusive in praising the comedy:
I saw an advanced screening of "The Girl Next Door" last week, and here's what I thought of it...
I'll open up by saying right off the bat that I love this movie. It's a lot like one of those teenage sex comedies from the 80s, but it's got a huge heart. In many ways, it's like "American Pie" in that regard. I hate romantic comedies, but that's pretty much what "The Girl Next Door" is. It's a raunchy romantic comedy that no guy will bitch about being dragged to. Fellas, it has boobies and it has lesbians, what's there not to like? On top of that, the movie truly is entertaining. Sure, it's got a ton of flaws, but nothing too severe. Also, it appeals to that part of me that likes to see the geek get the hot chick.
Just to let you know, the movie has a big secret regarding the title character, and unfortunately, it's given away in the trailer to the film. I won't be revealing that secret in this review. Hopefully, you'll see this movie not knowing what the secret is, but that secret is how the movie is being promoted, so I doubt that'll happen. Really, it doesn't matter. I saw the movie knowing what the secret was, and I still had a great time with it.
A big reason for me liking this movie is the cast. When I reviewed "The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys," I wrote a few negative things about Emile Hirsch, who played the main character in that film. In "The Girl Next Door," once again, he plays the main character, but I like him a lot more this time around. He was great in the role, playing it perfectly, and the character was very likable and easy to relate to. As for his love interest, the film's title character, she's played by the very sexy Elisha Cuthbert. She had a small role in "Old School," but she's probably known best from the excellent TV show, "24." Anyone who watches "24" knows that the show is in no way comedic, and they don't exploit her sex appeal as often as they could (especially this third season, where she looks downright drab). It's kinda weird to see her in this kinda role, considering how serious she is in "24." That fades quickly, however, and she slips into this character very smoothly. She plays every geek boy's fantasy, not just in looks, but in personality. It's impossible not to totally love her character.
The rest of the cast is no less impressive. The character Emile Hirsch plays has two dorky friends, and they're played by Chris Marquette (I remember him from "Freddy Vs. Jason") and Paul Dano (he was in "The Emperor's Club," as was Emile Hirsch). They're both great, and they provide some of the biggest laughs. Veteran actor James Remar (he's been around for years, but he's probably best known as "Richard" in "Sex and the City"... he was also in "2 Fast 2 Furious") has a small role, and he's always a cool addition to a movie. Probably the biggest standout is Timothy Olyphant (he had a scene-stealing role as a drug dealer in "Go"... he was also very good in "A Man Apart"). I don't wanna say much about the character he plays, but he's a joy to watch. Everyone in the movie is excellent, but Timothy Olyphant's performance is a starmaker.
"The Girl Next Door" was directed by Luke Greenfield, and this is his second film. His first was the Rob Schneider movie, "The Animal." I've never seen "The Animal" (can't say I regret it), but based on what I've seen in "The Girl Next Door," Luke Greenfield is a hell of a comedic director. He probably could have trimmed the film a bit, but other than that, I was really impressed. As for the writing, credit goes to David T. Wagner & Brent Goldberg (together they wrote "Van Wilder"... they also helped write "My Baby's Daddy"), as well as Stuart Blumberg (he wrote the very entertaining "Keeping the Faith"). I'm not sure who contributed what, but if I were a betting man, I'd say that the comedy and main story of the film was handled by David T. Wagner & Brent Goldberg while Stuart Blumberg added all the sweet stuff and the funny dialogue.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the film's awesome soundtrack. It's not just that the songs are good, it's also the way the songs are used. The scenes that utilize Filter's "Take a Picture" and the Queen/David Bowie collaboration, "Under Pressure," are especially well done. Unfortunately, it appears that there isn't a CD available for the soundtrack. That's a shame, 'cause the music kicks ass, and I'd buy the CD in a heartbeat.
"The Girl Next Door" won't win any Oscars, but it's got an undeniable charm, and I really liked it. It's got plenty of flaws, but I'm willing to overlook most of 'em because I enjoyed the movie so much. I'll probably see it again theatrically after its official release date (March 12), and I'm definitely gonna buy the DVD.
Scale of 1-10: 8
If you use this, call me JoeytheFilmGeek
Thanks, Joey, and thanks, Capone. If the movie sounds good to you, check out Mr. Beaks’s interview with the film’s director today as well!
"Moriarty" out.
