The New Guy (2002) User Reviews

Crazy Eyes!

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 7/10 · 10 May 2002]

So back when I was in high school The New Guy was released and my best friend and I saw it together, all I could say was that I wanted to pull a Dizzy, re-vamp my whole act for the school, we can all dream, right? But anyways onto the movie, The New Guy is actually a really funny high school comedy that is sure to deliver a few good laughs. I think the reason why is because of the cast, it looked like they just had a blast making this movie and made it completely entertaining. While it's definitely not the best acted or stands out against all other high school comedies, this formula worked and DJ Qualls truly made the movie into something special. He and Eddie Griffin were great for The New Guy, a new twist on the typical high school tale of freaks, geeks and beautiful people.

Prison inmate, Luther tells us the story of Dizzy Gillespie Harrison, a 18-year-old high school senior and nerd. Dizzy is friends with Nora, Kirk and Glen, and attends Rocky Creek High School, where he is picked on by star football player Barclay. This occurs before and after Tina Osgood causes him to have an erection, which the school librarian accidentally breaks. Dizzy is misdiagnosed with Tourette syndrome; he is then illegally placed on medication by the school counselor. While at the mall's food court, Dizzy makes a fool of himself and gets arrested. In prison, Dizzy meets Luther, who turns out to be a sympathetic ex-victim who makes it his goal to teach him how to be cool. In an attempt to wipe the slate clean, Dizzy gets himself expelled from his old high school, then undergoes a makeover with the help of the prison inmates. Changing his name to 'Gil Harris', he enrolls at East Highland High and makes an impression by being dropped off in a prison van and beating up the school bully, Connor. The action has an intended effect, and head cheerleader, Danielle, welcomes the newcomer to school. Everything goes to plan, he's cool, popular, and everyone looks up to him… little does the school know what Diz actually was at one point.

I really did enjoy The New Guy, I still love watching it today. There are a lot of great bits, but I think what my friend and I always have a great time watching is when the prisoners are teaching Dizzy how to be tough, especially when Luther teaches Diz "the crazy eyes". This movie has a lot of memorable moments in it, I don't know if it's enough though for The New Guy to stand out as a classic high school comedy. But I do recommend it if you get the chance, it has a great soundtrack, a cool story and fun characters. Diz definitely made Madonna run for her money with his new re-invention of himself.

7/10

Hilarious and a Great Cast!!

[kippardue_luvr21 · 7/10 · 11 May 2002]

'The New Guy' seems to stand out from all the other teen movies. When you go to see a teen movie, it is usually about the most popular kids in school and how they try to get laid. Though this movie shared some qualities of your normal teen movie, it had certain aspects to it that made it stand out from all the rest. I think it was the star studded appearances in the movie such as Tony Hawk, Gene Simmons of KISS, Vanilla Ice, Tommy Lee, Jurmane Dupree (spell??), David Hasselhoff, Horatio Sanz of SNL, and Jerry and Charlie O'Connell. What A cast! And of course DJ Qualls and Eddie Griffin were a hilarious on screen duo! 'The New Guy' certainly stands out from your average teen movie!!

A funny enjoyable Teen Comedy

[ScottDMenzel · 7/10 · 19 November 2003]

The New guy was a movie that I had mixed feelings about. One part of me thought the movie was going to be just another piece of teen garbage and the other half actually had hope for the film. I am very happy to say that the film was actually very good. This movie is not your average teen movie of coarse it does have a few sexual references but it doesn't go overboard with the sex jokes. The most important element of the film was its meaning which is believe in yourself and don't let the people around you control you. The plot wasn't too original but I enjoyed the film very much.

The film stars DJ Qualls as Dizzy Harrison, and his three friends Nora (Zooey Deschannel), Glen (Parry Shen), and Kirk (Jerod Mixon) who are just entering their senior year of high school. Dizzy and his friends have always been the geeks of the school and been the target of humiliation. So one day Dizzy gathers up enough courage to talk to one of the cheerleaders at the school. He actually succeeds in this goal but the cheerleader caused him to become aroused which in itself isn't too good. The next problem occurs when the cheerleader's boyfriend comes over and asks him what he is doing talking to his girlfriend. Dizzy is then humiliated in front of the entire school by the boyfriend punching him and then a hall monitor grabbing Dizzy's private area and pulling him into the principle's office. He is now so embarrassed and doesn't want to ever go back to school. So Dizzy freaks out in a fit of rage and goes to the mall and takes the microphone from the church quire and starts talking about how bad his life has been.

This then gets him thrown into prison where he meets Luther (Eddie Griffen), who was also the loser kid in high school. Luther then explains to Dizzy how to get expelled from the school so he can go into another High school and start over with a new image. So he gets out of prison and goes back to school and tries to get himself expelled by pulling many wild stunts. He then goes back to prison where he learns the ropes of how to succeed in high school as the `cool guy'. He changes his name to Gil, which is his middle name and starts fresh at the new high school. He embarrasses the most popular guy the first day and everyone falls in love with the New Guy! Gil gains respect from the main cheerleader at this new high school (Eliza Dushku) and starts a relationship with her. Gil feels great at first until he gets so popular and forgets about his 3 buddies who he has known since he was little. Gil finds a way to encourage the new school that his friends are just as cool as him. Gil then helps raise the school spirit by encouraging the football team to win games. Everything is going well for Gil until the football game between his new school and his old school occurs. This then causes a huge problem. The bully from the first school and the bully from the new school get together and find a way to destroy Gil's reputation.

The film gives off a very good soundtrack with a mixture of many different types of music. I especially liked Dizzy's & his three friends' band who sounded awesome in my opinion. I think they should really go out and get a record deal because their music rocked. So as you can tell from the brief description of the movie, it does try to have its sexual jokes but aren't very offensive or sick like other teen movies. But most importantly to me is the end the film, which made a very good point. The movie was a very fun ride for me and I seen it many times already and enjoyed it after ever viewing. My final rating for the New Guy is an 8/10

as good as these movies can be

[werbler · 21 January 2004]

just when you think they are going to go overboard with the dork vs jocks and dissing his old dork friends conflicts, they don't, thank you. Plus, more often than not, the main villan does not even take that big of a role and his friends and girlfriend make him look like the idiot that he is. Because of these reasons,this movie is totally enjoyable and easy to watch.

A Feel Good Movie With a Fairy Tale Ending

[Jakemcclake · 7/10 · 19 January 2010]

Some Spoilers DJ Quails stars as a kid who purposely gets expelled from one school to go in to another school, where he can start with a new reputation. The story then shows him attaining all of what he wants, but he has to disconnect himself from his past. Then he is reconnected with the past he is running from. There are a couple laughs and a feel good or almost fairy tale ending, as all works out in the ends and he gets the girl and keeps his new reputation.

Eliza Dushku also stars in this one and she is the girl he gets. She again in an edgy cheerleader and a side character, like "Bring It On". I always watch Eliza hoping for a little more drama from her. She can be a very powerful dramatic actress. However, in this one, she hardly raises her voice.

The story may seem pretty unrealistic, but it has a good theme, I believe in. The main character's major change starts as an act, but he gradually gains confidence in himself. When his confidence changes, he is no longer concerned so much with himself, but with others. At that point he becomes likable and one can understand why the new school likes him.

Goofy fun.

[Im-SoRRy-ITS-TakEN · 7/10 · 11 April 2021]

Going into the film you can immediately tell the comedic and art style was spoofed. During the first part you may cringe until it's funny and the rest of the movie may seem to be a long run. The comedy is decent throughout the movie, a lot of it is cringe worthy, however if you can get into the characters, their interactions with the flow of the story, it is done well enough to immerse you into the world.

The New Guy ended up being a satisfying watch even though i almost dropped it right after i started.

too silly, too broad, too convoluted

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 25 August 2015]

Dizzy Harrison (DJ Qualls) and his friends Nora (Zooey Deschanel), Kirk (Jerod Mixon) and Glen (Parry Shen) are in a garage band and seniors in high school. They are also outcasts. Dizzy especially is picked on and he even has his penis broken. He gets arrested and befriends fellow inmate Luther (Eddie Griffin) who teaches him the ways of the prison. Back in school, he gets himself expelled and transfers to a new school. Using a new name Gil Harris and new attitude, he's cool and just got out of prison. He's the popular New Guy and attracts the attention of cheerleader Danielle (Eliza Dushku).

I like DJ and I don't mind the cliché teen story. It's just too silly to be taken seriously. Some of the story doesn't make sense even if a wide latitude is given. I'm not looking for a masterpiece of writing but it needs to be better. It's also not funny. The comedy is so broad that it really doesn't work. I kinda like the actors but the movie is too stupid to recommend.

Who Dat?

[artvandelay5a · 6/10 · 10 May 2002]

The film itself was a little lame, but had its moments. DJ Qualls did a good job as did Eddie Griffin, but what made this movie worth seeing is the many celebrity cameos such as: Vanilla Ice, Kool Mo Dee, Henry Rollins, Gene Simmons, Horatio Sanz, Tony Hawk, Lyle Lovett, Jerry & Charlie O'Connell, and Tommy Lee. It was great to see these guys in the movie and it made the film all the more enjoyable to watch.

Feed the needy....

[FlashCallahan · 2/10 · 29 August 2013]

Dizzy Harrison is an unpopular geek going through a bad senior year. In an attempt to make a new identity for himself, he gets himself expelled, learns the technique's of cool from a prison inmate, and enrols at a new school under the alias Gil Harris, to make new friends.

He then gets noticed by the head cheerleader, Danielle, and helps the school football team gain self-respect to win games.

But things unknowingly begin to turn sour when Danielle's disgruntled boyfriend begins investigating into his past to uncover any dirt on him.....

Its a great premise, and could have been a wonderful movie, but I have never seen a movie where the lead is so miscast, that it ruins the whole film.

Qualls is a good actor, Road Trip was funny, but to cast him as someone who would be considered cool by all the school and to have Dushku be attracted to him, is beyond bonkers.

I know its shallow me saying that, but its a shallow movie, and despite the message of the film 'if your nice, it doesn't matter if your not cool' its still shallow, humourless stuff.

The cast grate, Griffin is wasted, and its so predictable, you can almost count to three when the titular character has something bad happen to him, and then its all okay come the end.

Add two really bad homages to Patton and Braveheart, you have a really disappointing movie.

Take it for what it is...

[insomniac_rod · 6/10 · 10 February 2008]

DJ Qualls and Eliza Dushku make an "interesting" on-screen duo (and later couple) in this all American style comedy that is oriented for a teen audience.

Sure, there are many clichés but you can forget about them in order to have a "decent" time.

The movie is about a geeky, loser student that gets bullied all the time and could never get any girls. So he changes to another high school and invents himself a new cool, badass, groovy attitude that convinces everyone (except the popular male studs) that he's really cool.

With his new attitude, he starts dating -sort of- the hottest cheerleader in school and that's just enough to make him change for bad because now he dismisses his old friends and his personality is now really annoying.

Things get really ugly when the popular male students from his new college investigate about his past and discover that he was a terrible loser...

Watch the rest and expect interesting things with a message.

Eliza Dushku never looked this hot. I mean, her body is just spectacular and is enough reason to watch the movie. She's unbelievable hot believe me, if not, watch the scenes where she's trying on some skimpy, raunchy bikinis.

DJ Qualls is really funny this time.

Anyways watch this movie if you are in the mood for a predictable but funny teen comedy with some decent spoofs ("Patton" for example).

Mind-numbing stupidity

[k8tdidnot · 1/10 · 10 June 2002]

Several dozen strikes with a block of wood to the temple are the equivalent to this mind-numbingly stupid waste of precious film. As a teen, I am depressed to be reminded yet again that this is a representation of not only American marketing directed at teens, but what the world actually views as the 'teenage creed.' The plot centers on a revolting, backwoodsesque reject taking advice from an African American prison inmate in order to gain the prize that, according to this film, all teenagers want but not all can achieve; high school popularity. Not only is this an outlandish idea, but also the inmate's character fails to be introduced, let alone solidified throughout the movie. Subduing the nausea caused by this blatant African American stereotype that I felt had fizzled out by the 1950s was my first task. Secondly, I am still desperately searching for good in this movie. Not only does it establish, once again in American culture, that popularity is synonymous with promiscuity and violence (as long as you have a great haircut, of course), but it also demeans audiences everywhere by incorporating poorly written jokes that even a puddle of slime could comprehend. In summation, poor writing, poor film technique, poor acting, and an approach to filmmaking similar to an uneducated, patronizing adult rank this film, in this author's opinion, as the worst film in American history.

It's not about the story. It's about the fun.

[sigmoid23 · 9/10 · 29 January 2006]

A lot of people will say the plot of this movie was lame, predictable and dumb and yeah, they're right. But this kind of movie isn't about a brilliant plot. It's about interesting characters and silly gags and parodying those more serious types of movies. There are some funny lines, sight gags and slapstick, some cute girls, the bad guys get what's coming to them and the good guys win. Throw in some surprising celebrity cameos (some of which you might not catch until the credits roll) and a great soundtrack that mixes old and new songs and that's what I call entertainment.

The cast is noteworthy too. DJ Qualls, of course, Zooey Deschanel (the chick from Elf), Eddie Griffin, Lyle Lovett, Jerod Mixon, Parry Shen, Matt Gogin etc. did a fine job. If you can watch a movie without being hypercritical about how "bad" it is, then get this, sit back a have some laughs

So bad, it's good.

[ballisticsgeek · 6/10 · 28 May 2019]

This movie is very firmly in the category of "so bad, it's good" or maybe good because it's so incredibly, awkwardly bad. It's basically cut from the same cloth as "Not Another Teen Movie." It takes all the worst parts of cleché, angsty movies & amplifies them. Unfortunately, the acting leaves a lot to be desired... although some of that may have been on purpose as well. It's hard to tell... This should go without saying at this point, but don't take even a single moment of this movie seriously. Over all, not a bad turn-your-brain-off kind of movie.

One of the worst movies I have ever seen

[trax8 · 1/10 · 13 November 2005]

In the words of Eric Cartman this movie "sucked donkey b****". I mean seriously this is one of the worst movies I have ever seen and I have seen quite a few pathetic ones. DJ has the perfect dweeb look going on and its good but there is no way he can star in his own movie. To be fair this movie had a pretty fair intro but it lost itself within the first 15 mins of the movie.The movie tries to have elements of the best of all teen movies and instead ends up as a pile of s***.The comic situations look too weird (not weird funny, just weird).Crude sex jokes (not American pie style), illogical , incoherent situations make this one painful experience. Overall if you enjoy mind numbing experiences go for it. Else pass this one.

DJ Qualls sure know how to to act strangely and funny.

[elgen · 18 May 2002]

I saw this movie about 2 weeks ago and i must say that i was impressed by DJ Q's acting as Gil Harris / Gale Harrison! Ross Patterson also was acting like a modern high school thugstah... Anyway, this movie made me laugh like i havent laughed since American Pie 1 & 2! :) This is a kinda classical teenage movie, worth to watch! Lets just hope that they make a New Guy 2 or something.. ;)

Pleasant and funny

[mirutsa · 6/10 · 18 May 2002]

Where this is certainly not the best movie of the season, it was definitely entertaining. It is about a subject we can all relate to - the delicate, infuriating social structure of high school. It has a good mix of clever humor, dumb slapstick, serious moments, and those little kickers like cameos and popular movie spoofs. It also has a very mild serious element; any more would have been burdensome, less would leave it mindless. DJ Qualls's performance is very likeable, and for the most part so is his character. The acting is mediocre, but that's what one should expect from a movie in this genre. The cinematography is not poor, but could have been better. The plot is contrived and predictable, but so are most these days. It is mostly the bizarre humor, easy to like characters, and outtakes that make this movie worth watching.

nothing not seen before

[antony-ruff · 6/10 · 30 September 2002]

This film is A-Typical.

Thoroughly predictable right from the start.

Soon as you hear, the tag line, you know what is gonna happen. Then everything else that happens arrives while your already laughing at the joke.

Dont get me wrong, its not bad film, to kill 90 minutes to. But its not one to watch again and again.

i gave this film 6/10 as it did make me laugh and it does have Eliza Dushka in it.

this is just my opinion you watch it for yourselves and make up your own mind.

Untasteful and waste of valuable time

[Gwtob1 · 2/10 · 3 May 2005]

This film looked good to start with, interesting and funny. However 10 Min's in and i was ready to start clipping my toe nails and gaze out the window. Instead i persisted and sat through. The only way to describe it is humor aimed at 10-14 year old while the movie is obviously aimed at an older audience, say 16-24 years. It is no joke when you say it is made up of toilet humor and "seen it all before" type gags. Seriously I could watch grass grow for 2 hours and be more fulfilled. As for the actors, they are not too bad, ranging from a skinny geek to an obeese black guy. The strange thing is the girl in the geek patrol, she just does not fit in, at least the other two are replicate the unpopular people in real life.

Totally hilarious

[acidhak · 7/10 · 9 October 2002]

It caught my attention pretty quickly. The simple idea that DJ(Dizzy) could become the badass of a high school was out of this world, but it was pulled off nicely. I enjoyed all of this movie with the exception of the last 10 minutes which like all cheesy movies are generally bad. I would suggest this movie to many people. 6.5/10 overall(8 of 10 if you expect a cheesy comedy)

The Same Old Stuff

[uchio · 1/10 · 26 March 2006]

This was by far the worst film I've seen in years. If monkeys with sever diarrhea had written and directed a film, it would still have less feces in it than "The New Guy". I believe the formula the studio used when they made this film was: Dork(DJ Qualls)+Hot Chick(Eliza Dushku)+Crap+Cliché = Waste of $$$! "The New Guy" tries to copy other teen movies you've already seen a million times before, and it even fails miserably at that. The story is very familiar: an ugly duckling/loser(DJ Qualls) tries to become popular. Things are going smoothly in the beginning and he is changed by his newfound popularity. Of course somehow his past comes back to haunt him. Cue the sentimental speech and happy ending. Blah, blah, blah. Cliché, cliché, cliché.

I can't explain why, but the movie just isn't funny. It tries too hard. Sometimes the jokes are just so obvious, you KNOW what's coming, and that ruins the humor. Minutes after finishing the movie, I can't remember a single joke. It is that bad and forgettable. Name any other teen movie and it would be better than this one. Any of them! The simple truth is that there are only two reasons you would see this film: 1)Eliza Dushku's changing scene, 2)You're in love with DJ Quall. Although there are some cool cameos by Tony Hawk, among others, it does not save the film. Honestly, if you see this film you are telling Hollywood that it is OK to make horrible, horrible movies. Which is NOT TRUE! So support PETM (People for the Ethical Treatment of Movies) and rent something else. You'll be doing everyone - including yourself - a favor.

A real fun movie to watch!!

[stevepkp4 · 6/10 · 19 November 2002]

Come on people!! why is everyone so worried about the plot half the time. The New Guy had an overall trite story, but was entertaining and a fun to watch film. So what if it didn't have a immense story line as Lord of the Rings or the astonishing and well thought out plot of Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets.It was good because, unlike Lord of The Rings, wasn't claimed to be long and boring.It is just nice to kick back and watch this movie because it is fun!

Thoroughly unfunny

[freerads · 1/10 · 19 April 2003]

How do movies like this get made? Seriously, someone tell me. I think I know: when you take the average of the masses, it always equals absolute stupidity. So when bigwig producers decide on film projects, they're forced to select the sorriest excuses for "scripts" and bring them to pathetic life for all to enjoy. *gag* Then we package them and sell them to the confederacy of dunces. "The New Guy" is a waste of thousands of dollars and countless hours of time of all those involved. The resulting product is probably the biggest piece of cinematic waste since "Lone Star State of Mind." It never ceases to amaze me how low people will go when greenlighting movie projects. Is it me or are they going lower and lower each year? There is no story here. It has no message, it has no purpose, it has no value or memorable characters or dialogue, no redeeming qualities. "But it's a comedy!" you say. Well there's certainly no laughs, either...for any educated person, that is. The laughs in this film are scant at best, mostly nonexistent, and downright inane. From a comedic standpoint, it misfires on just about every possible cylinder. The comedy in this movie is equivalent to the same "Three Stooges" episode on its 1,000th loop. How many times can one laugh at DJ Qualls falling or hurtin himself? How many times can one laugh at countless stereotypes? Plenty, if you're 10 years of age or of equal mindset. If this is supposed to be a "comedy," and fails this miserably, what are we left with? Mucus. Green mucus. And lots of it. I have an idea. Why doesn't everyone in America get a college degree so we can bring the average IQ up a few notches. That way, the movies we produce will (hopefully) improve. I pray Ed Decter will stay out of Texas and make his lame movies elsewhere. As for the writer: try harder. Shame on you for making this movie.

well, it's another high school movie....loser wins!

[little_bear777 · 8/10 · 12 May 2002]

If you want a movie that's realistic, look somewhere else. If you want a cute film, where the losers come out on top, this is a pretty good movie. Dj Qualls is becoming a really good actor, and he's got the role of the geek nailed. Patten that boy for this part. There are some choice moments in this movie that make it better then some, and Vanilla Ice is in it...how cool is that? That's actually what makes this movie so great. The cameos. there are some major rockers in this that will refresh the screen at times (towards the end).

not BAD

[dushkufan · 6/10 · 18 March 2003]

I have read a few review for The New Guy, most saying that it is not bad. I agree. Although The New Guy is not going to win any awards soon, it was worth a laugh.

Also, can I just say how many CONNECTIONS does someone have to get that many extras in this film (Gene Simmons, Tommy Lee, Tony Hawk etc.)

Well... It may be worth it for the swimsuit scene

[itamarscomix · 2/10 · 24 May 2005]

What were they thinking?! Do people actually still make movies like this? Do people actually BUY tickets and go see movies like this? This is a relic of the 80s that was made 15 years too late. It's been years since I've seen a movie so predictable, so idiotic and so formulistic. Its concepts of social behavior and teen life are so old fashioned and pathetically prototypical, the makers of Saved By The Bell would have laughed. Fine, you say. It's just a stupid comedy. It doesn't have to be smart. But hell, at least make it funny! There were maybe two or three good jokes throughout the whole thing. A couple of decent actors (Eddie Griffin wasn't bad, and Zooey Deschanel is strangely charming) and some good cameos (Tommy Lee, David Hasslelhoff, Vanilla Ice) don't make up for a lousy script, a pathetic lead actor and bland, uninspired directing (the line - directed by a co-writer of There's Something About Mary should tell you all you need to know).

I wouldn't recommend buying this DVD. I wouldn't recommend renting it. If they're showing it on a plane and you haven't got anything to read... get some sleep. And yeah, Eliza Dushko is gorgeous, and there's a scene where she tries on different swimsuits. You can get that kind of stuff on the Playboy channel. And they have better dialogues.