The Girl Next Door (2004)

A teenager's dreams come true when a former porn star moves in next door and they fall in love.

Director:

Luke Greenfield

Writers:

David Wagner (story) (as David T. Wagner), Brent Goldberg (story)

Stars:

Emile Hirsch, Nicholas Downs, Elisha Cuthbert

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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
Lee Sung Hi	...	Ferrari
Ulysses Lee	...	Samnang
Harris Laskawy	...	Dr. Salinger

Storyline

18-year-old Matthew Kidman is a straight 'A' over-achiever who feels that he has never really lived life to the full. That 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.

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Plot Keywords:

porn actress | female nudity | female frontal nudity | wet clothes | hot | 

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Taglines:

Matt never saw her coming... but all his friends had!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content, language and some drug/alcohol use

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jay Mohr auditioned for the role of Kelly, but was told the part had gone to Matt Dillon. The part of Kelly would be played by Mohr's Go (1999) costar Timothy Olyphant, who had passed on the part twice before agreeing to take the role.

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Goofs

When Matt is getting changed in the dressing room for the big scene he is looking in the mirror and there is lipstick on the hand that Danielle kissed. When he walks towards the door the lipstick isn't there any more. It returns in the next shot.

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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.

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Alternate Versions

There is an workprint version of the film floating around on the Internet including some of the deleted scenes from the DVD and alternate shots; also including a couple of minor deleted scenes not seen on any other version.

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Connections

References Sophie's Choice (1982)

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Soundtracks

Something in the Air
Written by John Keen
Performed by Thunderclap Newman
Courtesy of Eel Pie Music and Polydor Limited
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Engaging Homage to 80's Teen Flicks...

THE GIRL NEXT DOOR, Luke Greenfield's sexy yet sweet teen angst flick, owes a lot to both the RISKY BUSINESS premise (HS Senior, his goal a prestigious college, has his life turned 'upside-down' by world-wise 'Pro'), and the internal structure of John Hughes' 80's teen 'classics' (geeky hero, and his two geekier friends, gain acceptance and prestige through his relationship with a 'dream girl').

Close your eyes, and you could easily picture the young Anthony Michael Hall or John Cusack filling Emile Hirsch's role, with Rebecca De Mornay or Kelly Preston replacing Elisha Cuthbert as his ex-porn star girlfriend. THE GIRL NEXT DOOR, however, actually works quite well, thanks to Greenfield's 'tongue-in-cheek' approach to the naughtiness, and a flawless supporting cast, particularly Timothy Olyphant as a likable but ultimately ruthless porn producer, and Timothy Bottoms and Donna Bullock, as Hirsch's clueless but blindly supportive parents.

Emile Hirsch shows a propensity towards 'soulfully earnest' expressions, but does provide one of the film's funniest scenes, as, while high on Ecstasy, he attempts to navigate through a crowd awaiting his speech on 'high moral fiber'. While some critics tended to brush off Elisha Cuthbert's performance as just another skin-baring 'boy toy' variation, she actually conveys the vulnerability and pain of her character's past quite effectively, balancing it with sly humor and a LOT of 'sex appeal', done within the restraints of her "No Nudity" contract clause...Sorry, guys, while you'll see a LOT of her skin, you AREN'T going to see Elisha 'bare all'...

The film is a very funny, breezy lark, and while it never achieves the heights of insanity of RISKY BUSINESS, it certainly stands as one of the better 'teen' comedies of the past few years!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 April 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Girl Next Door

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,003,806, 11 April 2004

Gross USA:

$14,589,444

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$30,381,722

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Regency Productions, Daybreak, Epsilon Motion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1