I will always remember... (The Girl Next Door [2004] (DVD))

Member Name: Mischiefdemon

Product:	The Girl Next Door [2004] (DVD)
Date:	26/05/09 (24 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Funny & Charming

Disadvantages: A little crude in places

*** This review is for the movie only ***

Before I start; I feel that I must explain myself. 'The Girl Next Door' is one of my favourite movies, however it's a movie that is heavily overlooked. I've had this DVD since the day it was originally released, I saw it in the cinema with one of my closest friends and we both loved it so much I had to buy it as soon as it was available.

This is a film that I keep coming back to as if it were a security blanket and I were a toddler, although I have many "comfort" films like this, this particular one doesn't get watched as often as it should. I should also explain that most of my "comfort" films I use almost like sleep aids. That is; at one o'clock in the morning when I should be asleep but there's still too much going on in my head, I put on one of my films on because it helps me sleep. Not this film. 'The Girl Next Door' is a film that I can put on at any time, night or day and I'll stay awake to see it all, because it feels criminal not to.

Plot:

Matthew Kidman (Emile Hirsch) is student council president, gets straight A's and has a good potential future. His life is turned upside down when Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert) comes to house sit for her aunt, Matthew's neighbor. Danielle treats him like no other girl has before, she makes him feel alive and pushes him to do things that he never would have normally done. Obviously he rather quickly falls for her and her him. Everything is going great until Eli (Chris Marquette), Matthew's porn obsessed friend discovers Danielle's secret. She's a porn star.

Matthew, under pressure from his friends tries to take advantage of the situation, royally screwing things up and loosing the girl of his dreams. The rest of the film follows Matthew, Eli and Klitz (Paul Dano) in their quest to win back the girl, much to the behest of her former manager Kelly (Timothy Olyphant).

The story is great overall, somewhat different from the norm when it comes to these teen movies, which works great in its favour. While there's not a great amount to stay on top of, it never spirals out of control to leave you confused. Instead once you're on board, you think you know where you're going and for the most part you'd be right. However, how you actually reach your destination might be different from what you'd initially thought.

Direction & Sound:

Every time I watch this film I remind myself how beautiful its been shot, considering this is only a Teen Comedy. Utilizing clever use of daydream sequences, slow motion and misdirection, sound and music, director Luke Greenfield makes you see and feel everything from Matthew perspective. I particularly like when Matthew finds out about Danielle's past. He starts to hallucinate and see Danielle do things that she's not. Or when he see's her for the first time in slow motion. You can completely understand how he could fall for Danielle, his heartache when he looses her and his desperation, as he needs to win her back.

Musically, there are a couple noteworthy songs on the soundtrack, most obviously 'The Killing Moon" by Echo and the Bunnymen (First sight) and "This Year's Love" by David Gray (First kiss). There are plenty of other songs here but none of them have stuck with me like these two, from two of the most important scenes in the first half of the movie.

Characters:

All the characters are completely believable and will probably remind you of someone in your life. The slightly eccentric friend, the shy and self-conscious friend, the shady guy that forces you to have fun against your will... And the girl who changed it all. All of the acting is top notch and the jokes although sometimes embarrassingly uncomfortable, never miss a mark. Although it's a somewhat romantic teen comedy, it's obviously geared towards a male audience and I highly recommend seeing this with a group of guys.

"Dude!"
"I know."
"Dude!"
"I know!"

Like I already said, I saw this for the first time with one of my closest friends. The whole way through we were rooting for Matt, sometimes even watching through our fingers when he screws up, but we were with him the whole way.
However I think the film completely hangs on the likeability of Elisha's character, granted she's very attractive, but it's her personality you, as the audience, fall in love with. Just as Matthew does. If this didn't work as well as it does, you might find yourself wondering what the fuss was about. This was a brave move, being arguably a guy film, as I can't think of any other teen comedies that focus more on the romantic connection between its main characters to engage you than the jokes. Don't get me wrong, there's a good laugh here for everyone, I just honestly think that you'll appreciate it more from a guys perspective.

Closing Comments:

While it's a film for everyone, guys will probably take more away from this. Both Danielle and Matthew are lovable characters and although you might not always remember them, you will remember the movie. This is a film worthy of almost any collection and leaves the question, begging to be answered:

"What's the craziest thing you've done lately?"

Summary: An enjoyable film that you'll come back to again and again