Sure, plagiarism may not be admirable, but in the case of the newest teen flick, “The Girl Next Door”, it sure is smart.
The plot borrows liberally from the Tom Cruise classic “Risky Business” (in my opinion perhaps the greatest flick about teenage rebellion ever), a smart move considering director Luke Greenfield’s only previous flick is the Rob Schneider disaster “The Animal”.
By combining the fail-proof combination of prostitutes (or in this case, porn stars) and teen rebellion, a la “Risky Business”, with an eclectic soundtrack and hefty dose of “American Pie”-esque comedy, “The Girl Next Door” succeeds in becoming the “Risky Business” for a generation too infatuated with shallow cinema to know what “Risky Business” is.
But perhaps I’m being too harsh. Truthfully, this movie is smart, funny, and surprisingly honest. It transcends present day teen flicks and takes a cue from the past. Despite the outrageously unbelievable plot line, the movie is underscored by the same naïve teen angst that hasn’t been captured as vividly since the John Hughes era.
The movie follows the story of Matthew Kidman (Emile Hirsch), a straight-laced, Georgetown-bound senior whose life is turned upside-down when the sexy Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert) moves in next door.
They quickly fall in love, which is great, until Matthews’s friend Eli (who has an uncanny knowledge of pornography) points out that his girlfriend is a porn star.
From here, chaos ensues. Matthews runs into problems with dodgy pornography producers and manages to lose the $25,000 he raised to bring a genius from Cambodia to his school.
Ultimately, Matthew and company have to find a way to get back the lost money, and devise a “Risky Business”-like scheme where porn stars come to the rescue (with a fun, surprise twist).
The plot is not without its problems. Hirch’s sickeningly sweet Ecstasy-induced speech misses at being sentimental, and Cuthbert’s part as the porn-star with a heart of gold is an absolute farce.
Still, Hirsch (“The Emperor’s Club”) turns in a fine performance full of innocent intelligence (think Colin Hanks in “Orange County”), and Cuthbert (TV’s “24”) is truly, in the words of my male friends, “one fine piece.”
But perhaps the best acting lies with supporting characters. Matthew’s oversexed friends Eli (Chris Marquette) and Klitz (Paul Dano) bring a dose of hysterical dorkiness to the film. And Kelly (Timothy Olyphant), Danielle’s “producer”, is so evil and over-the-top he plays like a modern Guido the Killer Pimp.
The trailer for this film was truly misleading. If you’re expecting to see a thoughtless sex-romp, you’re not. It’s not exactly “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”, but this film does have some substance. This movie, like “Risky Business”, reminds teens that sometimes you have to say “what the f***”.
A quick word on the soundtrack – it is awesome. Although the movie doesn’t rely heavily on music in the scenes (it’s mainly playing inconspicuously in the background), any movie that features Queen, The Who, David Bowie, The Darkness, Erykah Badu and David Gray on the same disk is all right with me.
Whereas the tone of “Risky Business” is cynical and scandalous, this movie plays out like its dorky, sex-starved cousin. And let’s face it: if you’re going to see a movie that rips-off another movie, it might as well be a rip-off of “Risky Business”. There are much worse movies that have been emulated.
So, yes, this movie is pretty good. Most movie critics would disagree with me, but who cares, because if I’d learned anything while studying journalism, it’s that most movie critics are elitist, nit-picking pricks. But for the rest of us, who can enjoy a movie based on – gasp! – entertainment, “The Girl Next Door” delivers.
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