The Girl Next Door (2004)

There is a particular strain of early-2000s American teen comedy that has aged somewhere between poorly and catastrophically, so it is worth noting when one of them turns out to be something a little more than its marketing suggested. The Girl Next Door, released in 2004 and produced by Regency Enterprises and New Regency Pictures, arrives wearing the clothes of a raucous, lad-friendly romp (that tagline is not exactly subtle) but carries itself with slightly more self-awareness than the genre usually allowed. The premise is straightforward enough: Matthew, a high-achieving teenager with his eye on a future in politics, falls for his new neighbour Danielle, only to discover she has a history in the adult film industry. What follows is part coming-of-age comedy, part romantic drama, part fairly chaotic farce, all held together by the question of whether Matthew can reconcile his carefully planned future with feelings that were never part of the plan. It is polished but unremarkable on the surface, which makes its better qualities something of a pleasant surprise.

Behind the camera is Luke Greenfield, a director whose career has been built largely in the comedy space. The film was co-produced with Swiss involvement alongside its American studios, a production arrangement that was not unusual for mid-budget comedies of the era looking to spread financial risk across territories. At 110 minutes it runs a touch long for the genre, though it earns most of that runtime. The film sits comfortably alongside other 2000s comedies that tried to thread the needle between genuine heart and outright raunchiness, a tonal balancing act that many of its contemporaries fumbled. For a sense of just how variable that era's output could be, the site has previously covered Phone Booth and Transformers, two films that represent the wider range of what studios were producing in those years.

The cast is where the film earns most of its goodwill. Emile Hirsch leads as Matthew, and this is one of the earlier significant roles for an actor who would go on to prove himself in far weightier material, from Lords of Dogtown the following year to Alpha Dog shortly after. There is an ease to Hirsch's performance here that suggests he was always capable of more than the material sometimes demands of him. Elisha Cuthbert brings warmth and some actual complexity to Danielle, resisting the obvious trap of playing her purely as a plot device. Timothy Olyphant provides sharp, unpredictable energy as the film's antagonist, while Christopher Marquette and a very young Paul Dano round out the supporting cast. Dano in particular is worth watching with the benefit of hindsight.

TRIPOD! Surprisingly good for a mid 2000s teen comedy. Emile Hirsch is a hugely underrated actor and this was Paul Dano's debut if I'm not mistaken. Round that off with Elisha Cuthbert and Timothy Oliphant and you've got a solid as hell cast. The story is ridiculous and of course it has it's raunchy moments but the acting, the soundtrack and the comedy more than make this a decent watch.

I keep coming back to the cast as the real reason this one holds up, because on paper it had every excuse to be forgettable. Paul Dano's early appearance is genuinely fascinating to revisit knowing where his career went, and Hirsch carries the whole thing with a likability that papers over the script's rougher edges. The soundtrack does a lot of heavy lifting too, giving scenes a bit more momentum than the writing always earns on its own. It is not a film I would recommend with any great solemnity, but for an easy evening watch it is considerably better than most things that came in the same packaging. Sometimes that is more than enough.

Rating: ★★★  | Year: 2004  | Watched: 2025-04-08

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Trailer

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Related on Movies With Macca

More with Emile Hirsch: Alpha Dog (2006) · Killer Joe (2011) · Lone Survivor (2013) · Lords of Dogtown (2005)
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More from the 2000s: Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (2005) · Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) · Daredevil (2003) · Apocalypto (2006)
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