5/5 best guy movie/love story I've seen in a long time
  by Hubbal H. Coffman
Most would probably put this movie off as another TNA teen male movie (and I mean, it is that, don't get me wrong), but I like to think that even though it's glammed up to sell to guys eager to see some cinematic porn-starrish action, it's also got a strong message about finding love in today's society. Albeit with an ex-pornstar.

What I liked about the underlying tone of the movie was that it enforces that love is an act of endless forgiveness, and if you love somebody, you're willing to fight for it. And not only does the main character fight for it, but he and his friends make you laugh your butt off with their antics, especially the trip to the adult film festival in Las Vegas.

My biggest piece of advice when watching this movie is to have an open mind, because not quite everything in the movie is what you'd expect it to be. Would definitely recommend you be over the age of 18 to thoroughly embrace all the humor.

3/5 So, is it better in Blu-ray?
  by Daniel Mendoza Villa (At the moment Madrid Spain)
The honest answer is no.
And that is extensive to the unrated version of the movie.
Why? Ok let me se...


For a movie that is only 5 or 6 years old, the transfer shouldn't look older than it does. The transfer is just a modest upgrade of the less-than-reference quality picture included on the original DVD.

Too much noise/grain and inconsistent color levels are the main offenders here, with the occasional edge enhancement creeping in as well. Night time and indoor scenes have the most issues, but our first reveal of Cuthbert in a wet, white shirt looks near-perfect, picture-wise. Colors are mostly set to a permanent dull hue, and in some instances are muddy, which is surprising given the quality of most Fox offerings. Trust me, this isn't blu-ray quality.

So if you have the DVD version of it, stick to it and don't change it for the Blu-ray version, you can even find a DVD unrated adaptation of it, plus you won't loose money on it!

As for the extras and unrated part:

The 16 Deleted or Extended Scenes are definitely worth watching. You have a play all option with commentary from director Greenfield. One scene featured actress Amanda Swinton losing it when she had to put a condom on Klitz, who wore a fencing mask to do the scene. She struggles to keep a straight face and loses it at the end. Most were cut for pacing purposes, which is a shame, because a lot of these scenes had moments of genuine emotion that really humanized the movie. We also get the original ending that - get this - Greenfield cut because people at the test screenings thought Matthew was in the White House when he's standing in front of the Capitol Building...anyways...

The movie's first trip on Blu comes with most of the bonus content present on the unrated SD release.

* Audio Commentary by Luke Greenfield
* Scene Specific Commentary by Emile Hirsch
* Scene Specific Commentary by Elisha Cuthbert
* "The Eli Experience" Featurette
* "A Look Next Door" Making-Of Featurette
* Gag Reel
* Deleted and Extended Scenes (Including the Original Ending)
* Theatrical Trailer, "Dirty" Edition


The only extra missing from the previous SD release is the Pop-Up trivia track, but viewers aren't missing much. The stand-outs here are the director's commentary and "The Eli Experience" featurette. The unrated version is nine minutes longer, but they are nine minutes that do nothing for the movie but increase its running time, and pad it out with an extra few seconds of nudity. So for you people, that means the disc gets the DVD equivalent to a Cable Ace award.

"The Eli Experience" is a riot. Chris Marquette, who plays Eli, goes to the Adult Industry Expo, held during CES, and mingles with the porn stars. In a Howard Stern moment, hulking ex-pro wrestler Matt 'Horshu' Wiese walks up to men at the expo asking them if they want to make out with him. Man this has to be seen!

As for "A Look Next Door" is a standard making-of EPK, and the Gag Reel runs three minutes long as features many on-set screw ups. It's funnier than most gag reels, but it's not worth a repeat viewing.

The movie isn't awful, but you would think the Blu-ray version is better than it really is. The direction is component, but unremarkable, the performances are fun but not unified, and the Blu is one of the weakest catalog titles Fox has released on the format so far. Watch the movie; it's acceptable rainy day entertainment. But don't trade in your DVD for the supreme BD experience, because it is not there. Ironically, most of us wouldn't have seen the movie in the first place if they didn't agree to casting Elisha Cuthbert.




4/5 Retains its comic charm, still really funny
  by Alexander M. Walker (Chicago, IL USA)
Before he lost himself in the wilderness or refueled Speed Racer, Hirsch played a frustrated high school senior upset with the boring legacy he's leaving behind.

"What I'll always remember about high school is..."

Unable to complete that sentence with anything exciting, Matthew Kidman (Emile Hirsch) turns his honor roll life upside down by involving himself in the world of porn. The Girl Next Door launched Hirsch's career and made the movie-going public aware of a few other stars as well. The Girl Next Door was an unexpected comedy in its time and remains a refreshing film full of breakout roles.

High school is hell. Let's just put that out there. If you're not a jock, then maybe you're in band? If not on the football team, maybe you joined the math team? Matthew has a student record that would get him in to any college - but he lacks the money to make his dreams come true. He's waist-deep in a competition for a young leaders scholarship and is trying valiantly to bring a prodigious youth over from an impoverished nation. Who wouldn't want this kid in their student body?

Matthew Kidman, that's who.

He's miserable as the do-gooder in the student body and longs for some sort of adventure. Matthew isn't alone in this goal: his friends Eli (Chris Marquette) and Klitz (Paul Dano) grow tired of their boring high school lives and want something memorable for their high school experience. The tripod (as the three affectionately call themselves) gets their wish when a mysterious and drop-dead gorgeous girl moves in next-door to Matthew. Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert) gravitates towards Matthew's naivete and pulls him in to a week of folly that has his head spinning. But his happy-go-lucky ambitions with Danielle screech to a halt when he discovers that Danielle might not be just another innocent teen: she's a porn star. Enter Kelly (Timothy Olyphant), Danielle's strong-arm agent and director who dislikes the romantic notions Matthew's putting into her head. Kelly and Matthew become embroiled in a struggle for Danielle's soul which, more often than not, leaves Matthew on the short end of the stick.

Hirsch gives a fine performance but he's really feeding off the greatness of Marquette (Fanboys) and Dano (Little Miss Sunshine, There Will Be Blood) in their respective roles as ambitious filmmaker and shy bookworm. Hirsch is the weakest of the three, but even the tripod can't stand erect in the face of Olyphant whose gritty charm oozes equal parts sleaze and violence. Olyphant's every word comes leavened with a promise of inevitable pain if he isn't given everything he asks for, and it's this quality which inexorably pushes the film's plot along.

There are subtle shades of examining the porn industry's establishing women as mere props, but really the film focuses more on the clashing of two polar personalities: the sheltered student and the jaded sex symbol. It proposes that the two long for a similar break in their routines but for wholly different reasons. Each wants a slice of the other's pie only to have the pros and cons of each revealed. It's not a fish out of water tale, but it creates the same allegory in a way that's new and refreshing...and funny.

Blu-ray Extra Features:

Being a relatively recent picture, the video and audio quality are top-rung and the supply of extras healthy. Once you've slogged through all the commentaries (feature-length by Director Luke Greenfield, specific scenes by Emile Hirsch and Elisha Cuthbert, albeit separately), you'll get an amusing featurette centered on Chris Marquette's brash Eli character and a making-of piece. The gag reel is pretty funny and will prove far more interesting than any of the deleted scenes.

If you never bought it on DVD, The Girl Next Door warrants a purchase and should be seen by any who haven't as of yet. It was an unexpected treat, so give it a try.