Girl Next Door, The (2004)

2 out of 4

Starring: Emile Hirsch, Elisha Cuthbert, Timmy Olyphant, Chris Marquette, Paul Dano

Director: Luke Greenfield

Time: 100 mins

Viewed: in home theatre

A graduating high school student (Hirsch) who hangs out with his geeky friends and has little excitement in his life gets more than he bargained for when a former porn actress (Cuthbert, from TV's 24) moves in next door. Trouble and embarrassment ensue when her producer (Olyphant) shows up. Raunchy premise has a couple of laugh-out loud moments, but the plot then meanders all over the place during the second half. Hirsch is good at portraying angst, but Cuthbert has little to do once the romance portion passes.

(c) Joe Wong (6 September 2004)