DVD review of The Girl Next Door

The Girl Next Door

This was a great film for fans of teen films such as the American Pie series, Not Another Teen Film and 10 Things I Hate About You. As it turns out, I enjoyed all of these movies.

On the surface, viewers should be ready for sexual innuendos and the teenage parties that most of us never saw growing up. Underneath that gloss lies a film with a bit of heart and a sweet story of finding love and the sacrifices and risks we take for those we care about.

High school senior Matthew Kidman is the straight-arrow class president who finds himself in an identity crisis when he meets the neighbor’s young niece from Los Angeles. Through an unintentional moment of peeping through her bedroom window, Kidman meets Danielle, played by Elisha Cuthbert.

She turns to be a bit of a wild spirit with a secret that she doesn’t reveal, but she also helps Kidman to embrace life and the joy of being young. Things take a bit of a bumpy turn when Kidman finds out through friends that Danielle was a porn star on the rise, but he is willing to do what he can to help her stay out of that life. In fact, he even takes a chance with her ex-producer/boyfriend to help start over.

It really is a funny and touching film that will evoke laughter and a bit of pride to watch how things unfold.

Extras on the DVD include 16 deleted/extended scenes, as well as the original ending not seen in theaters; a gag reel, two featurettes, a photo gallery and more.

GRADE: B (movie) A (DVD)