The Girl Next Door
The Girl Next Door if a very over the top, raunchy, almost inappropriate movie. The blurred moral line that the movie portrays is the very thing that makes in one of the best gross out comedies since the genre was resubmitted with American Pie and There is Something About Marry.
The movie was released April 9th 2004, so this review or commentary is quite late. However, I just watched the movie again and thought that I should promote it and put my two sense in. The critical consensus of the movie was pretty mediocre. The tomato Meter was at 55%. Two established critics that had strong opposing opinions about the film wereMick LaSalle , and Roger Ebert
Ebert strongly disliked the movie which is kind of funny considering the sheer number of movies that he does like. His primary reason for hating it was the morals in the film were non existent and that the filmmakers were irresponsible in promoting this movie to the American Pie crowed (aka 13-20 something year old boys). He contends that the movies depiction of the porn industry is completely inaccurate and glorifying and therefore the movie is horrible. In some ways this is true, but at the same time, not so much. The porn producer named Kelly is a very charismatic character and therefore sometimes sympathetic and extremely entertaining (he is played by Timothy Olyphant). This character is definitely taken from Risky Business (and much of the movie is influenced by the Tom Cruise flick). This could make the movie bad but I think it adds to the film by taking a different take on the same type character. Kelly almost becomes Matt's friend and is more outwardly crazy then the pimp in Risky Business. Ebert sees the strong influence of Risky Business and many other teen flicks (anything by John Hughs) as a bad thing where I see it as nostalgic and interesting.
Mick LaSalle clams that the movie captures what it is like to be a teenage male, and I completely agree. The situations that Matt gets into are very unbelievable, however the way Emile Hirsch's character (Matt) reacts to the situations makes them seem real. Emile Hirsch's solid acting throughout the movie also helps us believe he is a real teenage boy. In a few scenes the situations become so unbelievable that even good acting cannot make it seem real. But in these circumstances Matt reacts in a way that a teenage boy wishes he could act and therefore adds to films capturing of the essence of teenage boy. Another thing that I specifically agree with Mick about is that the movie contains one of the most inspired first kisses ever to have been in a teen comedy.
The movie is just a piece of fantasy, like any other fictional story. And much of the film seems to be the fantasy of a teenage boy in high school. If you look into the head of any adolescent boy I'm sure you will find the morals to be a little skewed. And this movie captures that thought process almost perfectly.
The movie was released April 9th 2004, so this review or commentary is quite late. However, I just watched the movie again and thought that I should promote it and put my two sense in. The critical consensus of the movie was pretty mediocre. The tomato Meter was at 55%. Two established critics that had strong opposing opinions about the film were
Ebert strongly disliked the movie which is kind of funny considering the sheer number of movies that he does like. His primary reason for hating it was the morals in the film were non existent and that the filmmakers were irresponsible in promoting this movie to the American Pie crowed (aka 13-20 something year old boys). He contends that the movies depiction of the porn industry is completely inaccurate and glorifying and therefore the movie is horrible. In some ways this is true, but at the same time, not so much. The porn producer named Kelly is a very charismatic character and therefore sometimes sympathetic and extremely entertaining (he is played by Timothy Olyphant). This character is definitely taken from Risky Business (and much of the movie is influenced by the Tom Cruise flick). This could make the movie bad but I think it adds to the film by taking a different take on the same type character. Kelly almost becomes Matt's friend and is more outwardly crazy then the pimp in Risky Business. Ebert sees the strong influence of Risky Business and many other teen flicks (anything by John Hughs) as a bad thing where I see it as nostalgic and interesting.
Mick LaSalle clams that the movie captures what it is like to be a teenage male, and I completely agree. The situations that Matt gets into are very unbelievable, however the way Emile Hirsch's character (Matt) reacts to the situations makes them seem real. Emile Hirsch's solid acting throughout the movie also helps us believe he is a real teenage boy. In a few scenes the situations become so unbelievable that even good acting cannot make it seem real. But in these circumstances Matt reacts in a way that a teenage boy wishes he could act and therefore adds to films capturing of the essence of teenage boy. Another thing that I specifically agree with Mick about is that the movie contains one of the most inspired first kisses ever to have been in a teen comedy.
The movie is just a piece of fantasy, like any other fictional story. And much of the film seems to be the fantasy of a teenage boy in high school. If you look into the head of any adolescent boy I'm sure you will find the morals to be a little skewed. And this movie captures that thought process almost perfectly.
posted by The Wexel at 1:48 AM
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