The Girl Next Door (II) (1998 TV Movie)
7/10
Unpretentious and worth a look!
17 October 2003
Warning: Spoilers
A rating of 4.5 is absurdly low for this genuine and uncomplicated little study of a gentle doctor's emotional deconstruction after having (although quite understandably) overstepped the line whilst baby-sitting his neighbor's 18 year old daughter and who tragically is murdered - with each and every clue about to incriminate him.

Whodunnit really doesn't matter - the denouement is hardly a surprise anyway, as no one else in the picture has the slightest motive! The strength of this little Canadian offering lies in both Czerney's performance as the harried Doctor Bradley and ultra cute Polly Shannon as the 18 year old schoolgirl that Bradley has known and doctored since she was little. This isn't a hot sexy saga of lust in the dust...just an outline of a very credible set of circumstances that could easily lead to such a tragedy.

Contrary to several reviewers, I don't see the script as trite and unbelievable. The story at no time strives to be "Hollywoodish." What you see is very much what you get! Totally believable performances. I think faced with the exact same circumstances Czerny was....I might well have fallen into the same pit he did..and lived to regret the action, but not the evening!

Easily a 6! Very solid little contribution from Busey which I think he handled with both sensitivity and restraint.

There are many films in the IMDb top 250 I would less prefer to watch again!
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