Initially, I was simply lost in the world of late night pay television, and stumbled across this just as it started. After reading the description; (plot summary on the interactive program guide); I figured that this would be just the sleeping pill I needed to go to sleep with. Thankfully enough, I was wrong. As others have mentioned, this film pays homage to Risky Business, but in its own quirky way. Emile Hirsch simply comes across as a very likable high school kid who's never taken any kind of risk, has always had his life planned out, has his future all lined up... Until SHE moves in next door. Elisha Cuthberts' character starts out promising, but falls flat. There isn't enough development into her back-story, (aside from one quick reference to her high school days), no real telling of her story overall. Which isn't to say her performance was flat, it was well above par, and a whole different direction from the character she played on "24". Timothy Olyphant is perfect. He has enough depth in his character to make up for any other shortcomings this film suffers from. Overall, this is a mostly harmless film, that will leave the viewer with a smile, and maybe a chuckle or two. If you find yourself with a case of the late-night-can't-sleep-blues, go ahead, watch this. You won't be sorry.
Review of The Girl Next Door
