Big Picture Big Sound

The Film

Remember how much fun Risky Business was back in the '80s? The writers of The Girl Next Door do. After all, they created quite an homage to it.

In fact, this film is such a Risky knockoff, it even lifts some of the music from the Tom Cruise classic. Emile Hirsch (Milk, Speed Racer) makes for a fine Joel Goodsen. However, Elisha Cuthbert (24) isn't fit to walk in Rebecca De Mornay's high-heeled hooker shoes.

It's not her fault. She's a hottie, but that's the extent of her character. She's sweet and slutty, which is usually a pretty good combo. However, it just doesn't work here. It's too bad, too. The movie reeks with wacky teen hijinks, but just doesn't come off as all that Risky after all.

Matthew Kidman (Hirsch) is the high school brain. In fact, he's so smart, he doesn't even hang with the geek squad. He has his incredibly small posse (Chris Marquette and Paul Dano). He also has the incredibly hot Danielle (Cuthbert). It just so happens that Danielle is a porn star.

It sounds like a dream. However, for a movie about porn and porn stars and making a porn movie, well, there's very little nudity. Yes there is some, but none of it comes in the form of Cuthbert, which will probably be a major disappointment to many.

Also, let's address the many similarities to Risky Business. Danielle dreams of bigger and better things, Matthew is going through various hoops to get into the school of his dreams, sex ultimately saves the day, and there's even a killer pimp-ish character, played very well by Timothy Olyphant. Get that guy his own movie -- and Hitman doesn't count.

All of the similarities really don't matter anyway. To the kids watching The Girl Next Door, Risky Business is like a Marx Brothers movie. It's old and so are you. The film is harmless, so sometimes you have to say "what the heck" (yes, that's Joel's dad's version) and try to enjoy some nostalgia.

The Picture

The film certainly took a lot from Risky Business -- it even looks like it was made in the '80s. Typically, we would think that nothing tests a high-def image like porn. However, for a teen sex comedy, The Girl Next Door has very little sex. It also doesn't have a great picture. How can a porn convention look bad? Somehow this film has found a way. It just seems dated, with washed out colors and a lot of grain. If you already have the film on DVD, don't bother with this 1.85:1 transfer on Blu-ray. There isn't a whole lot of improvement on the image.

The Sound

The audio, on the other hand, is a different story. There's teen parties, the prom and the aforementioned expo, all of which make plenty of background noise. The dialogue sounds good too. Still, the DTS-HD Master Audio track spends most of its energy on the musical numbers, including Queen, Echo & The Bunnymen, Elliot Smith, The Who, The Verve, The Sneaker Pimps, and Marvin Gaye.  Eclectic?  Maybe.  Enjoyable? Yes! 

The Extras

Again, if you're expecting the "Unrated Version" to mean more boobage, you are going to be extremely disappointed and angry with the filmmakers. The extras don't give any insight into the adult film industry or its actors. There's a fluffy little making-of feature, gags and extra scenes aplenty. The only thing that comes close to interesting is "The Eli Experience," a 7-minute feature that looks like it was shot by someone on crystal meth. However, it does take us on a quick, chaotic peek inside the Adult Entertainment Expo.

Final Thoughts

The movie isn't awful, but the Blu-ray transfer certainly is. If you must get a peek at The Girl Next Door, go for the rental first. "Why buy the cow...?" 

Product Details

• Actors: Emile Hirsch, Elisha Cuthbert, Timothy Olyphant, James Remar, Chris Marquette, Paul Dano
• Director: Luke Greenfield
• Audio/Languages: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English), Dolby Surround (Spanish, French)
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Region: A
• Number of Discs: 1
• Rating: Unrated
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• Blu-ray Disc Release Date: September 1, 2009
• Run Time: 109 minutes
• List Price: $29.99
• Extras:
  • Commentary by Director Luke Greenfield
  • Scene Specific Commentary by Emile Hersch
  • Scene Specific Commentary by Elisha Cuthbert
  • The Eli Experience
  • A Look Next Door
  • Gag Reel
  • Deleted and Extended Scenes