The Girl Next Door

So, upon a recommendation from someone I know, I rented The Girl Next Door from netflix this week. I wasn't too sure about it, I mean from the way it had been advertized I expected a lame Amercian Pie clone.

I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, the movie was about an ex-porn star Danielle aka Athena [played by Elisha Cuthbert] who moves to the suburbs after deciding she wants to leave the industry. But it really isn't about her.

The focus of the movie centers around the do-nothing life of the main character Matthew Kidman [Emile Hirsh]. Matthew's life gets turned upside down after meeting Danielle and falling in love with her.

Complications abound, of course, most of them caused by "Athena's" gritty semi-scitzophrenic producer Kelly [believably played by
Timothy Olyphant].

I must say I truly enjoyed the movie, which - as I alluded to above - surprised me.

As for Elisha Cuthbert, who truly is easy on the eyes, I was also pleasantly surprised. She was believable in this movie, in both 'modes' [girl next door and porn sex kitten] which made me decide that she could, in fact, act. Up until this point I thought otherwise, in fact I had to stop watching 24 mainly because of her character annoyed me to no end. Now I think that perhaps she is good enough an actress that she can play an annoying character and make me hate her. Which, I guess, is a good thing? :)

All in all I say this movie is more than worth your time. In fact, I sat through all the DVD extras as well - which is something I almost never do.