Whenever there's the discovery of a mass murderer, there are the inevitable interviews with the neighbors who had no idea that the person next door was a little too inspired by Hannibal Lecter. All of the cultural implications aside, such matters make one begin to wonder what, if any, criminal or at least unsavory sorts might be living nearby.
After all, they make sex offenders register when they move somewhere new, but don't do the same for those, say, in the pornography business. That's the jumping off point for "The Girl Next Door." It doesn't take long into this offering to realize that it's just another rowdy and randy teen sex comedy. Yet, little are you likely to know -- at least initially -- that this film, like the proverbial bad neighbor next door, is criminally negligent.
That has nothing to do with murdering viewers -- although it might feel deadly to some more sensitive ones -- or even the copious amounts of sexual material that clearly push the boundaries of the R rating. Instead, the film is guilty of grand larceny and the victim is none other than the classiest and best made of such sex comedies, "Risky Business."
While watching this picture unfold, I kept thinking that bits of it reminded me of that 1983 film directed by Paul Brickman and starring Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay. After a while, however, the similarities in terms of story, theme, characters, directing and even song choice become so striking and plentiful that you can't help but see the obvious and blatant theft that's taken place.
Not only that, but it's also a dumbed-down and raunchier version of the same. I'm not sure what the filmmakers -- director Luke Greenfield ("The Animal") and screenwriters Stuart Blumberg ("Keeping the Faith") and David T. Wagner & Brent Goldberg ("My Baby's Daddy," "Van Wilder") -- or studio think they're doing, but there's really no excuse beyond laziness and greed.
I'm sure they'll say something like it's a contemporary re-imagining of the previous film, was inspired by it or is some form of homage. Whatever the case and to paraphrase that famous Vice-Presidential debate line, "I've seen Risky Business and this, sirs, is not it."
Until the similarities become so thick, distracting and ultimately annoying, however, the film does show a smattering of creativity and flair, although it too is borrowed from other films. Namely, those are the daydream/fantasy segments -- including one inspired by the comically macabre moments in the "Final Destination" films -- that briefly give one the impression that the offering might be better than expected.
Alas, they're few and far in between and, besides, the film is far too busy copying, stealing or otherwise imitating "R.B." Both films feature a sexually inexperienced teen getting involved with a more mature and experienced woman and then having their lives and future academic careers threatened.
There are the nerdy friends who egg him on, the woman's charming but ultimately mean and nasty handler, the eventual sexual encounter in a mode of transportation, the voice over narration, the Tangerine Dream music, the exact same Blues song and much more.
Aside from changes in the small details, the only real difference is the fact that Cruise's character knew he was dealing with a prostitute from the get-go, where the protagonist here is initially unaware of his new neighbor's former profession. The surprise and the way in which it's revealed, however, are about as predictable as the rest of the film.
About the only notable thing about the effort is the performance by Timothy Olyphant ("A Man Apart," "Dreamcatcher") who's playing the Joe Pantoliano role. Up until the script has him transform into the "Guido the killer porn producer" guise, Olyphant is a blast to watch simply because his character revels in his self-aware decadence. The actor obviously has fun in the role and it's too bad it has to change to meet the demands of the plot.
While no Tom Cruise in the charismatic, star making performance category, Emile Hirsch ("The Emperor's Club," "The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys") isn't half bad embodying his modern day counterpart. Elisha Cuthbert ("Love Actually," "Old School") has the appropriate look and, more importantly, body for the role, but I didn't always buy her performance in the part.
James Remar ("Duplex," "2 Fast 2 Furious") plays the film's big heavy (one of the more noticeable additions to the underlying" RB" plot), while Chris Marquette ("Freddy vs. Jason," "The Tic Code") and Paul Dano ("Taking Lives," "The Emperor's Club") are adequate playing the protagonist's nerdy best friends.
Unless you're into the notion of a teen-angle comedy about the porn scene, about the only other thing worth recommending about the film is its fun soundtrack, even if much of it's appeared in other films. And that's the biggest complaint about the overall offering. So much of it is similar to, derivative of or a blatant theft of elements from other pictures that it has no chance of building an identity of its own.
Although there are flashes of style, flair and directorial imagination, the film simply can't be pardoned for its cinematic criminal activity. While it might becomes a big or at least cult hit among teens and early twenty-somethings who have no memory of "Risky Business," "The Girl Next Door" only earns a rating of 4 out of 10.
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