The Girl Next Door (2004 film)

Development

In May 2001, it was reported that Luke Greenfield was developing the teen comedy film The Girl Next Door, which Greenfield co-scripted with Chris McKenna, at 20th Century Fox-based production company Regency Enterprises.^[13] Greenfield had held on to the script for over a year hoping to make a film in the vein of Risky Business.^[13]

Commenting on the film's original screenplay, Greenfield said: "It was a different film. It was very tawdry, a teen sex comedy. It was just nothing like what I wanted to do. But the premise, of a kid falling in love with a porn star who moves in next door and is trying to escape her past, really excited me on a number of levels."^[1] The screenplay was reworked with contributions from Stuart Blumberg.^[1] While Greenfield and McKenna contributed to the film's story and screenplay, neither were credited; Blumberg, David T. Wagner, and Brent Goldberg received screenwriting credit.^[1] Greenfield noted: "I directed the movie, so at least I got credit, but Chris really got screwed. He really did. He never got his name on it."^[1]

Casting

Greenfield auditioned a number of actors for the film, including Katherine Heigl and Chris Evans.^[1] In October 2002, it was reported that Emile Hirsch and Elisha Cuthbert had signed on to star in the film as Matthew and Danielle, respectively.^[9] Hirsch was cast after Greenfield saw an audition tape he had recorded for Gus Van Sant's Elephant (2003).^[1] For the role of Danielle, the studio originally sought Katie Holmes, but Greenfield insisted on casting Cuthbert, who had recently completed Old School (2003).^[1] "She was so hungry. I remember meeting her and she had done so much preparation," Greenfield recalled. "She had all these pictures of different looks that Danielle would have. She was 20 years old at the time. She was talking about the character and she had such maturity".^[1]

Timothy Olyphant was cast in the role of Danielle's ex-boyfriend and manager, Kelly, after Brad Pitt passed on the project.^[1] Olivia Wilde, who had originally worked as a casting intern on the project, made her screen debut in the film in a minor role as high school student Kellie.^[1][14]

Filming

The Girl Next Door was shot in Southern California,^[15] including in Long Beach,^[15] Glendale,^[16] and Pasadena. Some filming was completed at the Huntington Library and Doheny Library at the University of Southern California.^[17][18] Additional photography occurred on the Paramount Ranch.^[19] Principal photography began in January 2003.^[20]

Home video and rights

On August 24, 2004, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released an unrated version of the film on DVD.^[24] 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment also released this unrated version on Blu-ray on September 1, 2009.^[25]

In 2019, Rupert Murdoch sold most of 21st Century Fox's film and television assets to Disney. However, much of The Girl Next Door's underlying rights were with production company Regency Enterprises rather than Fox, and Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation are not mentioned as one of the copyright holders in the credits.^[26] At the time of the sale, Fox had a 20% stake in Regency Enterprises, and this 20% stake was transferred to Disney when they purchased the Fox entertainment assets.^[27]

Box office

The Girl Next Door grossed $14.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $15.8 million in international markets, for a worldwide total of approximately $30.4 million.^[8]

Critical response

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 56% based on 159 reviews, with an average score of 5.6/10. The website's consensus reads, "The movie borrows heavily from Risky Business (1983), though Emile Hirsch and Elisha Cuthbert are appealing leads."^[28] Metacritic reports a weighted average score of 47 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."^[29] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.^[30]

Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter praised the film as a "sharp, vivacious comedy."^[31] Desson Thomson of The Washington Post described it as "an entertaining affair whose wild-card creativity never ceases to surprise."^[32] Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Owen Gleiberman gave the film a "B−", noting that while it was derivative, "this genial cardboard knockoff is contrived from the start but gets better as it goes along."^[33]

In a more mixed review, Joe Leydon of Variety criticized the film's "shamelessly derivative" script, drawing comparisons to Risky Business, American Pie (1999), and 1980s teen romances. He described the lead performances as "attractive but bland," though he praised Timothy Olyphant's "scene-stealing turn."^[34] A. O. Scott of The New York Times observed that the film presents a "nonjudgmental, even celebratory" view of pornography but noted a contradictory tone in portraying Danielle as someone in need of rescue. He concluded that the film "wallow[s]" in its own contradiction without offering much genuine pleasure.^[35] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film one and a half stars out of four, calling it a "nasty piece of business" and criticizing its misleading marketing as a teen comedy.^[36]

Accolades

Legacy

The Girl Next Door has developed a cult following in the years since its release.^[38]