CS Daily Archive > Weekend Read > 04/09/04

A Star Is Porn

BY DAVID MICHAEL WHARTON

The concept -- overachiever falls for ex-porn star -- might seem like just an excuse to dig new depths in the chasm known as the "teen sex comedy," but thankfully The Girl Next Door is more John Hughes than bad Farrelly brothers knock-off.

The Girl Next Door

Stuart Blumberg and David T. Wagner & Brent Goldberg
Story by David T. Wagner & Brent Goldberg

Matthew Kidman is a straight-A student, top of his class, on target to land a scholarship that will assure his sparkling future. That focus helps distract him from the nagging regrets that he's sailed through his youth with plenty of gold stars but not many memorable moments. All that changes when he falls for Danielle, the titular girl next door, who just happens to be a recently retired porn star.

I'm really not quite sure how this movie managed to make it to screen. It's a teen comedy about porn stars, yet it manages to be more than just ninety minutes spent trying to find some bodily orifice that hasn't yet lost its shock value. Which is not to say there isn't any raunchy tomfoolery; it's just that it manages to be more than the sum of its dick jokes (a quality shared by American Pie, but sadly lacking in its sequels).

It's a rare comedy that offers many real surprises, but Girl earns points by being a romantic comedy without being just a romantic comedy. Sure, one of the big questions is "Will Matt win Danielle's heart?" but the inevitable moment when the two lock eyes while cutting the rug at the school dance is not the climactic moment it would be in most teen comedies. Rather, it's a small moment of triumph amongst Matt's continuing and more daunting problems.

The tagline for the film -- "Is the juice worth the squeeze?" -- though awkwardly phrased, does sum up the most important theme of the movie. It isn't just whether Matt wins the girl; it's what happens because he wins the girl. It's how much he's willing to sacrifice to change both their lives. It's . . . God help us . . . whether the "juice is worth the squeeze."

It's never as good as John Hughes at his best, but it's orders of magnitude better than any movie of its genre since the first American Pie. Remember: only you can help prevent dumb teen comedies. So go support this one, a solid and smart story with its heart and its head in the right place.

The Girl Next Door
20th Century Fox
Rated R
108 min.

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David Michael Wharton is a regular contributor to Creative Screenwriting magazine. When not watching DVDs or otherwise procrastinating when he should be working on his screenplay, he has been known to write for the likes of UGO Screenwriter's Voice and Comic Book Resources. You can email him, especially if you're deposed African royalty looking to secretly transfer millions of dollars into an American bank account.

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