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Emile Hirsch stars as Matthew Kidman (transition phase from kid to man), Class President of his soon to graduate high school class and typical overachiever. It’s “Spirit Week” and we see and hear various members of Matthew’s class talking about their best memories of high school … Matthew cannot recall any. Enter Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert), his next door neighbor’s niece, who’s house-sitting while her aunt is away. Matthew immediately falls for Danielle and she is the catalyst for a newfound, laid-back outlook. Sorry if I rushed through that description, but this is your typical “uptight, over-achieving boy falls for girl who opens him up to a life he never knew existed”.

The kicker comes when Matthew’s porn obsessed friend discovers Danielle is a former porn actress. Matthew’s intentions initially turn to lust, but later he realizes he truly cares about Danielle. I didn’t feel the filmmakers sold the attraction between Danielle and Matthew very well and this caused me to lose a little interest. I wasn’t offended by anything in the film to be quite honest, but the formulaic approach just bored me at times. Shots are taken at the porn industry, sex education, and adult hypocrisy.

The film hasn’t done well at the box office ($11 million to date). Seemingly the filmmakers didn‘t know what they wanted from the film or how to market it. With an “R” rating much of their apparent target market couldn’t see (wink, wink) the film. There’s been quite a bit of discussion about the inappropriateness of this film in the Christian community because of the subject matter. This story actually could’ve worked if told with a little more skill--true love conquering all and seeing past the exterior to the inner spirit of another. If we decided to ban things based on content alone, the Bible might be the first item on that list. However, the questionable content in the Bible is a part of a larger story … the same can be said about our truly great films. I wouldn’t recommend this film, not because of the content, rather the skill with which the story is told.

Late in the film Matthew talks about what it means to have “moral fiber”. He essentially comes to the conclusion that it’s about “finding that one thing you care about more than anything” and going after it with all your heart. Of course this is rather morally ambiguous, but I do believe God calls us toward certain passions. There’s often a lot of gray between the black and white. Of course there are absolutes, but sometimes I struggle with the gray areas. Is it right to market your way into a war? Is it right to own stocks which encourage a faceless corporation with faceless owners to minimize human resources for personal gain?

The film also stirred thoughts about the pornography industry in general … no, not those kinds of thoughts. Over $1 billion is spent on pornography in the United States each year. I sometimes wonder if the way religion has demonized sexuality over the years may play a role in the abuse of sex in this country. America is one of the most “Christian” countries and has the most sexual problems of any industrialized country. I am not saying that Christianity is SOLELY to blame (in the least), but wonder if it may play at least a part. I’m just asking the question.

In the Christian community, there's been quite a bit of discussion about the inappropriateness of this film because of the subject matter, but if we decided to ban things based on content alone, the Bible might be the first item on that list. However, the questionable content in the Bible is a part of a larger story, and the same proportion of content to larger story can be found in our truly great films. The story of The Girl Next Door actually would have worked if it had been told with a little more skill. It could have effectively shown true love conquering all and seeing past the exterior to the inner spirit of another. But as it is -- content aside -- because of the lack of skill with which the story is told, I do not recommend this film.
—Forum

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