The Girl Next Door | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

56% Tomatometer 160 Reviews 69% Audience Score 250,000+ Ratings

Eighteen-year-old Matthew Kidman (Emile Hirsch) is a straight-arrow overachiever who has never really lived life... until he falls for his new neighbor, the beautiful and seemingly innocent Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert). When Matthew discovers this perfect girl next door is a one-time p*rn star, his sheltered existence begins to spin out of control. Ultimately, Danielle helps Matthew emerge from his shell and discover that sometimes you have to risk everything for the person you love. Read More Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

The Girl Next Door

Fandango at Home Prime Video Hulu Apple TV

Watch The Girl Next Door with a subscription on Hulu, rent on Apple TV, or buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

The Girl Next Door

What to Know

Critics Consensus

The movie borrows heavily from Risky Business, though Hirsch and Cuthbert are appealing leads.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (160) Critics Reviews
The Girl Next Door | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Antonia Quirke London Evening Standard This is not entirely your average greasy teen movie, and frequently manages to be quite funny, and ambivalent, about vicious competitiveness at US high schools and sickly, sex-saturated modern life. Dec 18, 2017 Full Review The Girl Next Door | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Nell Minow Common Sense Media Stunningly bad teen sex comedy. Rated: 1/5 Dec 28, 2010 Full Review The Girl Next Door | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Nick Schager Lessons of Darkness Essentially Risky Business for the 21st century, and I don't mean that as a compliment. Rated: C- May 3, 2005 Full Review The Girl Next Door | Rotten Tomatoes (4) James Croot Stuff.co.nz Stalling about an hour in, the movie tries to squeeze way too much juice out of a single premise, ending up at least 20 minutes too long, ploddingly predictable, devoid of any humour and with countless serious lapses in logic and taste. Rated: 2/5 Jun 14, 2023 Full Review The Girl Next Door | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Debbie Lynn Elias Behind The Lens Despite the nudity and sexual hi-jinx, Girl Next Door is a creative delight with surprising insight and honesty that will make you laugh, make you smile and most of all, make you feel, all at the same time. Nov 7, 2019 Full Review The Girl Next Door | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com The writing team of "National Lampoon's Van Wilder" crafted it as a satire about conflicting levels of sexual experience among teens, but fail to connect the significance of erotic pleasure to the emotional demands of budding adults. Rated: D+ May 4, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (1000+) audience reviews

Tim M More mature than a teen sex comedy would have you think, The Girl Next Door goes flaccid when it does feel the need to appease genre expectations. Rated 2.5/5 Stars • Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 07/29/24 Full Review Leaburn O Yeah why not. It’s a bit more edgy than most teen rom-coms. Ok, it’s implausible but at least it’s more memorable than similar efforts of this era. Watched on Amazon Prime. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/15/24 Full Review Jay H A Risky Business rip-off, and not a very good one. Timothy Olyphant's performance saves this movie. Rated 2.5/5 Stars • Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 06/13/24 Full Review ham italieneren E Loved the movie all the way through, the relationship between Matthew and Danielle really hits me in a good way - cant describe it. Enjoyed it and would recommend. Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 05/21/24 Full Review The H It made me laugh a few times, it left me confused even more times. Strange meh movie not really worth watching unless you have nothing else. Rated 2.5/5 Stars • Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/26/24 Full Review Derek Has a few funny parts, but mostly lacking comedy and the plot is not the most interesting. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/07/24 Full Review Read all reviews

The Girl Next Door

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Luke Greenfield Director Emile Hirsch Matthew Kidman Elisha Cuthbert Danielle Timothy Olyphant Kelly James Remar Hugo Posh Chris Marquette Eli
Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

More Like This

View All Best Movies to Stream at Home

Dirty Love 6% 68% Dirty Love The 40 Year-Old Virgin 85% 84% The 40 Year-Old Virgin TRAILER for The 40 Year-Old Virgin Never Again 31% 66% Never Again Knocked Up 89% 83% Knocked Up What's Your Number? 23% 44% What's Your Number? Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Related Movie News

View All Related Movie News
Looks Like WB Found Their "Speed Racer" Tim Olyphant Replaces Diesel’s "Hitman" "Revenge of the Nerds" Remake Aims to Start Production

Photos

View All The Girl Next Door photos

The Girl Next Door

The Girl Next Door (2004) The Girl Next Door (2004) The Girl Next Door (2004) The Girl Next Door (2004) The Girl Next Door (2004) The Girl Next Door (2004) The Girl Next Door (2004) View more photos

Synopsis Eighteen-year-old Matthew Kidman (Emile Hirsch) is a straight-arrow overachiever who has never really lived life... until he falls for his new neighbor, the beautiful and seemingly innocent Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert). When Matthew discovers this perfect girl next door is a one-time p*rn star, his sheltered existence begins to spin out of control. Ultimately, Danielle helps Matthew emerge from his shell and discover that sometimes you have to risk everything for the person you love.

Director
Luke Greenfield

Producer
Harry Gittes, Charles Gordon, Marc Sternberg

Screenwriter
Luke Greenfield, Stuart Blumberg, David Wagner, Brent Goldberg

Distributor
20th Century Fox

Production Co
Regency Enterprises, Fox 2000 Pictures, Daybreak Point Entertainment, New Regency Pictures

Rating
R (Strong Sexual Content|Language|Some Drug Use|Some Alcohol Use)

Genre
Romance, Comedy

Original Language
English

Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 18, 2004, Wide

Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2014

Box Office (Gross USA)
$14.6M

Runtime
1h 48m

Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby Digital

Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
Most Popular at Home Now
The Girl Next Door | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

FAQs

What true story is The Girl Next Door based on? ›

Wilson from a screenplay by Daniel Farrands and Philip Nutman. It is based on Jack Ketchum's 1989 novel of the same name, which was inspired by the real-life murder of Sylvia Likens, to whom the movie is dedicated.

What happened to Aunt Ruth in The Girl Next Door? ›

She then decides she will end all sexual desire on Meg's part and gives her a cl*torectomy. Meg dies, and the police arrive to arrest the Chandlers. David sees Ruth wearing Meg's mother's wedding band. Remembering a promise to get it back to Meg, he vengefully pushes Ruth down the stairs, killing her.

How old is Danielle supposed to be in The Girl Next Door? ›

This movie is about an ambitious high school senior, Matthew Kidman (Hirsch), who dreams of a career in politics. He is overjoyed to discover that his new neighbor, 19-year-old Danielle (Cuthbert), is absolutely beautiful, and they fall head over heels in love.

Is The Girl Next Door 2007 worth watching? ›

This is not a film to enjoy unless you are some kind of sick sad*st. It is grim and undeniably hard to watch and the fact it is based on a true story makes it even more shocking and it's a sad fact that things like this went on and still go on. You may ask why make a film like this.

Is Sylvia Likens still alive? ›

Sylvia Marie Likens (January 3, 1949 – October 26, 1965) was an American teenager who was tortured and murdered by her caregiver, Gertrude Baniszewski, many of Baniszewski's children, and several of their neighborhood friends.

What happened to the boys from The Girl Next Door? ›

Officer Jennings and another officer appear and arrest the brothers, and it is likely that, after their arrests, they were sentenced to life in prison with no parole. In the present, an adult David realizes that all of the Chandler brothers, including their friends, have died due to a life of crime and poverty.

Does Matthew end up with Danielle in The Girl Next Door? ›

Danielle, insulted, abruptly ends their relationship. Matthew attempts to apologize, but Danielle decides to return to the adult industry.

What is the brutality of The Girl Next Door movie? ›

This film is based on a true case. In 1965, teenage Sylvia Likens was beaten, starved, and taunted by her former neighborhood friends and by her caregiver. While her sister survived, Sylvia died from all the trauma and the case was brought to trial, raising awareness of child abuse and bullying.

Who is the mule in The Girl Next Door? ›

The Girl Next Door (2004) - Matthew Wiese as Mule - IMDb.

Is girl next door worth watching? ›

Underrated romantic comedy. In many respects, this film is overlooked and underrated. Emile Hirsch and Elisha Cuthbert have fantastic chemistry and make for an easy couple to root for throughout the film. Timothy Olyphant plays a charismatic and enigmatic villain who is also entertaining to watch.

Why is the girl next door famous? ›

The girl next door is a young female stock character who is often used in romantic stories. She is so named because she often lives next door to the protagonist or is a childhood friend. They start out with a mutual friendship that later often develops into romantic attraction.

How accurate is the movie The Girl Next Door? ›

The Girl Next Door is a highly disturbing movie that portrays extreme cruelty, inspired by the real-life case of Sylvia Likens and Gertrude Baniszewski. The real story behind The Girl Next Door is even more horrifying than the film itself, as it involves severe abuse, torture, and sexual assault that lasted for months.

Is Gertrude Baniszewski still alive? ›

Gertrude Baniszewski was convicted of first-degree murder again at a second trial. She was paroled in 1985, changed her name to Nadine Van Fossan and moved to Iowa. She died in 1990.

What movie is based on a true story of Sylvia Likens? ›

An American Crime is a 2007 American crime drama film directed by Tommy O'Haver and starring Ellen Page and Catherine Keener. The film is based on the true story of the torture and murder of Sylvia Likens by Indianapolis single mother Gertrude Baniszewski. It premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.

Who played Sylvia Likens? ›

An American Crime (2007) - Elliot Page as Sylvia Likens - IMDb.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Rueben Jacobs

Last Updated:

Views: 5539

Rating: 4.7 / 5 (77 voted)

Reviews: 92% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Rueben Jacobs

Birthday: 1999-03-14

Address: 951 Caterina Walk, Schambergerside, CA 67667-0896

Phone: +6881806848632

Job: Internal Education Planner

Hobby: Candle making, Cabaret, Poi, Gambling, Rock climbing, Wood carving, Computer programming

Introduction: My name is Rueben Jacobs, I am a cooperative, beautiful, kind, comfortable, glamorous, open, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.