Teen sex comedies have never had a very positive reputation in film circles. The nature of the genre invites simplistic plotlines filled with crude humor, questionable storylines, and a slew of female objectification at the hands of the mostly male protagonists desperate to lose their v-card before high school ends.
While many like teen sex comedies Revenge of the Nerds and American pie are considered classics of the genre, the lessons they teach male-female interaction are very problematic. years 2004 The girl next door is another addition to the genre that covers much of the same ground as other teen sex comedies, but it does so in surprisingly intelligent and forward-thinking ways. Let’s see how.
What is The Girl Next Door about?
The girl next door tells the story of Matthew, a high school honor student, who wants to enjoy high school life properly in his senior year before taking on the responsibilities of going to college. Matthew’s life is turned upside down when a beautiful young woman named Danielle moves in next door to his house. Even more incredible is the fact that the woman seems to really like Matthew.
Matthew is absorbed in his adolescent feelings and is surprised to learn that Danielle was a porn star. So far, the film’s plot reads like a feverish daydream of a hormonal teenager, albeit one with a stellar cast (Elisha Cuthbert, Emile Hirsch, Timothy Olyphant, Paul Dano, Olivia Wilde). It sounds like the tired plot of an 1980s teen sex(ist) comedy, the kind of movie where the protagonist ends up next to a beautiful and promiscuous cheerleader/alien/robot who then fulfills all of his fantasies.
Undermining public expectations
Just when it seems The girl next door going to be a run-of-the-mill comedy about an ordinary guy with a porn star girlfriend, the movie turns the story upside down. Danielle realizes that Matthew knows about her past in the adult film industry, and assumes he will judge her for it, just as the rest of society judges her for her lifestyle choices.
Meanwhile, Matthew realizes that whatever Danielle’s past was, he has fallen in love with her as a person rather than a beautiful object. The film goes to great lengths to portray Danielle as an intelligent, well-rounded character rather than a one-dimensional object of lust that so many films in its genre routinely depict beautiful women. Even when Danielle decides to return to porn, the focus is on her emotional journey leading up to that decision.
Matthew learns some hard lessons
The one thing the vast majority of teen sex comedies have in common is that the protagonist and his friends are on an epic quest to lose their virginity to the most beautiful woman possible. The girl next door ends this tradition when Matthew refuses to put Danielle to bed at the beginning of the film, even when she offers herself to him.
From there, the focus shifts from Matthew putting Danielle to bed to him trying his best to understand the world she belongs to without judgment so they can finally begin a relationship on a positive and honest note. The girl next door is sometimes described as an innovation of Risky businessbut the previous movie makes every effort to portray the female lead positively rather than condemn her for her profession as an escort/adult movie star.
A sex positive story
Most teen comedies are obsessed with the idea of sex, but ironically, they rarely try to portray the act in a positive light. Most of such comedies feature guys who scheme, lie, and conspire to get intimate with female characters by any means necessary. The emotional and developmental complications of sex in a young person’s life are rarely discussed.
Here again The girl next door takes an unusual turn. By the end of the movie, Matthew and Danielle have reconciled and become a couple. More importantly, Danielle and her industry friends help Matthew create a new breed of sex education video that teaches teens about safe sex in a modern and judgment-free way. Instead of hiding his activities from his parents and teachers, Matthew is able to use the video to get a place in a good college and continue his relationship with Danielle.
Love over physical intimacy
Ultimately, for all the trappings of a teen sex comedy, The girl next door ends up being something more like a romantic comedy with leads straight out of a teen sex comedy. The movie teaches the lesson that while sex can be fun, it shouldn’t be the foundation of your entire view of the opposite sex, nor the reason you get into a relationship with someone.
Other movies in the same vein that came after that The girl next doorLike it Super bad and Juno, continue to explore the theme that love and emotional honesty between teens is more important than a race to lose your virginity. Movies like this have done much to move the genre from its misogynistic past into more modern times.