The Girl Next Door I've got to tell you right out of the gate, is a film that's primary character is a porn star (played by the gorgeous Elisha Cuthbert), but those of you expecting to see the beauty from TV's "24" naked will be very disappointed. Rest assured, however, there are other porn star characters in the film that do drop trou.

The Girl Next Door is another picture in the tradition of American Pie and other such juvenile comedies (a genre I do have a fondness for in many cases), but it does offer up a sweetness that reminded me of the works of John Hughes and even brought to mind the little seen gem Three O' Clock High. It's also a throwback of sorts to the 80's teen sex comedy (think Private School, Porky's and The Last American Virgin), although this picture's main characters do have more than sex on their minds.

In the comedy, the likable Emile Hirsch plays Matthew Kidman a bright, college bound high school senior who can't wait for his quickly approaching graduation. While extremely smart, Matthew craves adventure. He soon finds it in the form of new neighbor Danielle, a stunning beauty with a big secret. Immediately, Danielle is drawn to Matthew's sincerity, and the two begin an awkward courtship. Things take a turn, however, when Matthew discovers what Danielle used to do for a living (something that is met with instant fantasies, both good and bad), and it is this revelation that takes this straight-laced young man into a world he's never known.

I have to tell you that, in spite of a fairly obvious premise, I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit during The Girl Next Door. True, most of the gags are juvenile, but I found the cast quite appealing. And while I wouldn't call this movie a realistic or in depth look into the adult film world and it's stars, I don't think that's necessarily what it's makers were going for. If anything, it is the overly comedic sequence in which Matthew and his buddies head out to an adult film convention in Las Vegas that really bogs the film down. Forget that these high schoolers walk right into the convention without a hitch (this is clearly a 21 or older affair). I could have lived with that had the sequence been funny. As it stands, it was just over the top.

Elisha Cuthbert is an absolute knock out and her smile lights up the screen. She's sexy but also vulnerable, and while I must confess I never actually bought her as a porn star, I bought into the idea of her being a porn star. Emile Hirsch is very appealing and extremely likable as the pure and sincere Matthew. He and Cuthbert do have chemistry and to my surprise, I really bought into their relationship. If I hadn't, I don't think I would have liked the picture at all.

Timothy Olyphant is a riot as a sleazy porn producer who battles Matthew for possession of Danielle's soul. And while he might be considered the villain in the movie, his energetic turn as Kelly makes for a surprisingly likable bad guy. The appealing cast certainly make up for the screenplays numerous shortcomings.

Unfortunately, The Girl Next Door really takes odd directions in the final act. I was fine with the obvious sequence in which Matthew delivers a big speech that may or may not win him a scholarship to Georgetown University, but what happens at his senior prom is implausible even by juvenile comedy standards. It just doesn't know when to quit.

I smiled and laughed quite a bit during The Girl Next Door, and I certainly liked it more than Eurotrip and other recent raunchy comedies. I only wish the movie would have kept an interest in these characters instead of the crazy situations they were finding themselves in. In the end though, Elisha Cuthbert and Emile Hirsch had just enough charm and sweetness to keep me entertained through most of this film.