Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
I’ve had the second e-mail in this article sitting in the inbox for a few days now, but it was this review that reminded me to finally put this quick piece together.
I like Luke Greenfield’s short film THE RIGHT HOOK, and I’ve been curious to see what he would do with something that is really his own. Here’s our first review of his new film:
Harry,
Went to see a screening of THE GIRL NEXT DOOR the other night. It's a new film coming out next year starring Elisha Cuthbert, that hot chick who plays Keifer Sutherland's daughter on TV's 24. You can't miss the standee in theatre lobbies where she's a cardboard cutout in front of a boy staring at her.
Got into the theatre where it was packed with what was going to be a very rowdy crowd.
You should know that I'm a huge fan of "Risky Business" and it's coincidental that VH1's "I love the 80s strikes back" recently highlighted the Tom Cruise flick, because I got the chance to see what could be for this generation what Rebecca De Mornay was to adolescent boys 20 years ago:
The ultimate male fantasy come true!
If you enjoy movies like "Fast Times at Ridgemont High", John Hughes fare like "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", "The Breakfast Club", "Sixteen Candles", etc... and the "American Pie" franchise -- You're going to love this film! The crowd I saw it with certainly did.
It's directed by Luke Greenfield, who helmed one of the best short films in recent memory ("The Right Hook") only to follow it up with Rob Schneider's sub-par "The Animal". Never the less, that film was a hit, so I was curious to see what Greenfield would do with material that obviously spoke to him, opposed to just taking a movie co-starring a contestant from Survivor because, "hey, I'm being offered a feature!"
The premise of the film is a lot more risque than recent watered down flicks with teen protagonists like "She's All That" and "10 Things I Hate About You". I think that's because, like the new (mostly 80's) classics I mentioned above, it's not just for a target audience of young people, but all demographics. Here we have that "Risky Business" template updated with porn in lieu of prostitution for a current general audience who considers Jenna Jameson mainstream.
As the movie started, the whole theatre was in hysterics at what was the best opening since the first "American Pie", smartly playing with the "porn" subject matter using a great fake-out tactic. You'll see what I mean!
Emile Hirsch plays Matthew, an over-achiever whose been so caught up with his aspirations (college scholarship, running for class president) that he's perhaps over-looked the fun, care-free, part of being a teenager, and the social aspects of high school. It's the character's senior year and we really get a sense of his longing within for those lost "wonder years".
Enter Elisha Cuthbert as Danielle. And everything starts to look on the up and up as the two seem to be falling for each other. But it's too good to be true when one of Matthew' two best friends (who happens to be just a little addicted to porn) is the bearer of shocking news that Danielle is an ex-adult *ahem* actress. It's around this time that Timothy Olyphant shows up, playing the producer of Danielle's films, in a hilarious scene steeling performance. Every time he came on the screen, the audience I was with seemed to buzz as they knew to expect some sort of hijinks to ensue.
Greenfield's touch is anything but heavy-handed as he seems to effortlessly balance humor with emotion. There are slapstick funny scenes that had me laughing out loud... But in-between the comedy, tender, heart-warming, moments. There were definitely a lot of "oohs" and "aahs" from the girls in attendance.
An example can be found in one of my favorite scenes during which Matthew goes to make a speech, while high on ecstasy (which he accidentally popped thinking they were painkillers after been roughed up a little...whole other story) --
Played for laughs, at the core of the sequence there's an emotional thread that shines through brilliantly regarding the films major theme:
"How far would you go for love?"
The performances are great all around. Emile and Elisha both have breakthrough roles here. Emile shows a depth to him that I think could allow him to become the next Toby Maguire. And while Elisha is destined to be the ultimate pin-up girl on every boy's wall, she truly conveys that (GIRL NEXT DOOR) quality about herself that could lead to a career as the next Meg Ryan. Meanwhile Olyphant is in competition to steel the show from the young actor who plays Matthew's friend Eli. The counter-"Stiffler", this kid is the other kind of horny bastard we all knew in high school: the one who talked the talk, but never actually got laid! A lot of the scenes where everyone burst out into laughter came from his onscreen antics.
When "American Pie" came out, I remember the Weitz brothers repeatedly citing "Porky's" as the inspiration for their picture, and I can only imagine that the model for this was "Risky Business". Compounded with the emotional center, up until the final comedic twist, and resolution(s) at the end... I expect this film to become just as much a celebrated update of it's day.
Full of sex, comedy, and a heart. Thumbs way up!!!
Personally, I still think RISKY BUSINESS is a hard act to follow, but at least it’s a good model for someone trying to make a teen film that’s smarter than average. How close do the filmmakers ultimately come? I guess I’ll go check it out m’self as soon as I get a chance.
"Moriarty" out.
