The Girl Next Door (1999)

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

A rating of 4.5 is absurdly low for this genuine and uncomplicated little study of a gentle doctor's emotional deconstruction after having (although quite understandably) overstepped the line whilst baby-sitting his neighbor's 18 year old daughter and who tragically is murdered - with each and every clue about to incriminate him.Whodunnit really doesn't matter - the denouement is hardly a surprise anyway, as no one else in the picture has the slightest motive! The strength of this little Canadian offering lies in both Czerney's performance as the harried Doctor Bradley and ultra cute Polly Shannon as the 18 year old schoolgirl that Bradley has known and doctored since she was little. This isn't a hot sexy saga of lust in the dust...just an outline of a very credible set of circumstances that could easily lead to such a tragedy.Contrary to several reviewers, I don't see the script as trite and unbelievable. The story at no time strives to be "Hollywoodish." What you see is very much what you get! Totally believable performances. I think faced with the exact same circumstances Czerny was....I might well have fallen into the same pit he did..and lived to regret the action, but not the evening!Easily a 6! Very solid little contribution from Busey which I think he handled with both sensitivity and restraint.There are many films in the IMDb top 250 I would less prefer to watch again!

A married doctor with a pregnant wife is asked by his neighbour to keep an eye on his daughter while absent for a few days, ensuring that no harm comes to her. A simple request... The good doctor agrees... but there are unbelievable consequences.The daughter becomes attracted to the good-looking doctor and one night they enjoy sex on her sofa. The doctor decides that this kind of behaviour should stop but he continues to drop in as promised. When the daughter is found strangled one morning, the doctor becomes the prime suspect.The most exciting moment in the film is when the frantic doctor attempts to retrieve a video film of himself half-naked in the girl's living room, a scene highly incriminating. Against the wishes of his attorney, the doctor decides to make a clean breast of it and in court reveal the true facts. Important evidence seems to be the green thread found underneath the dead girl's fingernails. It is not difficult to spot the guilty person.None of the suspicious characters loitering around the girl's windows have any real motives for her murder. The final explanation is acceptable. On the whole an above average thriller.

I loved this movie, I gave it a 10. I thought it was filmed well, very beautiful colors in the movie, especially the rain and the trees. I thought that the plot was WONDERFUL, the acting was good. I thought this movie was going to be bad, because it was on HBO late at night. But I was wrong, I watched this one twice. Has enough thrills and action to keep you watching, and also the acting was not what you would expect!

Here's a familiar theme: an older physician has an affair with a young beauty while his wife is pregnant. She is murdered. He's now a suspect. Her parent's are good friends of his. They can't know what happened. Oh dear! She took a video of him after the act. He's gotta get his hands on it!Even though her ex-boyfriend was stalking her before the murder, no-one suspects him! Incredible! They all suspect the NEW mysterious lover, but they don't know his identity. Oooh!Alright, aside from a very predictable plot and a theme that has received overkill from Hollywood, it's an alright flick to watch if there's nothing else good on t.v.