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Okay, the first
thing you have to know about “The
New Guy” is that it is a teen comedy.
Mist teen comedies are not meant to win
Academy Awards, they are meant to make us
laugh. Most teen comedies nowadays are pretty
trashy and tend to fall back on the lowest
common denominators of sexual or scatological
humor in their attempt to make us laugh.
Occasionally, however some stand out from
the pack and simply try to be funny. “The
New Guy” is one of those that stand
out. I won’t say it’s the funniest
movie I’ve ever seen, but it’s
certainly funny enough to warrant a watch.
DJ Qualls stars as Dizzy Harrison, who suffers
from debilitating case of nerd-it is. His
life is a mess thanks to all the jocks and
jerks (aren’t these synonyms?) whose
stupid pranks he has to endure. Dizzy’s
patience reaches its limit and he purposely
has himself expelled from school. He enlists
the help of an ultra-cool prison inmate
Luthor (Eddie Griffin) to teach him how
to be cool and enrolls in a new school.
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This life-changing event offers Dizzy a whole
new high school experience. He becomes the big
man on campus with popularity to spare. Unfortunately,
his old life threatens to re-surface and ruin
it all and hilarity ensues.
“The New Guy” turned out to a much
funnier movie than I expected. The humor wasn’t
necessarily brilliant or sharp, but I got quite
a few good laughs out of it. Qualls does a good
job of selling the film and his character, and
comes across as an all around good guy. He is
rather odd-looking, but that is in no way detrimental
to his acting abilities. I’ve seen him in
quite a few movies lately, including ‘Comic
Book Villains” and “The Core”,
and though some of them weren’t all that
great, Qualls was good in them.
Another reason reason to see “The New Guy”
is Quall’s co-star, Eliza Dushku. I remember
first seeing Dushku as Arnold Schwarzeneggar’s
daughter in “True Lies.” Back then
she was a bit of a gawky teenager herself. It
wasn’t until years later, when she starred
as Faith in TV’s “Buffy the Vampire
Slayer”, that her potential as an extremely
talented and charismatic actress came to light.
Even now, she is wowing TV audiences in “Tru
Calling”, which I recommend watching if
you get the chance.
There are also a ton of cameos in the film, which
added to my enjoyment and will more than likely
add to your as well. Watching this film you’ll
catch the likes of Tony Hawk, Gene Simmons, Howard
Rollins, Jerry and Charlie O’Connell, Tommy
Lee and a whole lot more. Make sure to watch the
credits to see a string of bloopers from the film.
This new DVD from Sony / Columbia Tristar doesn’t
really offer much in the way of extras, but there
is an entertaining commentary by director Ed Decter,
who is joined by stars DJ Qualls and Eliza Dushku,
as well as writer David Kendall. Most of the entertainment
value of the commentary comes from the easy going
and joke filled conversation between those involved.
All recognize the films strengths and weaknesses,
as well as each others and it makes for a fun
listen.
The only other extra feature is a music video
by Simple Plan for the song “I’m Just
a Kid.” Definitely watch the video. It’s
actually quite funny and isn’t a rehash
of scenes from the film. It features Quall and
Dushku, and if you were ever a geek in school
(like I was), you’ll get as much a kick
out of it as you might the film itself.
Directed by: Ed Decter
Starring: DJ Qualls, Eliza Dushku, Zoey DeSchanel,
Lyle Lovett, Eddie Griffin
Extras: Cast and Crew Commentary, Simple Plan’s
Music Video “I’m Just a Kid”
Specifications: Widescreen (1.85:1), Dolby Digital
5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Sony / Columbia Tristar
Release Date: 1/6/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
We'll give The New Guy: Director's Cut a C+.
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