Every teen movie contains a scene at the high school prom. This age-old rule wasn’t broken in “The Girl Next Door,” a somewhat enjoyable but unoriginal romantic comedy. Directed by Luke Greenfield, the movie has been hailed by some critics as a “Risky Business” for the next generation.

-The movie follows a nervous, straightlaced high school senior, Matthew (Emile Hirsch), as he falls for the wild house sitter who moves in next door. They start a relationship seemingly built almost entirely on hormones — at least on Matthew’s part — but trouble sets in when one his friends shows him a porno tape with the girl next door, Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert), in a lead role.

Matthew handles the situation in a less-than-perfect manner and alienates Danielle. After an unpleasant incident at a trashy motel, more trouble for the couple arrives in town in the form of Kelly (Timothy Olyphant), a porn producer and ex-boyfriend. He wants to keep Danielle in the adult film business, while Matthew wants Danielle to reach other goals, such as attending college.

Olyphant’s hot-and-cold acting is wonderful. He steals scenes with his smarm and swagger and keeps viewers guessing. You never know whether he plans to help the idealistic Matthew or punch him in the gut. He offers Matthew sage-like advice, such as “You have to know if the juice is worth the squeeze.” Then, he threatens the poor nerd. Olyphant single-handedly brings”The Girl Next Door” up a notch — no small feat.

The film presents conflicting views of pornography. On one hand, Danielle wants to escape the adult film industry, and Matthew desperately tries to make that happen, telling her she’s too good to do porn. On the other hand, porn is cheekily celebrated. The scenes at the Las Vegas adult film convention are some of the movie’s funniest.

Although the story is nothing new, the characters keep the story moving. Both Danielle and Matthew are charming, but why an experienced hottie would go for the stumbling overachiever is not explained.

Dialogue falters in places. A movie only can be sprinkled with so many “dudes” before eyes start to roll. The movie’s light tone at the beginning turns a bit darker as the film progresses but never to the point of really good satire. However, endless teen romantic comedy conventions doesn’t make a great film.

While “The Girl Next Door” purports to be a comedy, its laughs occasionally go limp. Also, an all-too-easy twist at the end wraps up many of the film’s loose ends.

Ultimately in “The Girl Next Door,” the juice is only half worth the squeeze.