WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Kimball Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

MartinHafer I am an odd person in that I like musicals BUT dislike them when they have a lot of songs or unnecessary song and dance sequences that slow down the plots. So, while I really loved the plot from "The Girl Next Door", I felt that a couple times the song and dance routines got in the way--particularly the fantasy sequences. Now this is NOT to say I disliked the film. I think it's actually highly underrated and don't exactly know why it isn't thought of as one of the better musicals. Perhaps it's because it starred Dan Dailey and June Haver--and they were not see as in the same level as Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Judy Garland and other top Hollywood names. Well, despite this, it is a very good picture...even with a song or two too many.The film begins by showing us very quickly the life of the actress Jeannie Laird (Haver). Now, after wowing audiences all over the world, she has just bought a home and plans to settle down a little bit. She's still a working woman and loves acting, but now she has a house to call her own. But, on the night she's throwing a big housewarming party, she runs afoul of her neighbors--Bill and Joe Carter (Dan Dailey and Billy Gray). Fortunately, this minor tiff did not characterize the movie or their relationship and soon she and Bill are dating. The problem is that Joe LOVES all the attention he gets from his single dad--and he naturally resents anyone who might try to take him away from him. Unfortunately, Bill is a bit oblivious to this and it takes patience from Jeannie and some understanding from Joe to work through all this.This is a very nice family film. The relationship between father and son seemed natural and sweet. Daily and Haver are exceptional, but the real star to me was Gray. While he'd played precocious and ill-behaved brats in a few previous films, here he was all boy--and I mean that in the best possible way. He seemed very natural and was in his element in the film. Overall, apart from one or two songs too many, the film has a nice story, excellent acting and is well worth your time.By the way, this was Haver's last film, as she soon retired to be a nun. This didn't take, apparently, and a bit later she became Mrs. Fred MacMurray and never looked back at her film career. Also, get a load of the big kiss at the end--it's one of the best of the era!If you see this on DVD, look for the special features--they are excellent!

weezeralfalfa This fun contemporary musical marked the end of an era for Fox musicals. It was the last of 5 films in which versatile likable Dan Dailey starred as the leading man with one of Fox's two blond leading ladies of '40s and early '50s musicals: Betty Grable and June Haver. This was June's last Hollywood film, after a string of mostly Fox or Warner musicals since '44. It was also singer Dennis Day's last Hollywood film. Finally, it was the last Fox film scored by composer Josef Myrow and lyricist Mack Gordon, who began collaborating on a number of Fox musicals beginning in '46, after Gordon's previous primary collaborator, Harry Warren, left Fox for MGM.Actually, Fox wanted Betty Grable to once again star opposite her favorite leading man for musicals. But, she turned it down. Thus, June served the purpose for which she was originally signed: as a backup for Betty, in case she couldn't or wouldn't do a film. Happily, we see that Dan and June also had super chemistry, bringing a high intensity of energy to the film. This is perhaps best exhibited by their unique spectacular 'mating dance', which provides a fitting finale to their whirlwind romance. Actually, its clear to me that they made a more dynamic pair than Betty and DanUnlike most of June's and many of Betty's previous musicals, which had nostalgic themes of the gay '90s through '20s, this film was set in contemporary suburbia, which was mushrooming in the years following WWII. Thus, we have spacious modern houses close to each other, but with backyards were parties and cookouts are hosted. Unlike most of June's other Fox musicals, there is no other significant female musical star to share the musical spotlight with. Also, unlike most Fox musicals of the '40s, most of the dancing and singing is done off-stage. Aside from the opening chorus girl number, the major exception is the imaginative film-noire-like song and dance to "Nowhere Guy": very different in mood to the effervescent other musical numbers: something that looks like it belongs in an MGM Kelly or Astaire-dominated film. The dream dance, involving Dan, June, and Dan's son, as well as several animated cartoon portions, also look more like MGM features, than Fox. The chief choreographer was Richard Barstow, whose only other film credits as such were for "A Star is Born" and "the Greatest Show on Earth" : 2 quite prominent films for their times. The musical director was Lionel Newman: brother of the more famous Alfred Newman. Marilyn Monroe, whose star was rapidly rising at this time, requested Lionel to be the musical director in all her films.The central drama of the film revolves around Dan's son's(Joe) strong opposition to admitting a female into his cozy life as a father and son family vs. the obvious strong attraction between Dan's and June's characters(Bill and Jeannie).. Obviously, Joe is still at that age where girls around his age are often considered boring and clumsy at things he's interested in(like fishing trips in the woods). He emphatically lets his wannabe girlfriend(Kitty) and stepmother (Jeannie) know about his profound disinterest in them. At first, Jeannie thinks she can bring Joe around to accepting her, then decides this isn't likely, and berates Bill for trying to badger Joe into changing his attitude toward her. She decides it's better if she moves away, until Joe belatedly offers some words of peace, causing her to delay her hasty plan, bolstered by the advice of her friends Reed(Dennis Day) and Rosie(Cara Williams). But, in the end, after the Bill-Jeannie crisis is resolved, when Kitty asks Joe if he will marry her when they grow up, she gets an emphatic arrogant "no", showing that Joe's dislike of girls(at least Kitty) has not budged.For the most part, laconic Bill provided a calming effect on the hyperkinetic social butterfly nightclub entertainer Jeannie, which is probably one reason she immediately fell for him, along with his obvious song and dance talent and domestic skills. Joe and Kitty provide characters that children can somewhat identify with. However, their dialogue with each other is often very awkward. ..The dish juggling act between Bill and Joe, accompanied by the song "I'd Rather Have a Pal Than a Gal", is a very clever scene, emphasizing their great relationship, and the lack of need for a woman to do household chores. However, after Joe goes to bed, Bill says, at times, he would like to reverse the "gal" and "pal" in the song: providing an opening for Jeannie. Bill's profession as a cartoonist provides a largely at-home job for a single father, and also leads into the several animated cartoon segments, which presumably mainly appeal to the children in the audience.Many viewers today are put off by Dennis Day's rather formal, if usually cheery, persona and formal attire, and his traditional Irish tenor singing, as contrasted with Dan's Gene Kelly style. I don't have a problem with him, certainly compared to Jeannie's comically super stiff and arrogant butler! Cara Williams, as his bright-eyed carrot-haired girlfriend, provides some distraction from June's dominance.

Charles Reichenthal The Girl Next Door is a surprising and fascinating film, partly for what it delivers, and partly because of what it indicates the future could have been for its star. The film opened quickly, and disappeared just as quickly, in New York, because its start June Haver had already entered a convent (she, of course, didn't stay there long). Not expected to be box office, the film, though, has some extraordinary moments, and the most surprising element of all is the work of June Haver. Although her voice is dubbed, her dancing is a complete revelation. Her work with Dan Dailey is superlative and shows maturity that she had never shown before. Indeed, her torch song indicates a Haver never seen before...and never to reappear. The cartoon networking is fun, and the dish number between Dailey and Billy Gray is a joyous scene. Haver also displays a wide range of emotions that indicate she had matured as an actress and was no longer the perennial ingenue. Even her figure is more eye-watchable than in previous vehicles -- including The Dolly Sisters. The film sags badly whenever Dennis Day is at hand, and even more sadly because he sings the one number that had a brief bit of fame - If I Love You a Mountain. His voice allows no emotion, and his expressions are devoid of any acting. His vis-a-vis, Cara Williams, is totally wasted. It's nice, though, that the film has hit DVD, because its merits are commendable. Certainly, it is professional work - with the sad exception of the scenes with Dennis Day.

reelguy2 As of this writing, the IMDb user rating for this unpretentious musical is an amazingly high 8.3 - higher than The Band Wagon also released in 1953. So what accounts for such a rating? Most of the songs are awful ("I'd rather have a pal than a gal, anytime" is an example), and the choreography is just so-so. But despite these deficiencies, The Girl Next Door is one of the most amiable entertainments from the '50s. The slight story is played with humor and warmth by the entire cast. The dialog is bright. The modest fashions and decor make this a fascinating time capsule - closer to early 50s suburbia than the highly stylized productions from MGM.Although it's not about to supplant The Band Wagon from a critical standpoint, this film does weave a particular magic and has obviously won its way into a lot of hearts - mine included!