The Girl Next Door | 2004

This cheerfully amoral reworking of Risky Business, with Matthew Kidman (Emile Hirsch) discovering that the new neighbour – and now love of his life – is a porn star, is set – according to the address on the letter informing Matthew that he’s been accepted by Georgetown University – in ‘Westport, USA’ (pretty impressive postal service).

Although the Kidmans’ address is given as ’86 Hillpoint Road’, the postman has delivered it to a house clearly numbered ‘1504’. So that is a really impressive service.

The film is made around Los Angeles and, in fact, the house is 1504 Milan Avenue in South Pasadena – directly across from the the home of that loveable mutt Beethoven (Pasadena being a popular ‘Anytown’ location).

The unfeasibly gorgeous Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert) moves in to the grander house next door, at 1500 Milan Avenue.

Matthew’s school is the campus of College of the Canyons, 26455 Rockwell Canyon Boulevard in Santa Clarita, north of LA.

Following his school friends’ advice, after discovering Danielle’s line of work, Matthew drives her out to the Glen Capri Motel, 6700 San Fernando Road, in Glendale.

Emile Hirsch returns to the same motel in the decidedly nastier Alpha Dog. In fact, the motel has been seen in quite a few films, including The Good Girl with Jennifer Aniston, Raising Helen with Kate Hudson, and Georgia Rule with Lindsay Lohan, as well as loads of TV shows.

The entrance to ‘Georgetown University’ (which is Washington DC) at the end of the movie, is the northern gate to the Huntington Library and Gardens, on Orlando Road at Allen Avenue in San Marino, east of LA. A screen veteran the house and its grounds have been seen in plenty of other movies, including American Pie: The Wedding, The Wedding Singer, Indecent Proposal, The Nutty Professor (1996), Memoirs of a Geisha and Serenity.

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