The New Guy (2002)

The New Guy is a simplistic teen movie. DJ Qualls plays Dizzy Harrison, and his father Bear Harrison is acted by Lyle Lovett. He's the prototypical nerd that is entering his senior year of high school. He gets an idea after a chance encounter with an advice giving prisoner, Luther (Eddie Griffin), that he should get some serious attitude and start again.

How can one start again in their senior year of high school? By going to another school of course. He accomplishes this feat by getting himself expelled from his first school, a task that is harder than he thought it would be and fertile ground for some sophomoric humor. At the next school, he changes his name to Gil Harris, takes down the toughest guy using some prison yard fighting technique, and becomes "king of the hill." He finds a new romantic interest in Danielle (Eliza Dushku).

All of this comes to a crashing halt when his former past catches up to him just as he is at the height of his popularity. At that point, he gets to see who is friends really are.

The premise of The New Guy reminded me of another TV film, Student Exchange from a while back. In that film, two students make a break with their past by pretending to go to Europe, and returning to their school as Italian exchange students. Student Exchange had far more depth and better characters. In The New Guy, the characters are all typical teen film unidimensional affairs- the jock, the tough guy, the cheerleader, so on and so forth with all of the depth of a Hollywood movie facade.

While The New Guy does have its moments, the film is too simple for my taste. Best suited to a teenage audience, it lacks more widespread appeal.

Overall Grade: C

--Jonas