Hollywood Reviews and Movie Trivia

With a twist on the underdog-rises-to-the-top teen movie genre, The New Guy is definitely good for some laughs. Narrated by Eddie Griffin, in a manner similar to Tom Green's telling of Road Trip, we witness the transformation of Dizzy Gillespie Harrison, high school "blip" on the radar, into Gil Harris, high school hero. The slapstick antics and celebrity cameos keep things mildly amusing, making the viewer forget this is really just an after school special in disguise. DJ Qualls, playing Dizzy/Gil, is the only thing redeeming about this movie, lending his own quirky charm to an otherwise "me too" flick. The video for Simple Plan's "I'm Just a Kid" is the only extra even worth mentioning; even the outtakes in the credits are lacking. This is a good renter, after you've exhausted other options in the video store, but by no means should you waste money purchasing this movie.