| The New Guy | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Ed Decter |
| Produced by | Greg Silverman John J. Strauss |
| Written by | David Kendall |
| Starring | DJ Qualls Eliza Dushku Zooey Deschanel Eddie Griffin |
| Editing by | David Rennie |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | May 10, 2002 (USA) |
| Running time | 89 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The New Guy is a 2002 American teen comedy film directed by Ed Decter. It tells the story of a high school loser, Dizzy Gillespie Harrison, that desperately wants to change his image and become the cool kid.
Contents |
Taglines
- Popularity isn't a contest...It's a war.
- A zero will rise...
Summary
The movie stars DJ Qualls as Dizzy Gillespie Harrison, a 18-year-old high school senior and nerd who always gets hassled by the jocks. In his younger days, he used to dance to 1970s funk music in gold shorts.
The Prank
Dizzy was once tied to a chair with fake rubber breasts on his chest; the incident was videotaped. He starts the first day of senior year by helping the head cheerleader get her car alarm to stop. He asks her to go out, but is rejected. He attempts to ask her out again, when the two jocks who constantly harass him point out that at the girl's touch he immediately becomes erect. When the camera isn't looking, other students somehow manage to yank off Dizzy's underwear from under his pants and then put it on his head. This is assumed to be staged by the director between camera filming sessions. It is nearly impossible for other students to distract a person long enough to yank off his underwear from under his pants by using the wedgie method, let alone allowing the bullies enough time to place the on top of his head, while tying him to a chair and making him wear a woman's dress. An old teacher in a wheelchair, believes his penis to be a weapon, at which point she grabs it and is going to, "take it to the principal." He tries to get her off him by turning, but instead "breaks" it. Unfortunately for him, it is another videotaped incident. He is told he has Tourette's Syndrome and is given medication. He takes an OD on his pills and when he sees a preacher and choir in the mall he jumps on the stage, and begins preaching about his experiences. He is arrested, falls unconscious, and wakes up in jail.
From Bitch to Bull
While in prison an inmate, Luther (Eddie Griffin), who had similar experiences in a previous penitentiary as Dizzy, begins teaching him how to be cool. The first step in doing so is to be expelled from his high school. He tries many things to equal Luther's lessons. He tries to "break all the rules", including cheating, and bribery. To "act all crazy", he video-taped his principal in the bathroom. He thinks that nothing will work, but finally gets expelled when he breaks a mop, to use to hit his principal's butt. After getting expelled, he receives a makeover at the prison. This includes a new look (which is supposed to be Brad Pitt with a hint of Anne Heche), new moves, and a new persona. He enrolls in a new school under the alias Gil Harris, to make new friends where he soon gains respect from the jocks and geeks alike. But Dizzy (now known as Gil Harris) has to beat up the biggest and baddest person in the school. Gil gets beaten at first, but when everyone leaves he comes back and beats up Conner (the bad guy). He drags him into the hall to make everyone see Conner's humiliation. After several failed attempts, he manages to pull it off. Dizzy then is noticed by the head cheerleader, Danielle (Eliza Dushku), and, in a scene referencing Patton, helps the school football team gain self-respect to win games. Dizzy gets invited to a party. He disses the most popular and hottest person in school, making him even more cool. Through his new confidence and attitude, Dizzy eventually becomes the most popular kid in the school.
Dizzy's Alter Ego
While at the mall with Danielle, Gil runs into Nora (Deschanel), Kirk (Mixon), and Glen (Shen), his old group of friends. He is afraid that Danielle will think he is a loser so instead of talking to his friends, Gil pretends he doesn't know them and walks past them. This upsets his friends and they question what makes him any different from the popular kids that tormented him earlier. Gil learns that his current school's football team is playing his old school in the championship game. He is reluctant to go at first, but puts it behind him and leads his team to victory, starting with a Braveheart-like charge into the stadium. The team wins the game, but as they are celebrating, one of the players on the losing team who used to pick on Dizzy happens to recognize him. Connor, Danielle's disgruntled ex-boyfriend, begins investigating into Gil Harris' past to uncover any dirt on him, with the help of Dizzy's old tormentor. Dizzy reunites his with his friends by setting Kirk and Glen up with the person he dissed earlier (Kirk even gets to have sex with her in the process).
The Moral of the Story
In the end, while Dizzy is performing in his funk band at a large school dance, Connor projects the tape of Dizzy for all to see. He attempts to explain his actions by admitting that he cared more about what other people thought of him than himself, but the crowd never gives him a chance. Just then Luther, along with the rest of the Black Spiders from the prison, come in. They give Dizzy the opportunity to explain himself. He is booed off the stage to a chant of "broken dick" and is hit in the face by a flying bottle. His friends pull him backstage behind the curtain. There Nora reveals her newfound courage was due to Dizzy, and confesses her feelings for Glen. After that, Dizzy is confronted by Danielle. She tells him that she was once unpopular before "my boobs grew in and I lost my braces." They kiss, and the curtain is opened, revealing them to the audience, and Connor and his co-conspirator end up tied to chairs with rubber breasts in the same manner as Dizzy was in the beginning of the film. At the end of the film, the visitor Luther was talking to in the beginning, was revealed to be David Hasslehoff.
Cast
- DJ Qualls - Dizzy Harrison/Gil Harris
- Eliza Dushku - Danielle
- Zooey Deschanel - Nora
- Eddie Griffin - Luther
- Lyle Lovett - Bear Harrison
- Jerod Mixon - Kirk
- Parry Shen - Glen
- Sunny Mabrey - Courtney
- Ross Patterson - Connor
- Matt Gogin - Ed Ligget
- Geoffrey Lewis - Principal Zaylor
Cameo appearances
- Jerry O'Connell
- Charlie O'Connell
- Vanilla Ice
- Tony Hawk
- David Hasselhoff
- Tommy Lee
- Kool Moe Dee
- Horatio Sanz
- Illeana Douglas
- Henry Rollins
- Gene Simmons
- Josh Todd
- Scott Stapp
- Jai Rodriguez
- Jermaine Dupri
- M.C. Gainey
- Kyle Gass


