The New Guy is a 2002 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.

Tagline: Popularity isn't a contest, it's a war.

Plot

The movie stars DJ Qualls as Dizzy Harrison, a 17-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. His humiliation climaxes in a scene in which he is tied to a chair with fake plastic breasts on his chest and his underwear on top of his head. The entire incident is caught on videotape.

In an attempt to make a new identity for himself, Dizzy gets himself expelled from his high school, learns the techniques of being cool from a prison inmate, (Eddie Griffin) and enrolls at a new high school under the alias Gil Harris, to make new friends where he soon gains respect from the jocks and geeks alike. Dizzy then gets 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. Through his new confidence and attitude, Dizzy eventually becomes the most popular kid in the school.

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 talking to his friends, Gil pretends he doesn't know them and walks past them.

Later, Gil learns that his current high school's football team is playing his old school in the championship game. He is relunctant to go at first, but he puts it behind him and leads his school 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.

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. The plan backfires, as Dizzy's popularity is firmly established, and Connor and his co-conspirator end up tied to chairs in the same manner as Dizzy was in the beginning of the film.

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

The following people make 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
• Scott Stapp

External links

2002 films | Comedy films | Teen films | American films | Teen comedy films