The New Guy

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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
Cinematography	Michael D. O'Shea
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 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.

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

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. He was once was tied to a chair with fake plastic 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 she says that, "You're not really" he finishes the sentence "my type." 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. An old teacher in a wheel chair, 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. Another videotaped incident.

He is told he has Tourette's Syndrome and is given medication. He takes an overdose 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.

While in prison an inmate, (Eddie Griffin) who had the same experiences as Dizzy (minus the "broken dick" incident) begins teaching him how to be cool. The first step, getting expelled from his high school.

He tries many things, including cheating, bribery, and video taping his constipated teacher in the bathroom, but ends up getting expelled when he breaks a mop. He's about to hit the principal, but the principal sees him and expells him for breaking the mop.

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. 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.

Eliza Dushku trying on new clothes in The New Guy.

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 reluctant 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. He attempts to explain his actions 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 "broke dick" and talks to Danielle. She was once unpopular before "my boobs grew in and 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.