Olyphant received widespread praise for his 2004 performance as a porn film producer in the comedy "The Girl Next Door". He was initially reluctant to audition for the part, feeling it was too similar to some of his previous roles but, "as my manager dutifully reminded me, not many people saw those movies." Mick LaSalle of the "San Francisco Chronicle" described the character of Kelly as "a leering, magnetic, frightening, glad-handing, easily-amused, hyper-sensitive, utterly deceitful, maddeningly likable wild man. When Olyphant is on screen, there's the feeling that things might go anywhere." A.O. Scott of "The New York Times" remarked that the part was played with "a throwaway inventiveness" while Kenneth Turan of the "Los Angeles Times" felt it was played "with wonderful comic zest." David Edelstein of "Slate" enjoyed his "spaced-out volatility. Olyphant's Kelly is a brilliant synthesis of poses." Joe Leydon of "Variety" said he "strikes an impressively deft balance of hearty amiability and understated menace in his scene-stealing turn."