The most intriguing thing about "The New Guy," a loud, brash and mainly unfunny high school comedy, is that the ads do not trumpet the fact it was directed by one of the guys who wrote "There's Something About Mary," at least before the Farrelly brothers got to it. The gangly Qualls (who resembles the result of an ill-advised union between Emo Phillips and Olive Oyl), works hard to be both wacko and likable as quintessential high school loser-geek Dizzy Gillespie Harrison. With a little help from Luther, a former inmate (don't ask) played by Eddie Griffin, Diz makes himself over into cool guy Gil Harris and tries out his new personality at a new high school, where he quickly topples the resident bully (Ross Patterson) and catches the eye of the head cheerleader (Eliza Dushku).

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