NEIGHBORS
STARRING: Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Zac Efron
DIRECTOR: Nicholas Stoller
From Nicholas Stoller Director of and Get him to the Greek comes the formerly titled Bad Neighbors newly christened to the much simpler Neighbors. It is an uproarious battle between a married couple with a child and a hard partying frat house for neighborhood diplomacy if not supremacy.
Mac (Rogen) and Kelly Radner (Rose Byrne flexing comedic muscles I didn’t know she had) have sunk all of their money into a new house, with a newborn baby in tow they long for the active lives they lead pre child. When the house next door to them is sold to a fraternity they initially try to relate to the youngsters in hopes of them being quiet and peaceful neighbors and letting their newborn sleep. After a party spirals out of control a battle ensues with the Radners trying to get the fraternity shut down and the fraternity trying to harass the Radners every chance they get for breaking their trust.
From start to finish the jokes keep on coming with far more hits than misses. Efron finally has the role that can propel him he is perfectly cast as the President of Delta Psi, A president who has squandered all of his time in college in search of immortalizing himself on the frathouse wall by hosting a party for the ages. His right hand man Pete (Dave Franco, proving he is not the only that can do some great work in a Rogan comedy. His part in the De Niro costume party is flat out hilarious) is the VP of the frat who takes his studies much more seriously. The real stars though are Rogan and Byrne who pull off the ability to one minute look completely douchey trying way too hard to look young and hip and the next minute showing the Youngsters that cool has nothing to do with Age. The hijinks escalate as do the laughs.
The problem with most comedies is that typically everything funny you will have seen in the trailer. Not the case here. Where Neighbors succeeds is in the pacing, the comedy is consistent from start to finish. Foul language, Beer, Weed, Tits and Dicks. Neighbors has it all, it is unapologetically R rated with no deep seeded attempt to provide some form of preachy message outside of sometimes you need to grow up.
Grade- 89