Rated
R (Pervasive Language, Strong Crude and Sexual Content, Graphic Nudity, and Drug
Use Throughout)
Running
Time: 1 Hour & 36 Minutes
Cast-
Seth
Rogen-Mac Radner
Rose
Byrne-Kelly Radner
Zac
Efron-Teddy Sanders
Dave
Franco-Pete
Ike
Barinholtz-Jimmy
Carla
Gallo-Paula
Christopher
Mintz-Plasse-Scoonie
Jerrod
Carmichael-Garfield
Halston
Sage-Brooke
Craig
Roberts-Assjuice
Hannibal
Buress-Officer Watkins
Lisa
Kudrow-Dean Carol Gladstone
Brian
Huskey-Bill Wazowkowski
Liz
Cackowski-Wendy the Realtor
Elise
and Zoey Vargas-Stella Radner
Andy
Samberg-Toga #1
Adam
DeVine-Beer Pong Guy #1
Jake
Johnson-Sebastian Cremmington
Directed
by Nicholas Stoller
Note: Screened on Tuesday, May 6, 2014 at AMC Loews 34th Street 14.
 |
| Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne star as a married couple whose quiet life in the suburbs is interrupted by the arrival of a fraternity next door in Nicholas Stoller's "Neighbors." |
When
I got the invite to see Nicholas Stoller's work-in-progress comedy "Neighbors"
back in February, I didn't know what to expect. Of course, I knew it was going
to be raunchy but my main concern was whether the film would be actually funny.
Seth Rogen's particular brand of comedy has been largely hit-or-miss with me as
there are times where I've found him too abrasive (like in 2011's ill-advised
reimagining of venerable radio serial crime-fighter the Green Hornet) but when he's
in a role that plays to his strengths, he can be absolutely hilarious. Despite
my mixed feelings on Rogen, the biggest wildcard in "Neighbors" was Zac
Efron. Women—specifically teenage girls—may go crazy over his baby blue eyes and
perfectly formed pecs and abs but as an actor, he's been less than impressive.
With only the poster as my frame of reference, I went into the screening of
"Neighbors" and came out ninety minutes later in pain…because I was laughing
so hard! In fact, I enjoyed Stoller's film so much that I recently saw it a
second time in its completed form, although the only things that were missing
in the work-in-progress version was some post-production effects and the end
credits. We're barely two weeks into the summer movie season and already we have
a strong contender for best comedy of 2014.
Married
couple Mac and Kelly Radner (Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne) are slowly adjusting to
life in the suburbs with their newborn baby girl Stella but the family's hope
for peace and quiet is shattered when the Delta Psi Beta fraternity—led by the
incredibly ripped Teddy Sanders (Zac Efron)—suddenly moves in next door. Quickly
realizing that the fraternity will throw lots of loud parties, Mac and Kelly agree
to introduce themselves to the brothers and tell them to 'keep it down.' However,
the couple also wants to emphasize their 'coolness' and give Teddy some weed as
a peace offering of sorts. Teddy agrees to not make too much noise but if the
fraternity does get too loud, he asks
the couple to either call him or his vice president Pete (Dave Franco) instead
of calling the police. This arrangement works at first but when Mac is unable
to get ahold of Teddy one night to tell him to quiet down, his wife convinces
him to call the police. This sparks a feud between the Radners and Delta Psi, a
feud that soon escalates into a full-blown war as Mac and Kelly attempt to figure
out a way to drive the frat out of the neighborhood while Teddy works to achieve
party god immortality by landing on the fraternity's Hall of Fame.
In
spite of its simple premise, which is perfectly summarized by the poster's 'Family
vs. Frat' tagline, Nicholas Stoller's "Neighbors" is a laugh-riot
from beginning to end and I mean to the
end. Many mainstream comedies nowadays tend to abruptly shift into plot mode
in the third act or shoehorn in a message but Stoller, working with writers Andrew
Jay Cohen and Brendan O'Brien, prove themselves to be efficient storytellers by
cutting out all the fat (the film clocks in at a lean ninety-six minutes with end
credits) and giving the cast plenty of room to work their magic. However,
Stoller doesn't forget that a comedy still requires characters that the audience
needs to care about while they're laughing along. Amidst all the ridiculous
hijinks is a story of a married couple and a hard-partying frat boy who are at a
crossroads in their lives. The Radners have more or less accepted their new
lives as parents yet they also want to retain the spontaneity they enjoyed in
their youth. Hell, whenever the couple tries to have sex, Mac starts yelling,
'It's happening, it's spontaneous! Who could see this coming?!' They want to be
seen as the cool, hip parents on the block, leading to a hilarious moment where
the Radners are slow-walking toward the frat house with their baby in the
stroller while Ini Kamoze's Here Comes
The Hotstepper plays in the background. This isn't the film's funniest
scene but I love the editing from Zene Baker, with each jump cut perfectly synched to the beat of the music. On the other side of the equation is Delta Psi
Beta president Teddy Sanders, who's wild partying hides a deep uncertainty as graduation
quickly approaches and he takes that first step into adulthood. He doesn't want
to end up like Mac and is obsessed with landing on the frat's Hall of Fame,
even though he can technically just give himself the trophy as Pete points out.
The character is never outright villainous despite his terrorizing of the Radners
and is at times oddly sympathetic with his strong sense of brotherhood. What's great
about "Neighbors" is that these character beats are tightly woven
into the comedy, allowing Stoller to continue playing things for big laughs.
 |
| Women will be delighted to hear that Zac Efron, who plays fraternity president Teddy Sanders, is frequently shirtless. |
And
big laughs are exactly what you get. From Mac and Teddy's epic dance-off to their room-destroying dildo sword fight in the film's last ten minutes, almost all of the jokes and set-pieces manage
to hit their mark despite pushing the envelope of good taste more than a few
times. This sense of consistency is not only rare but frankly remarkable for a
studio comedy. For Stoller, no gag or punchline seems to be too outrageous as
long as it's funny and it helps that Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne are game for pretty
much anything and everything. The two are immensely likable and endearing as a
married couple because their characters are just so in sync with each other. Usually,
it's the husband who childishly acts out while the wife exasperatingly tries to
convince him to grow up and be more responsible (the film even pokes fun at
this trope in one scene) but Byrne's Kelly is every bit as outraged (and foul-mouthed)
as Rogen's Mac. She wants these noisy frat boys out of the neighborhood just as
much as he does and it's refreshing to see 'the wife' as an equal conspirator
who uses her uniquely female perspective to her advantage. In fact, Byrne is
the film's biggest scene stealer and standout as she transforms Kelly from an
innocent suburban housewife into a manipulative and seductive she-demon.
Another
standout is surprisingly Zac Efron, who throws himself into the role of Teddy
Sanders, a caricatured frat boy, with wild abandon. The actor is well-paired
with Dave Franco's Pete as one of the best scenes in the film is when the two
endlessly ad-lib on the expression 'Bros before hoes' ('Brad Pitt before Brad
Clit…Masturbate before ask-her-to-date…Man purse before regular purse…').
Later, Pete learns that Teddy hasn't fully accepted his 'bropology,' leaving
him heartbroken considering the way they rhymed! Lending support is Ike
Barinholtz as Jimmy, Mac's co-worker and best friend who tags along with the Radners
as they devise new ways to bring the frat down. Barinholtz makes the most of
his screen-time, particularly during an inspired bit where he does a spot-on
impression of President Barack Obama. Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Jerrod
Carmichael deliver their fair share of laughs while Lisa Kudrow, Hannibal
Buress, Andy Samberg, and Jake Johnson show up in small roles and make even the
slightest characters feel memorable.
Released
on May 9, 2014, "Neighbors" has received largely positive reviews
with 75% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics noted that the 'bawdy humor [was] evenly
spread between its well-matched stars,' allowing Stoller's film to 'earn its R
rating—and filmgoers' laughs.' Knowing that they had a real winner on their hands,
Universal began screening "Neighbors" as far back as February and
premiered the film a month later at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas to a sold-out crowd. With
strong word-of-mouth from hundreds of advance screenings, the film could
potentially gross over $40 million during opening weekend. 2014 is far from
over but I'm calling it right now: "Neighbors" is the comedy to beat
this year.
Final
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
"He
looks like something a gay guy designed in a laboratory!"
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