Neighbors





Directed By: Nicholas Stoller

Starring: Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, Dave Franco, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Lisa Kudrow, and Craig Robinson

We haven't had a good raunchy mainstream comedy in quite some time.  The Frat Pack is aging, and films like Anchorman 2 aren't exactly laugh factories anymore.  Stuck on party films like Project X and 21 & Over, my generation isn't exactly stepping up to the plate either on a consistent basis.  Sure, we can point to films like 21 Jump Street or Superbad, but those are few and far between.  What we've mostly had over the last several years are occasional strong comedies from Generation X comedians including the likes of Bridesmaids and Ted.  This weekend, the Millennials once again have a chance to shine with Neighbors.  With a pledge aptly named "Assjuice", it's clear that the Millennial comedians are rising to the occasion.

Saddled with their newborn daughter Stella, Mac and Kelly Radner (Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne) are not exactly hitting the streets with their divorced friends Jimmy and Paula Faldt (Ike Barinholtz and Carla Gallo).  Their social lives are effectively dead even though they just won't accept it.  In fact, Mac and Kelly try to take their baby to her first rave just to get out of the house.  Things change, however, when the Delta Psi Beta fraternity moves in next door.  Approaching Delta Psi leaders Teddy Sanders (Zac Efron) and Pete Regazolli (Dave Franco) as the young cool couple with weed, Mac and Kelly make an arrangement for the frat boys to keep the noise down.  Teddy and Pete will do so on the condition that Mac and Kelly will always call them, not the police.  Soon thereafter, the couple does indeed call the cops alleging the fraternity has disturbed the peace.  As a result, these neighbors go to war.

The young men of Delta Psi aspire to be legendary and earn the right to join the ranks of their Hall of Fame brothers.  While they don't exactly achieve this in Neighbors, they do bring plenty of comedy.  It's been a while since I've laughed this hard in a movie.  I have to give director Nicholas Stoller credit for delivering one raucous affair into which he somehow weaves airbags, Robert De Niro parties, and fireworks.  One thing that stood out to me throughout the film is Stoller's use of repetition.  At the beginning of each major plot development, a cast member would repeat an often catchy phrase to emphasize an idea that's brewing in his or her mind.  It's a bit off-putting at first, but it eventually becomes quite amusing.  I say this because I think it aptly describes Neighbors in a nutshell.  Stoller's film starts off a bit shaky.  Once it's found its footing, however, it's comedic gold.

The cast of Neighbors is really quite outstanding.  As Mac and Kelly Radner, we've got Seth Rogen (Knocked Up) and Rose Byrne (Bridesmaids) fighting against the sands of time trying to relive a part of their lives they've long outgrown.  Doing mushrooms and violating the sacred mantra "Bros before Hoes", these two make quite the comedic couple.  The other on-screen duo that rises to the occasion is that of Zac Efron and Dave Franco as Delta Psi leaders Teddy Sanders and Pete Regazolli respectively.  Torturing Mac and Kelly and having a hell of a good time along the way, their bromance is the stuff of comedic legend.  They have some real potential to make laughs together again down the road.  Lastly, I do have to show some love for Christopher Mintz-Plasse in his supporting role as Scoonie.  Sexing Kelly's divorced friend Paula, McLovin' always delivers plenty of chuckles on screen.

Neighbors is not a perfect comedy.  Again, the humor is choppy in the opening act as the laughs don't really get started until the brothers of Delta Psi move in next door to the Radner clan.  More importantly, Stoller flirts and crosses the line between edginess and offensiveness.  Many great comedies flirt with this line without actually crossing it.  That's what makes these comedies great rather than just good like Neighbors.  Stoller unnecessarily uses the n-word a couple of times late in the film, and it hasn't gone unnoticed here.  This is definitely a strike against the film.

While I have my misgivings about Neighbors, it’s a solid comedy on the whole that delivers plenty of big laughs.  The cast is firing on all cylinders as the partying and the pranks never quite stop.  There's plenty of mischief and fun to be had at the Delta Psi frat house.  Neighbors gets a 0.03% rating.  Have some wine coolers with this one.