Movie Review: ‘Neighbors’ 2 out of 4 Stars

By Kyle Osborne

Here’s the question you have to ask yourself before you go to see the new comedy “Neighbors”…

“How much do I love dick jokes?”  Not one or two over the course of 90 minutes or so, but many. Are phalluses funny? What about power-stream lactation of a breast-feeding Mom’s boobs? Hilarious?

Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne play a thirty-something couple who have a baby and a new house. They’re struggling with the conflicting needs of most young parents: they want to have a nice home and some peace and quiet, but they don’t want to grow up too fast—an occasional night out at the club would be nice…if only they weren’t so exhausted.

Before they can even settle in, a fraternity moves in to the house next door. Zac Efron plays the frat President, and actually does a decent job of giving the rowdy ruffian a few dimnesions, besides that which you’ve seen in the trailer. So, one night after the noise gets too much for them to sleep, the couple decide to call the cops. Big mistake. Efron and his merry band of Animal House brothers find out who sold them out and immediately swear revenge.

That’s the setup. The rest of the movie is all about attacks and counter-attacks between the couple and the frat boys. Are there some laughs? Yes, there are a few. But there’s also something rather  unpleasant about the fact that the laughs are always coming at the expense of someone else.  I don’t give out spoilers, but about half the pranks fall flat, a few earn a guffaw or two.

I have a theory that the filmmakers learned through test screenings that there was something a little too mean-spirited about the flick, because an inordinate amount of time is spent “rehabilitating” Efron’s character during the back end. Everyone on both sides gets all nicey-nicey, as if to say, “Hey, we were all just having a bit of fun tonight, and if we have offended anyone in the audience, we’re sorry.” It’s like the film doesn’t even have the courage of its “edgy” convictions.

Not to sound like a prude—I have no problem with offensive material, as long as it’s funny. There are no other boundaries apart from, “does the material make you laugh?” Everything is fair. The problem with “Neighbors” is that it doesn’t realize that nothing’s shocking anymore. The Farrelly Brothers released “There’s Something About Mary” nearly seventeen years ago. It was shocking, gross, boundary-crossing and…..FUNNY.

It’s no longer enough to try to shock a laugh out of the audience, there needs to be context—a reason for something to happen. The laughs should come naturally within the flow of the story, not just amount to a collection of “set pieces.”

I’d like to think that this review has nothing to do with me being an old fart. I’ve loved Rogen throughout his career, the cast generates a healthy measure of good will. But by the time I got home, I couldn’t remember a single thing that made me laugh out loud, only things that made me feel turned off.

And old.

“Neighbors” is rated “R”

Watch The Official Trailer