“Neighbors” Is Hilariously Meh

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL5c2szf3E4&w]

Neighbors (2014)

Release Date: May 9, 2014
Cast: Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Zac Efron, Dave FrancoIke Barinholtz, Carla Gallo
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Studio: Good Universe, Point Grey Pictures
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Genre(s): Comedy

Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Review Spoilers: Low
IMDB | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia

Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, and Emily Byrne star in this crude comedy of two neighbors, a frat house and a couple with a baby. The trailers showed it as a hilarious movie but sadly most of the funny bits were in the trailers (why do they always do that?). The best parts of the movie were when there was a prank or if there was a party. So if you just want to laugh at all the funny stuff, then youtube all the trailers.

Mac and Kelly Radner (Seth Rogen & Rose Byrne) are a young couple that move into a cozy two-story house in a college town. They have the most adorable baby, Stella (played by twins Elise & Zoey Vargas) and they’re all getting used to the married life. Kelly is a stay at home mom while Mac works at a cube farm (keyboard typing and paperwork..woopee). It seems like they want nothing more than to go party with their best friends Jimmy (Ike Barinholtz) and Paula (Carla Gallo) because it’s stressful having to stay at home all day with a baby or work all day at a meh job. Cue the move in of their new neighbors, the Delta Psi fraternity, apparently known for their epic parties. It’s almost uncomfortable to watch Mac and Kelly greet their new neighbors because they want to act “hip” and “cool” while telling the frat to “keep it down.” Teddy (Zac Efron), the president of the frat realizes that they have to be on the up and up with these neighbors if they don’t want to cops called on them. At their next party, Kelly and Mac are invited over to party, where Mac eats a whole bag of shrooms. Craziness ensues. Kelly and Mac have a ball…they party their adult hearts out. Although, since they are adults, this can’t happen on the time so eventually the cops are called on the frat because their ragers are just getting out of hand. This sparks a feud between Delta Psi and the Radners. A feud that escalates with every dirty prank and trap in the book, each more insane and violent than the last.

“Neighbors” doesn’t feel like a story or plot it’s just a bunch of one-shots slapped together into a movie. The movie never picks up rhythm because it was just prank, monologue, prank, monologue, prank, etc. The monologues dragged on and you just want for it to be edited out so you can see the next prank. That’s where the movie gets its energy because you’re laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation. It’s like the movie starts gaining momentum during the prank scenes and then you’re expecting it to carry that momentum throughout the movie but just falls flat on its face. Over and over again. By the end of the movie you’re just happy to see the fireworks.

All the actors and actresses seem to be enjoying themselves. You can see the frazzled but still want to be cool mom that Rose Byrne plays and you just want to give her a hug. Her friend, Paula is absolutely bat-shit crazy and you can tell she was a party animal back in the day. The movie ultimately boils down to the bromance between Teddy and Pete (Dave Franco) and the prank feud between Teddy and Mac.

Final Thoughts: If you want to see a myriad of crazy-ass pranks and crude humor go watch the movie and go to the bathroom when their isn’t a prank on screen. You’ll laugh and enjoy yourself. Definitely go with friends so you can all laugh together. Admire Zac Efron’s sculted body or envy it, watch the adorable baby that’s Stella, and maybe go seek out a frat house to party your heart out afterwards. Whatever you do, just have fun because that’s what “Neighbors” is…crude, hilarious, plot-less, fun.