Neighbors (2014)

How do you make peace with your neighbors once you’ve had a falling out? In May 2014, we found out, apparently you don’t!

Directing this 96 minute comedy is Nicholas Stoller.

Just trying to be good neighbors is: Seth Rogen as Mac Radner, Rose Byrne as Kelly Radner, Zac Efron as Teddy Sanders, Dave Franco as Pete, Elise and Zoey Vargas as Stella, Ike Barinholtz as Jimmy, Carla Gallo as Paula, Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Scoonie and Jerrod Carmichael as Garf.

Mac and Rose are new to the parenting world, but are doing pretty good. Even though they don’t hang out with their friends as much or party like they used too, they’re happy. That is until the Delta Psi fraternity moved in right next door to them, then they started to worry a bit. While watching the guys move in, Mac and Rose could already hear the late night noise from the massive parties the fraternity was going to be throwing. So Mac and Rose decided to meet the new neighbors in hopes to nicely draw the line, and keep things quiet in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, what started off as nice and peaceful. Quickly escalates into full out war between the houses.

I was torn on this one when I saw the movie poster. Rogen’s grown on me as an actor, and I usually enjoy his movies. Heck, I even liked The Green Hornet (2011). Problem came when I saw Efron was going to be in a comedy. I was like, umm… riiiight, I think I’m gonna pass on this one. I never really followed Erfron’s Disney career, but was still subjected to the High School Musicals from time to time. I think I had caught (willingly) one of Efron’s movies, where he was a main star and that was The Paperboy (2012), which was good. So he can do drama, but I wasn’t sure about a comedy. Then the trailer hit and I was sold, and ready to give my money away!

The storyline that writers Andrew Jay Cohen and Brendan O’Brien came up with was super funny and highly entertaining. The playthrough has some crude humor and sight gags, but I couldn’t stop laughing. It just kept getting better the longer it went on. Stoller did a great job at making a well balanced film that had non-stop humor, a funny storyline, an awesome cast and even some personal growth woven in amongst it all. Everything fit and blended so well together.

The chemistry between Rogen, Radner, Efron and Franco was great. I have to say, I have a whole new respect for Efron, and I hope to see him do more comedies. Other than that, I think Rogen and Byrne did a great job at bringing a comical side to the life of parents. Why Mintz-Plasse keeps getting work I will never know, I’ve yet to find him funny and or humorous. That being said, there’s my one and only complaint about this flick.

Since the story is a quiet family going head to head with a guys fraternity, you’re going to see a lot of drinking and drug use.