Review - Neighbors (2014)

At the Theater - "Neighbors" (2014) - Wildly uneven but ultimately worthwhile, this farce concerning a young married couple with a newborn going to war with their disruptive new Frat house neighbors mixes sequences of legitimate hilarity with lame, improvisational meanderings. Though it never realizes it's full potential, it should please it's target audience.

Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne portray "Mac" and "Kelly Radner", respectively, as the couple with an infant girl whose exhaustive, yet peaceful existence is thrown into flux with the arrival of their outrageous new neighbors, the Delta Psi fraternity, led by Zac Efron's "Teddy" and Dave Franco's "Pete".  Though initially seen as an opportunity at release from their familial trappings, tensions escalate along with the noise and the two parties find themselves trading salvos of elaborate pranks.  If there's one surprise within, it's that the narrative unexpectedly spends a substantial amount of time detailing the inner-workings of the Fraternity in question.

Rogen is as likable and self-deprecating as ever- I'm thankful that he's around and relevant in the era of completely worthless comedic actors such as Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell and Ben Stiller.  Dude really should get his back waxed, though.  As with 2011's Bridesmaids, Aussie actress Byrne continues to surprise with her grasp of comedic timing- she's apparently game for anything and it was a welcomed surprise to see her letting loose in this manner.

A ripped Zac Efron continues to hint at a promise of a greater, more serious talent, though a potential story arc concerning his maturity, or lack thereof, is simply dropped about two-thirds of the way through. Dave Franco is solid, though isn't given enough to do to leave his mark upon the picture.  Strange in that Christopher Mintz-Plasse's fraternity brother is also utilized so poorly.

One-time SNLer and current stand-up comedian Hannibal Buress supplies a worthless police officer, while Lisa Kudrow makes a couple of cameos as a College Dean.

Expect a spattering of raunchy material and some intermittently hilarious dialogue interwoven with halfhearted themes of maturity and responsibility- as with most modern comedies, the vast majority of the onscreen hi-jinx is clearly made up on spot, the scattershot nature of which left me wondering what just might have been with the implementation of a little bit of old-fashioned brainstorming and structured, detailed screenwriting. I probably laughed the hardest (no pun intended) during Rogen and Efron's climactic Mano-Y-Mano dildo-wielding duel.

Although I appreciated the kinetic energy, frenzied editing and bombastic nature of the wild black-lit raves, was it wrong of me to have expected more bare boobies? Lastly, a subplot involving two friends of the Radner's, a recently divorced couple (played by Ike Barinholtz and Carla Gallo) who appear destined to get back together, seemed stapled in at the last minute.

As far as Director Nicholas Stoller's filmography is concerned, Neighbors is better than 2012's abysmal The Five-Year Engagement and the 2010 misfire, Get Him To The Greek.  I would consider 2008's Forgetting Sarah Marshall a better, more balanced experience.

All things considered, this is a passable guilty pleasure- I'm positive there will be an unrated/extended cut of this released on DVD/Blu Ray, though whatever the filmmakers may slap back into the fold surely wasn't worth it to begin with. Though I enjoyed Neighbors, I'll keep my fingers crossed that it isn't the funniest comedy of 2014...

7.5 out of 10

Director: Nicholas Stoller
Cast: Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Zac Efron, Dave Franco, Ike Barinholtz, Carla Gallo, Halston Sage, Jarrod Charmichael, Hannibal Buress, Lisa Kudrow and Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Run-Time: 96 minutes
MPAA: Rated R for pervasive language, strong crude and sexual content, graphic nudity, and drug use throughout