Aside from a few hiccups like The Green Hornet, Guilt Trip, and angering the North Korean government, Seth Rogen’s on a pretty solid roll in the last couple of years. He’s shown talent as an actor in dramas and comedies, provided voice work for Dreamworks films, and has shown he can write with Superbad and Pineapple Express. If Superbad helped boost the comedic reputations of Jonah Hill and Michael Cera, then perhaps Rogen could accomplish the same for Zac Efron in Neighbors. Ever since the days of High School Musical, Efron’s found himself in romantic comedies and dramas that many agree do not showcase his talent. We’ve seen plenty of fraternity based comedies before, but how does Neighbors hold up?
Rogen and Rose Byrne portray the Radners, a couple with a newborn daughter. They discover that a fraternity led by Efron’s Teddy Zanders and Dave Franco’s Pete Regazolli (showing that Seth works well as long as he has a Franco), has moved in next door and have the wildest parties ever. The couple wants the music turned down for the sake of their child, but have a hard time communicating with their young and reckless neighbors. After hearing that the fraternity has a three strike limit, they go to a prank war to get them kicked out of the house. Zanders keeps his focus on throwing the biggest party of the year while also maintaining his rivalry with his new neighbors.
It’s not entirely an original concept, as Hollywood’s been making movies centered on fraternity parties for years, but the film does manage to succeed in terms of the writing.
The characters feel genuine as the parents display their desire to have more fun in their attempts at bringing the fraternity down. While the methods become a little out of hand, the audience sees how and why it feels great.
The character of Teddy was also successful, presenting him as the villain of the story but not as an outright jerk. He believes being in this fraternity will be the highlight of his life and wants to make the most out of it. Some comedies rely on mindless idiots to make the audience laugh, but comedies can’t succeed with dirty jokes and idiotic characters (cough cough Adam Sandler…).
The comedy itself can be hit or miss, but it does have a good amount of hits, from accidents to pranks to a Robert De Niro themed party. The comedy primarily works thanks to the delivery. Rogen, Franco, and Mintz-Plasse act similar roles in other movies, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Byrne is a highlight and brings a few laughs. Of course, the one that surprised everyone was Efron himself. Being a good actor isn’t just being teenage eye candy, but Efron does well with the material he’s given, understands his character, and has fun with the role.
Neighbors may not have the most original plot, but it succeeds in using the characters in a genuinely funny comedy. It’s also a demonstration that even actors with a rough history can succeed if given the right material. Efron may have found his niche in the world of comedy, and hopefully he’ll start down the right path. As for Rogen, it’s simple. He knows what people like to see in his movies without making them question his intelligence like Sandler constantly does. He’s on a roll and it doesn’t look like he’s slowing down any time soon.
-Brady Lass