In movies like 'Knocked Up,'
'Pineapple Express,' 'Observe and Report,' 'Zack and Miri' and 'This is the
End,' Seth Rogen has established himself as something of a lovable schmuck as
well as a talented comedic actor. Rogen
did it again with his latest film, 'Neighbors,' in which he plays a responsible
dad 'married' to Rose Byrne (if we're to believe that Katherine Heigl and
Elizabeth Banks found him 'attractive' in previous movies, why not?). His middle-class suburban American Dream with
his hot wife and cute baby girl takes a turn for the worse when the house next
door becomes the new frat-house of Delta Psi Beta, the 2014 version of Delta
Tau Chi of 'Animal House.' Led by pretty boys Zac Efron and Dave Franco
(James's little brother), Delta Psi Beta becomes the Radners' worst nightmare
after they betrayed their trust by calling the police instead of telling them
to "keep it down" first.
Things escalate quickly and what we get is the best payback comedy since
'Revenge of the Nerds.'
First, a warning. If you're unfamiliar with Seth Rogen comedies
of the 'Judd Apatow' school, you should know that they can be R-rated raunch-fests
that are offensive, degrading and politically incorrect. If your sensibilities are easily offended,
AVOID THIS MOVIE AT ALL COSTS! However,
if you enjoy feeling a bit guilty while laughing your ass off, 'Neighbors' might
just be the ticket for you. We're all
entitled to our guilty pleasures.
Yes, 'Neighbors' is raunchy, offensive,
degrading, irreverent and just plain wrong, but it is also riotously funny. Rogen played the same schmuck as he usually
does in Mac, but Rose Byrne's Kelly is a housewife whose transformation from a
loving and caring mother to a scheming, vicious She-Devil is quite the
revelation. Zac Efron is the 'Rico
Suave' party animal with perfect abs while Dave Franco absolutely shined as his
second-in-command and ambiguously gay 'Robin.'
Grade: A-
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