Director: Nicholas Stoller.
Starring: Zac Efron, Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Dave Franco, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Craig Roberts, Ike Barinholtz, Carla Gallo.
Running Time: 96 minutes.
Certificate: 15.
Synopsis: A couple with a newborn baby face unexpected difficulties after they are forced to live next to a fraternity house.
New parents Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly (Rose Byrne) are a couple trying to come to terms with the reality of adulthood – a baby and a house – whilst trying to maintain the impression they are still the fun-loving young couple they once were in this new gross-out comedy from Nicholas Stoller.
When a fraternity led by Zac Efron and Dave Franco move in next door, the couple soon realise that living next to a fraternity will seriously disrupt the peace, quiet and early nights that have become routine. Rowdy parties, loud music and dirty front lawns are just the beginning, and this neighbourly relationship soon turns sour as Mac and Kelly have to think up new and ingenious ways to get the fraternity kicked out of their house. Their tricks start off childishly humorous; filling the frat’s basement with water and not-so-anonymously calling the police during a loud party. The fraternity doesn’t take too well to these attempts and retaliate with several genius revenge plots including the funniest airbag scenes you’ve ever seen.
Stoller’s previous projects have been a mixed bag, having co-written FUN WITH DICK AND JANE and THE MUPPETS and directed THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT and unexpected hit, FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL. But BAD NEIGHBOURS is easily Stoller’s best film to date, flying along with a huge amount of laughs, brilliant main characters, and a supporting cast that add fun and flavour to the vivid party scenes that capture the vitality of the American college experience.
Relative newcomers Andrew J. Cohen and Brendan O’Brien’s hilariously witty script is the film’s greatest asset alongside pitch perfect performances from the three leads. Byrne and Rogen are a great pairing and there’s real heart alongside the laugh-out-loud comedy as we see the couple slowly realise that sometimes growing up isn’t such a bad thing. Zac Efron’s frat leader, Teddy, is everything you would expect from the president of a fraternity with his naive lighthearted view of how the world works. Despite suffering earlier this year due to THAT AWKWARD MOMENT’s weak script and poor character development, here he is able to excel by bringing Teddy to life with charm and humour. Byrne is also hilarious, desperately trying to show she’s still in touch with her youth, but never quite pulling off the fresh, hip attitude.
Eventually Mac and Kelly have to put their college educations to good use if they plan to outsmart their neighbours, leading to the ultimate revenge plot that will hopefully see the fraternity seal their own fate. We won’t spoil the conclusion of the BAD NEIGHBOURS war, but filled with genuinely hysterical moments, this is a feud worth watching.
Rude, crude and outrageously funny, Rogen and Byrne are a fierce pairing alongside Efron’s best performance to date. Boasting a script that cleverly mixes its laugh-out-loud moments with genuine tenderness, clever writing affords BAD NEIGHBOURS a tone that manages to be cheekily offensive, but always with a big heart.
[usr=4] BAD NEIGHBOURS is released in UK cinemas on Saturday 3rd May, 2014.
