Neighbors begins with a sex scene
between a married couple who have recently had a child and bought their first
home. In this opening sequence they are attempting an act of spontaneous
pleasure, but are inevitably pulled back into their role as parents. This scene
sets up the film perfectly, because the main focus is on the struggle that this
couple has transitioning from a recklessly carefree lifestyle to the monotony
of parenting and life after college. If only the focus had remained on this,
Neighbors would have been a brilliant film. Instead, it gets distracted by
useless bromance subplots and over-the-top vulgarity, making it feel a bit
directionless and disappointingly average.
The couple at
the center of the storyline are played by Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne, who have
enough rapport and chemistry to keep the film engaging. They are believable as
new parents Mac and Kelly Radner, and could have carried the film as the only leads.
Unfortunately, whether due to star power or merely an obsession with bromance
narratives, Neighbors allows several
protagonists in favor of an antagonist. When their new next-door neighbors turn
out to be the Delta Psi Beta fraternity, it is the perfect set-up for a
conflict for the new parents. While this does occur, it bounces back and forth
between a feud and friendship.
The charming fraternity president is
played by Zac Efron, who is made out to be sympathetic enough not to be the
villain in the storyline. He also shares nearly as much screen time as Rogen
and Byrne, with two separate bromances and additional personal issues to ensure
consideration as a co-star rather than supporting. While these sub-plots are
interesting enough for Efron’s character to have his own film, it confuses the
themes when he invades Rogen and Byrne’s narrative. In other words, there are
enough interesting characters for two movies in Neighbors, but perhaps not enough room for them all in one film.
Exclusive to the Blu-ray disc is an
alternate opening sequence that would have solidified the film even further
into the territory of the fraternity rather than the young couple. It is not
surprising that this was left on the cutting room floor, although the
production values and the effects are elaborate enough to impress as a bonus
feature. The Blu-ray also has an on-set featurette and some exclusive
deleted/alternate scenes, while also including all of the extras from the DVD,
which is also in this dual-format release. These include a gag reel, as well as
the infamous ‘Line-O-Rama’ footage, which has been made common in all comedies
which rely on improvisation by the actors to improve the humor of the lines.
There are also casting featurettes and a digital HD copy of the film included.
Entertainment Value:
8.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7/10
Historical
Significance: 7/10
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