Also known in the United States as Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, but for obvious reasons doesn’t work so well here because people will think Dr. Karl and Toadie could be having some kind of domestic dispute on Ramsay Street. That being said, this is a sequel nobody asked for, and a premise seemed fully squeezed from its predecessor. However – having made the effort to go and see it – this film packs some surprising punches and warrants perhaps a controversial opinion; it could be better than the first.
The idea is based around Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne’s confused couple struggling to play ‘adult’ with a new child. When a Frat House moves in next-door conflict rises and comedy ensues. The same is of the sequel, however this time it is a sorority, starting with three girls led by Chloe Grace-Moretz, who herself is a future Hollywood star. She and her friends are rebelling against the traditional rules of boys and girls dorms, mainly in one facet; partying, which throws a spanner in Rogen and Byrne’s plan to sell their house.
With the same concept you’d think that would lead to the same jokes, and yes, its rife with vulgar and grotesque ‘shock’ humour but I found myself, and the cinema in an almost constant state of mirth, often shortly followed with a good chortle or a proper ‘LOL’. The character development is weirdly interesting and poignant, focusing primarily on the idea of feminism in a unique way, which presents its point in a farcical manner to prove the absolute absurd disparity in gender equality, even now in a modern world.
The acting and timing is great, even from muscle clad Zac Efron, who I think contractually has to go shirtless in every movie. None of the characters that reappear from the first film feel shoehorned, and similarly, the new actors fit into the equation in a way that makes a lot more sense than the original. The conflict has more at stake, the jokes are funnier although perhaps a tighter edit could’ve impacted the story a bit better, and there are a few sequences that feel superfluous, which is odd for a movie that barely taps 90 minutes long.
Bad Neighbours isn’t a bad movie, but I feel its anchorage will be ephemeral in the long run, swallowed up by bigger and perhaps funnier movies, but it’s certainly entertaining and crude, so enjoyable all around with an actual solid theme and message too.
