Bad Neighbours was a funny film. It’s not for the faint hearted or very young eyes.
Teddy Sanders (Zac Efron) is the college kid who is in charge of the frat house; they’re called ‘Delta Psi Beta’. His next-door neighbours Mac and Kelly (Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne) have a baby, so noise is going to be a problem! The parties are very loud!
Mac and Kelly are hilarious; I loved their banter and the crazy plotting they come up with as they discussed what to do. They tried to be cool with the teens, and it was hilarious!
The retaliation that arose between the two sides made it very believable that some neighbours could end up behaving badly.
In a bid to stop the rowdy parties, this couple put on the war paint! I loved it when they called the cops to break up a party, only to try to pretend it wasn’t them. They tried to make it look as they’ve just been woken up by the police knocking on the door and feigning innocence. However, the police have caller ID, so they weren’t worming their way out of that one!
Now the battle lines are set. Teddy feels betrayed as he asked them to call him first before the cops if the noise got too loud. But the couple were unable to get hold of him. Anger rises on both sides. The couple try to evict the rowdy boys by any means possible. The battle plans include setting off rivalries between the boys, breaking their water pipes and even ramp up a party to the extreme!
I think the movie gave a very good insight into neighbourhood attitudes. Also, the fraternity was like a family too. There is a leader and they look out for each other. The boys just want to let off steam and have fun after a day hard’s studying. Therefore, there are two sets of families here but the parents just want sleep! Mac’s been to work then Kelly’s been looking after the little one all day. So the set up is unsuitable from the start.
Another thing, which I really loved, was that by fighting with each other, both neighbours neglect their community and those closest to them. In trying to win the war, they overlook many things including their behaviour. How many times if we stopped and thought about what we’re doing, we might actually be horrified?
Some of the humour is gross, there’s a lot of focus of bodily fluids and juvenile humour but somehow it worked. I think the banter between Teddy and Mac was fun. The friends who become ‘frenimes’.
Great turns from all involved. Zac Efron had great comic timing but could also pull in some serious turns to give his character an edge. Finally a film which is worthy of him. He wasn’t just a party boy with no heart.
In addition, you just have to see the use of the car airbags, which was priceless!
I’m giving this film 8/10 from me. Efron is the man! He came, he conquered and he won!
Image reproduced from Empire Cinemas
Trailer reproduced from Universal Pictures UK.
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