Film review: Bad Neighbours

Take the programme Neighbours at War, add crude jokes, plenty of partial (and sometimes full-on) nudity and a handful of excellent actors and you end up with the latest offering from director Nicholas Stoller...

It's called Bad Neighbours, also released as “Neighbors” in the USA.

Uniting the writing talents of Andew Cohen and Brendan O’Brien, it stars Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, Dave Franco, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, as well as a cameo by Lisa Kudrow as a kooky college dean, and details the on-going battle between a suburban couple who have just entered parenthood (Rogen, Byrne and their ridiculously adorable baby) and a fraternity led by Efron and Franco who are trying to end college on a high and drunken note that will seem them book a spot on their fraternity’s wall of fame.

In a way this is a movie about two times in your life when you find yourself on the cusp of change; stressful enough for anyone but add a quickly escalating conflict over noise control issues and you suddenly find yourself with two groups who will stop at nothing to prove a point and win the battle.

Mayhem and vandalism is ensured thanks to an endless supply of drugs, alcohol and creativity.

Both Rogen and Efron are so likeable that it is impossible to pick a side to back in the film. From about the half-way point I started hoping that they would end up being friends, although it didn’t stop me from utterly enjoying the epic final battle that involved stunts, jokes and disturbing fake penises.

The rest of the cast excel at supporting the leads, including the baby who has numerous screen stealing moments (as a slight spoiler be sure to watch the closing credits for some serious “Awww…..” moments!).

The script is hilarious, the cast pull it off well and it leaves you feeling like you had a good time. The low-brow humour isn’t going to appeal to everyone, but if you are not easily offended then I fully recommend it!

Score: 4/5