I went into Bad Neighbours expecting another Judd Apatow style comedy along the lines of Superbad or Pineapple Express, and I wasn’t disappointed. In fact, the film is fairly adequately described by its content warning: ‘pervasive language, strong crude and sexual content, graphic nudity, and drug use throughout’ pretty much sums it up.
Bad Neighbours isn’t a ground breaking comedic masterpiece but it is well thought out and entertaining. Seth Rogen is his usual lovable self playing Mac Radnor, a new father with wife Kelly (Rose Byrne) who, struggling with his new found grown up responsibilities, starts an all-out war with frat president Teddy Sanders (Zac Efron) and his VP Pete (Dave Franco). Teddy himself is struggling with his own demons, and with no prospects after college decides it’s his duty to make frat history with the wildest party of all time.
Rogen and Byrne play off each other excellently, both holding their own and each providing top comedy moments as they fight over who has to be the responsible parent. They deftly portray the troubles of young parents trying to forget their partying pasts and settle down, but are confronted with a frat house intent on reminding them of everything they’ve given up.
Efron is just as convincing with the right amount of self-awareness to keep the film from turning into a clichéd travesty. He and Franco work especially well together as they both try to reconcile frat house glory and impending adulthood while still trying to stay ‘bros’. Usually this involves rhyming, fighting and mildly homo-erotic hugging.
In the end, Bad Neighbours ticks all the comedy boxes while still proving to be a fun and entertaining discussion about adulthood and responsibility… with as many dick jokes thrown in as possible.