Review of Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016) by Thequietgamer — 30 Nov 2016

Rogen, Stoller, Byrne, and Efron return with a follow up to the 2014 comedy hit. Like most seemingly unnecessary comedy sequels, It's still possible to appreciate Sorority Rising, but in it's attempts to be bigger and all around better than it's predecessor, it falls short because it tries too hard. There are still plenty of laughs to be had here and this is more than just the same old, same old with a gender swap.

There's actually a pretty good idea at the core of this. Not only do we get to enjoy more of Neighbors' humor, but there is a solid message of feminism running throughout (the kind we actually need!). Obviously that's going to offend the simple minded and maybe those who have been misled into believing that the crap these Youtube and other internet personalities is selling is actual feminism, and therefore are turned off by the simple mention of it.

While the message is significant to the times, I do find fault with it's presentation. Simply put, this movie is about as subtle as a sledgehammer. The message is fine, but it does sort of have a way of preaching at you every now and then. Some tact would have gone a long way and made things easier to swallow for the more close-minded out there.

Anyways, enough about the movie's agenda. The main question one should be asking themselves is if whether or not it is funny. The answer is yes, just not as funny as the first Neighbors. Like I said, it tries too hard. As a result some gags are just too over the top and cartoonish. The results are usually still amusing, but nowhere near the gut-busting level of hilarity the original's had. Sorority Rising has some heart backing things up as well. Themes of parenthood, sisterhood, and brotherhood are all important themes of the movie that remind us that at the end of the day it sucks being alone and so we need to cherish those around us.

Surprisingly the best part of the movie isn't the back and forth antics/power struggle Rogen and Byrne have with their neighbors. It's watching Efron's "Teddy" find himself and come to terms with growing up. I've said it once and I'll say it again, Efron is an underappreciated comedic talent. He brings a lot of the movie's biggest laughs and sweetest moments. I'd be up for watching a spin-off with just him.

Overall Sorority Rising is about what you would expect from a comedy sequel. The characters return and we get to relive the original's humor with new antics. However, it's not as fresh or funny this time around. A solid message and some new jokes do still make it watchable though. So if you were a fan of the original you should still like this one, because at the end of the day it's just funny to watch the young and stupid battle the old and stupid.