Review of Neighbors (2014) by Brett C — 22 Jan 2016

Review In A Nutshell:

The marketing for this film had me believing that this was going to be one of those throwaway mid-year comedies that relies more in its laughs than its storytelling. Neighbors was a surprise as it was able to balance both elements and allow itself to be a much more rewarding experience, as compared to its peers. Though this balance did however, prevent Neighbors from reaching that level of perfection.

Neighbors on the surface, follows a rivalry between two neighbors; one a newly established family and the other a fraternity. The film simply could have relied on this simple plot device to fill its hour and 30 minutes, but the writers have decided to provide something more significant and allow its audience, particularly the adult audiences, gain something from it. The film in its heart, explores the idea of immaturity. The film's couple, Mac and Kelly Radner, are currently sitting on that line of transition, undecided on where their responsibilities lie and what type of adults that they want to be. The writers and director, Nicholas Stoller, handles this beautifully, by not letting it feel too prominent in its driving plot; it lurks in the film's atmosphere and it is up to the audience if they want to invest their time in exploring it. The film surprisingly does not let itself be one sided in this rivalry, as it also spends a bulk of its running time exploring the core members of the fraternity and the issues that they are facing and the goals they are attempting to achieve. These characters are more concerned with themes of brotherhood and ambition, allowing them to become more than just antagonists and instead be seen as real human being. I found myself connected with these issues, more so on the latter, as I myself am in a place in my life where my university course is close to finishing, and I would have to face the hardships and responsibilities of reality, sometimes just before I fall in a deep sleep, I contemplate about the future and how much I want to keep myself in this state of youth, having fun and caring for only myself and my peers.

The film does have its flaws, the film at times dragged due to some of its sequences lacking that comedic impact that make the best of comedies breeze swiftly by. If this film instead was aiming to be a dramatic-comedy then this film would have been close to perfect. The film did have some moments where genuine laughs came out of me, and this was because the film was able to hone that element of surprise in some of its sequences. The final showdown between Mac and the fraternity leader, Timmy, was fantastic. The comedy in this film is very physical, and most of the films I have seen that rely in this type of humour usually hit me strong during first viewing but tend to fade in subsequent viewings; though films like Home Alone and Police Academy, were able to stick with me since that initial viewing, so there is hope for Neighbors.

Neighbors may not reach the lists of best comedies of all time, but it certainly is one of the outstanding entries of 2014. The majority of that credit boils down to its writers with providing both a hilarious plot and empathetic characters.