"A College Representation?" Neighbors (2014) Review

By Cliff Yung on September 30, 2014

as found on imdb.com

Neighbors, the college movie, falls in line with the usual shenanigans that Seth Rogen is known for.Nothing too special here as general storyline exist in similarity with Seth Rogen’s other movie, 2007’s Superbad. Essentially, the movie attempts to convey the effect of the struggling transition college students and their adult counterparts make as they are met with the “real world.” The story takes its soul from the fore mentioned movie, Superbad, following the similar lines of “man meets world” even following the similar insanity that existed in Superbad. However, the movie loses itself within trying to be too consciously similar to all other Seth Rogen films that in the very end loses any originality that this movie could have had.

The general mark of Seth Rogen filmography takes the ordinary people stuff them with drugs or some elicit party animal situation which leads them to over the top, maddening, situations. Most of his movies use this formula (e.g. Superbad, Pineapple Express, This is the End) thus there is nothing special here as it follows the generic formula basically copying a few of his movies into something that is not especially comedic. Though, in comparison to Superbad, Neighbors’s movie logic is misplaced. Certainly, the couple, Mac Radner and Kelly Radner, of the movie living next door to an unruly fraternity house could have solved the problem just by informing the police that the fraternity was using drugs, a lot of drugs. To which I have to point out, drugs and partying and the fraternity’s actions as described within the movie are a general misrepresentation of actual fraternities as an evil bunch of testily comedic people. Fraternities do party a lot, drink a lot, and some do drugs occasionally but with the exception of a few isolated fraternity houses most fraternities are generally respectful. Everyone also seems desperately misrepresented, the main couple trying to get used to being parents with their inability to control the situation and the university dean’s wholly obsession with only media appearances (though this may be a representation of the university system). Though the representation and misrepresentation of the movie may be used as a form of satire, its own meaning is lost in the not so comedic happenings between the two neighbors.

The Dean, as found on screenslam.com

There are some laughs here and there like the insane plan that Mac Radner and Kelly Radner come up with. But in general, this movie is a bit of a focused comedy. If you love Seth Rogen comedic shenanigans, then you will love this movie regardless of misrepresentation that might exist. It is a bit of a convoluted movie favoring the shenanigans over the overall message.

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