MOVIE REVIEW: NEIGHBORS 2 (2016)

From IMDB:
Storyline

Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly (Rose Byrne) are ready to make the final move into adulthood. But just as they thought they have reclaimed the neighborhood, they learn that their new neighbors are even more out of control than the last. To evict them, they're need help from their ex neighbor (Zac Efron). 

50 Metascore From metacritic.com
Reviews 13 user | 45 critic
Popularity 16 ( 36)

From Rotten Tomatoes:

MOVIE INFO

Young parents Mac (Seth Rogen and Kelly Radnor (Rose Byrne) find their troubles are far from over in this sequel co-starring Zac Efron.

Rating: R (for crude sexual content including brief graphic nudity, language throughout, drug use and teen partying)

Genre: Comedy

Directed By: Nicholas Stoller

Written By: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg,Brendan O'Brien, Nicholas Stoller, Andrew J. Cohen

In Theaters: May 20, 2016 Limited

Runtime: 1 hr. 32 min.

Universal Pictures - Official Site

TOMATOMETER 64%

Average Rating: 6.1/10 | Reviews Counted: 36

Fresh: 23 | Rotten: 13

Critics Consensus: Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising may not be strictly necessary, but it still wrings a surprising amount of humor from a recycled premise with a distaff twist.

WANT TO SEE 97% want to see

User Ratings: 33,878

NEIGHBORS 2 OPENS IN THE US ON THE 20th OF MAY IN THE U.S. AND ON THE 12th OF MAY IN MALAYSIA. TO FIND OUT WHEN IT OPENS IN YOUR AREA CLICK HERE.

This is not the sorority that our girls are looking for. ©Universal Pictures

So what happens when a sorority moves in next door instead of a frat house?

So in the first one, which was called Bad Neighbors outside of the U.S., it was about a couple Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly Radner (Rose Byrne) who have just moved into their first home and have just started a family. All is well until their next door neighbor moves out and are soon replaced by new ones in the form of a fraternity from the nearby University. Concerned about the noise that frats usually generate with their wild parties and other frat related activities they pay a friendly visit and meet with the head honchos of the frat house, Teddy Sanders (Zac Efron) and Pete (Dave Franco). After the meet things are good between the two houses until one night when the frat boys party a little too loudly and Mac and Kelly worry that the noise might wake up their infant daughter. Unable to get in touch with Teddy, Mac breaks his promise to Teddy and calls the police instead. Feeling betrayed Teddy and his frat brothers set out to make Mac and Kelly's life miserable. 

Once they were enemies but when you get dumped twice an enemy becomes an ally. ©Universal Pictures

So in this one it's a few years down the line and the frat and their residents have moved on. Mac and Kelly are a little older as is their little girl Stella who is now a toddler. Kelly is also expecting again. The frat boys have graduated and moved on with life as well except for Teddy who is in a bit of slump. Things are quiet for the moment until three girls, Shelby (Chloë Grace Moretz), Beth (Kiersey Clemons) and Nora (Beanie Feldstein) meet at a sorority house and discover that being part of a sorority means you can't party and when they go to a frat party they realize that those parties aren't to their liking. 

Things like this do make you a bad neighbor. ©Universal Pictures

So they start their own sorority and on their journey they meet a recently homeless Teddy who takes it upon himself to mentor the girls in the ways of creating the ultimate sorority based on his experience with his fraternity. This of course doesn't sit well with the Radner's who are trying to sell their house which is on a 30 day escrow which can be ruined by anything that the new owners might not like. So what follows is pretty much the same thing that happened in the previous movie with slight variations and of course more girls than boys. Also since this is a Seth Rogen movie there's tons of weed related jokes, jokes about genitals and sex and of course physical humour.

The signs of a beginning feud. ©Universal Pictures

Basically if you've seen the first movie you've seen this one. There are few new things here that'll will surprise you. Changing it from a frat to a sorority makes it a little interesting and taking the feminist angle to things does change things up a bit but it really doesn't impact things much. The first movie had an R rating and so does this one but considering it's from a sorority's point of view you can expect less of what you saw in the first one when it was about boys having fun, you know what I mean sex and boobs and stuff not that there was much of it to begin with. The R rating is purely because of the crude jokes and of course all that weed. There is a lot of weed in this movie, more than there was in the first movie I think. 

Things you don't expect to do with your friends as an adult. Plot to ruin the lives of young girls. ©Universal Pictures

The jokes were entertaining but probably not going to make you laugh all that much louder than before although I did find myself laughing more in this one than the first one. And it was nice to see things from a female point of view, most times in movies of this genre you only get to see it from a guys point of view and it's mostly done to please young men what with all the skin exposed and all the sexual reference. Most movies like this are targeted and young men whose testosterone levels are at their peak and whose main interest in a woman is not here mind or personalities but everything else. Maybe. Also one of the frat boys is now gay and about to get married which is why Teddy is homeless. Progressive. 

Also going to a tailgate party to try and steal things from young girls. ©Universal Pictures

The performances by all were entertaining especially Chloe whom you don't really see doing movies like this much. It was also nice to see Kelsey Grammer show up playing Shelby's dad.  The jokes and physical humour were entertaining and like I said I believe I found myself laughing more watching this one compared to the previous one. But as with the previous movie this movie in the end is about growing up, Teddy through his abandonment, mentorship of his adopted sorority and helping the Radner learns about what it truly means to be a bro and to grow up, the Radner's learn about themselves as parents and about parenting and the girls, Shelby, Beth and Nora, learn about what it truly means to be part of a sorority. As infantile and juvenile these both movies seem it's a unique way to address what it means to grow up. 

Specifically steal a garbage bag full of weed from young girls. ©Universal Pictures

All in all this was an entertaining movie, it's the same one as before but with a progressive twist, it looks at things from a young woman's perspective. I enjoyed it. So I'm going to give this movie a 2.8 out of 5. It's more of the same and if you enjoyed the first movie you'll probably enjoy this one too. 

Here's the trailer to help you decide.

BIG THANK YOU TO UIP MALAYSIA AND BFM RADIO FOR THE PREMIERE PASSES!