NEIGHBORS 2: Escapes The Dreaded Comedy Sequel Graveyard

Whilst people constantly bring up the current increasing slog of superhero films, there’s another string of films that are much worse in their repetitive nature that seemingly seem to go under the radar: the bro/stoner comedy. Seth Rogen could be seen as the unofficial face of the stoner movement, films where a manchild is forced to grow up, usually through the love of a woman, in between bouts of marijuana, pop culture references and hanging out with your “bros”.

This is not an attack of that type of film, like any cinematic styles, the films are only as good as the people behind them. Last year’s The Night Before, directed by a usually dependable Jonathan Levine gave me stoner fatigue, because whilst the old school Christmas tone was aesthetically pleasing, the core story was once again a man-child who refused to grow up, helped out by his “bros” and transitions into adulthood via the love of a co-dependent woman.

This caused me to be quite wary of Neighbors 2, a seemingly lazy attempt to capitalize on the first film’s surprise success, just mildly making a different film by switching the gender of the antagonist and featuring a barrage of reprieved jokes from the original. I can happily report that, for the rare occasion, that this is a great sequel, a film which is focused on pure comedy, an element missing from many current comedies that seem intent on delivering an agenda rather than funny jokes.

The Dreaded Comedy Sequel

The predicament with sequels is their mere presence has come about due to the popularity of the first or previous films. To compound on this popularity, filmmakers are tasked with a difficult decision in cherrypicking what worked in the first film, choosing what to bring back and what new elements to introduce.

The worst types of sequels are ones which simply rehash the first film but in a new environment or gender swapped characters (Hangover 2 being an example of this) or ones which completely forget what made the previous films work, shifting genre or tone in an attempt to force new material from the first film (The Exorcist 2: The Heretic being a prime example of this).

Neighbors 2 unfortunately rehashes the plot of the first film, giving us more of the same in the narrative department. What makes the film work, though, is that it has much more to say politically this time, whilst injecting enough humour and entertaining scenarios to make the storyline merely a vehicle to get to the next joke.

Neighbors 2 takes place several years after the first film, as Mac and Kelly Radner (Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne) are currently enjoying suburban life, free of any disturbance since their intense battle with frat boy Teddy (Zac Efron) years earlier. Having just sold their current house and purchasing a new one in another suburb, the couple are stuck in a 30 day escrow, which is a period where the new homebuyers can pull out at any time. This would be disastrous for Mac and Kelly, because if the buyers pull out, they’ll be left with two mortgages to pay.

Meanwhile, Shelby (Chloë Grace Moretz), a rambunctious freshman college student who is shocked to learn that whilst male fraternities are allowed to have parties, female sororities cannot. Teaming up with her new friends Beth (Kiersey Clemons) and Nora (Beanie Feldstein), they start a new female fraternity in an empty house – right next to Mac and Kelly. With Beth refusing to stop partying during the 30 day escrow, it’s up to Mac and Kelly to try and shut down another next door fraternity, with Teddy Sanders drawn into the conflict as he attempts to find his place in the world, as all of his college friends have successfully transitioned into adulthood.

Something Bigger On Its Mind

As you can see, the plot is a simple retread of the suburban couple vs college fraternity battle from Neighbors, but Shelby’s plight adds much more weight to this affair. The rule about sororities being unable to party is an actual rule, one which the film frequently criticises. To add to this, the film’s gender swap isn’t done just to make a rehashed story seem fresh, but to allow these female characters to speak out about some gender issues and the film allows them to be actual characters, subverting the standard formula of female characters in comedies being either love interests, sexual objects or the butt of a joke.

Whilst some people might find the various jokes quite shocking, many of them are actually quite clever, with a mix of sharp improv and writing which contains a constant flow of jokes that make sure the film has enough material to keep you constantly laughing. It’s a refreshing change from other American mainstream comedies, which usually rely on the presence of a shocking element to constitute a joke, rather than presenting that shocking element and doing something creative or fresh with it.

An example of this is in Dan Mazer’s Dirty Grandpa (also starring Zac Efron), where most of the punchlines in the film are Robert De Niro saying something inappropriate or politically incorrect. There’s nothing clever or imaginative done with that material, the humour is meant to arise from the mere appearance of dirty words being spoken on-screen. In an age of social media where everyone has access to endless amounts of material through the internet, an actor calling someone a ‘retard’ isn’t shocking or crazy anymore.

This is why Neighbors 2 works not only as a comedy sequel, but a comedy in its own right – it takes confronting and racy material and subverts or adds genuine comedy to them, which gives the film a very old school feeling, the kind of bawdy care-free attitude of the classic comedies of the 1980’s.

Tight And Polished

Comedy’s current secret weapon, cinematographer Brandon Trost (who also shot the first film), gives this film a proficient and refined look, which is a refreshing change from the standard flatly-lit TV-show looking cinematography of most mainstream movies nowadays. Trost is the cinematographer behind This is the End, The Night Before, The Interview and many other comedies, giving each film an elevated look that gives them a genuine cinematic feeling.

Given the sorority setting, the film’s soundtrack is a mix of ambiguous dubstep and modern pop songs, which help keep the energy of the film upbeat and energetic. To add to this, the film’s tight 90-minute runtime keeps the film in constant motion, which makes sure the film never gets slow or boring.

Whilst the ending is quite anti-climactic compared to the craziness that occurs during the first hour of the film, it is the only natural way to end the film without enraging audiences or completely cheating them for the sake of a zany ending or an attempt to top the first film’s cracking finale.

Chloë Grace Moretz does a great job as Shelby, a sympathetic antagonist who is given genuine pathos and intelligence, not shoe-horned into the role of a typical generic bad guy. Kick-Ass showed us that Moretz has great comedic chops, but she isn’t given much room to explore them here, as she’s given more of a straight man role, with most of the comedy being given to her sorority and the cracking dynamic between Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne.

Whilst Dirty Grandpa used him completely wrong, Neighbors 2 shows us that Zac Efron can be funny, it’s all up to using him and his style correctly. Making him play the aloof teenager whose secret weapon is his good looks works well for his limited acting range, with his physical goofiness matching nicely with Seth Rogen’s loose stoner archetype.

The Verdict

Neighbors 2 is one of the few films to escape the dreaded comedy sequel grave yard, whilst it doesn’t top the first film due to its reheated premise, it has enough laughs and fresh ideas that make sure its existence feels justified. All the technical elements are on-point and the film’s tightness adds to its overall enjoyment, delivering a constantly entertaining and highly humorous comedy that uses its main ensemble of actors correctly, grabbing great performances from them all.

With the film’s underlying message about female college life and how that reflects on society in general, the film manages to successfully mix subtle politics with broad bawdy comedy tropes, avoiding the awkward ham-fisting of politicized message seen in many modern comedies. Whilst the stoner film genre may be wearing thin as of late, Neighbors 2 demonstrates that a successful film is all up to the creators behind it, not the genre that it is dealing with. Same can be said for every genre, including the juggernaut superhero films, so stay optimistic folks.

What is your thoughts on the current state of comedy films?