A comedy sequel is always something that is met with a bit of fear and trepidation. Humour really isn’t something that can be captured in a little, and what worked the first time isn’t always guaranteed to ignite the way it did the second time round. Anchorman 2 and Zoolander 2 proved that. But warning signs be damned for director Nicholas Stoller, as he brings us Bad Neighbours 2 (Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising for our friends in the U.S.), which sees Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, and Zac Efron for another round of college based antics.
With the Delta Psi fraternity dealt with, Mac (Rogen) and Kelly (Byrne) are ready to sell their house and move to the suburbs. But due to the fact that they have no idea what escrow means, the house is subject to a thirty day inspection, in which the potential buyers can pull out of the deal at anytime. Of course, it’s at this exact period of time a new, hard partying sorority, Kappa Nu, moves into the old frat house next door. Going head to head with the sorority’s leader Shelby (Chloe Grace Moretz), Mac and Kelly are forced to team up with former enemy Teddy (Efron) to prevent their house from remaining unsold forever.
The approach to Bad Neighbours 2 seems to be one shared by almost every other sequel: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But it works here as the raunchy humour of the original was at such high level that even at its worst, it still raises a barrel load of laughs. The jokes come thick and fast from the opening frame, and for much of the movie the joke ratio is much more hit than miss (including several call backs to gags from the original), with a running gag referencing the Minions being the only one that will have you rolling your eyes. The story breezes by for most of the run time, and credit has to go the script for some pretty socially aware plot beats, especially the fact that Kappa Nu strikes out on its own due to the college only allowing fraternities to throw parties (yes, Shelby and her sisters are literally fighting for their right to party). But as the narrative marches on, it begins to lose it’s way, falling back on recycled material from the original. Another big problem can be found in the trailer, with the promo featuring many scenes that can’t be found in the finished product. This points to some very liberal cutting, and that effect can bee seen in the third act as the flow of the movie just falls apart, and it becomes a predictable and tiresome slog towards the end credits.
No problems can be really found with the cast, as the original players fall back into their roles perfectly. Rogen and Byrne play off each other as well as before, and Efron still proves he’s an unbelievably good comedy talent, even if Teddy this time round is played far too much like an idiot. Moretz slips nicely into proceedings, but a few times she comes up a bit short against the old guard. The supporting cast, including Ike Barinholtz and a criminally underused Hannibal Buress, provide some true moments of comedic genius.
While it my be formulaic and far too familiar, Bad Neighbours 2 is still a perfectly entertaining comedy that gets by on it’s fantastic cast and some genuinely earned laughs.
With the Delta Psi fraternity dealt with, Mac (Rogen) and Kelly (Byrne) are ready to sell their house and move to the suburbs. But due to the fact that they have no idea what escrow means, the house is subject to a thirty day inspection, in which the potential buyers can pull out of the deal at anytime. Of course, it’s at this exact period of time a new, hard partying sorority, Kappa Nu, moves into the old frat house next door. Going head to head with the sorority’s leader Shelby (Chloe Grace Moretz), Mac and Kelly are forced to team up with former enemy Teddy (Efron) to prevent their house from remaining unsold forever.
The approach to Bad Neighbours 2 seems to be one shared by almost every other sequel: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But it works here as the raunchy humour of the original was at such high level that even at its worst, it still raises a barrel load of laughs. The jokes come thick and fast from the opening frame, and for much of the movie the joke ratio is much more hit than miss (including several call backs to gags from the original), with a running gag referencing the Minions being the only one that will have you rolling your eyes. The story breezes by for most of the run time, and credit has to go the script for some pretty socially aware plot beats, especially the fact that Kappa Nu strikes out on its own due to the college only allowing fraternities to throw parties (yes, Shelby and her sisters are literally fighting for their right to party). But as the narrative marches on, it begins to lose it’s way, falling back on recycled material from the original. Another big problem can be found in the trailer, with the promo featuring many scenes that can’t be found in the finished product. This points to some very liberal cutting, and that effect can bee seen in the third act as the flow of the movie just falls apart, and it becomes a predictable and tiresome slog towards the end credits.
No problems can be really found with the cast, as the original players fall back into their roles perfectly. Rogen and Byrne play off each other as well as before, and Efron still proves he’s an unbelievably good comedy talent, even if Teddy this time round is played far too much like an idiot. Moretz slips nicely into proceedings, but a few times she comes up a bit short against the old guard. The supporting cast, including Ike Barinholtz and a criminally underused Hannibal Buress, provide some true moments of comedic genius.
While it my be formulaic and far too familiar, Bad Neighbours 2 is still a perfectly entertaining comedy that gets by on it’s fantastic cast and some genuinely earned laughs.
