After the successful defeat of one fraternity in 2014’s “Neighbors”, the Radner family finds themselves with another dose of young milenials disturbing the peace. In “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising”, Life seems good for Mac Radner (Seth Rogen) and his pregnant wife Kelly (Rose Byrne). The two are reaping the benefits of a quiet suburban neighborhood life after the dismissal of the college fraternity Delta Psi Beta. That is until the arrival of the unruly sisters of Kappa Nu, a brand new sorrority with a mission statement to party, movie in next door. Led by the rebellious Shelby (Chloe Moretz), the girls engage in several illegal activities with zero consequences. As loud parties continuously disrupt the peace and cause them endless stress, the couple turn to former neighbor and onetime enemy Teddy Sanders (Zac Efron) for help. Now united with the fraternity stud and former enemy, the trio devises schemes to get the wild sorority off the block for good. Unfortunately, the rebellious young women refuse to go down without a fight. “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising” is rated R for crude sexual content including brief graphic nudity, language throughout, drug use and teen partying.
At a meager 86 minutes, “Neighbors 2” knows exactly what it is. It’s a raunchy, but respectable college comedy that while sticking pretty close to the outline of the first movie, does take some chances on thought-provoking content that is anything but par for the genre. The screenplay focuses on three different groups of age generations, all dealing with the changing backgrounds of life’s many twists and turns. First there is Rogen and Byrne, who are not only dealing with the upcoming addition of their second daughter, but also evolving into the kind of parents that they originally saw themselves as. Their story arc is solid, but it is the least interesting aspect of the movie, as evidenced by the film’s central focus on youth and the college scene for both sexes. Next is Efron, who I felt was the very best character of the movie. Life seems to have moved on without him, and now Teddy finds himself crossing over to the other side of this Adult Vs Young Adult war that has plagued the neighborhood. The film is brilliant to approach this subject with a touch of heart, as Teddy feels all alone in a war in which he was once the biggest player. The final arc is with Chloe Moretz and her newfound friends forming this sorrority. They are now where Efron once was, but what the film does to avoid repeating itself too much is that it really shows the audience the inequality in college experiences for men and women. This gave the movie a blanket of female empowerment that was certainly a welcome surprise for this critic. It welcomes a self-reflective look for all male fraternity’s that nudges the audience to pick a firm side in supporting what are supposed to be these female antagonists. Because of these three arcs, the film is beautifully paced without ever overstaying its welcome for the entirety.
That’s not to say that a Seth Rogen movie doesn’t have those normal cliches; marijuana, juvenile humor, and Seth playing the same character that he always does. All of these things are true, but the comedic momentum really hits it out of the park with observational humor for dual generations that will really benefit parents and their adolescent children alike. Even more shocking is the number of scenes used in the trailer that doesn’t make the final cut for the movie. This gives the laugh material in the movie a real fresh feel during an age when trailers are giving away far too much of the movie. By the third act of the movie, the film does feel a little repetitive in its setups, and the real weakness happens in an ending that is a little too convenient for all parties considered. While this is dissatisfying, I was quite fine with the hopeful ending of this series, and I certainly hope that a third film wouldn’t be present to lick the creative juices dry on these characters.
On the subject of performances, the movie mostly succeeds in its big-time cast. Rogen is being himself without playing the role too safe. There’s certainly the air of regret for a man who wants to do things right for the future, and the time in this film really serves as a growing period not only for Mac, but for Seth as well. I mentioned earlier that Efron is the single best aspect of this movie, and I really feel that Zac has found his niche with raunchy humor. Efron is never afraid to be the butt of every joke, and because of that, the chemistry and timing of he and Rogen really tucks away those feelings of just another sequel. Chloe Moretz honestly is the only character who felt a little out of place here. Her performance is just OK, and that’s mostly because she is playing a stoner, slang-talking hipster who feels anything like but who she actually is. Some of her line reads are a little cringe-worthy, and I greatly wish that the script stuck more with the first act material that made her a patriarch for female empowerment. One notable supporting performance comes from Ike Barenholtz, who really steals the show with some of the best lines in the movie. Barenholtz is a rising star after turns in both “Neighbors” films, as well as “Sisters” from 2015.
Overall, “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising” is a surprisingly refreshing original take at a familiar structure and setting. It produces just enough new laughs to make this an even more enjoyable sit than the first movie. If more comedy sequels were like this one, then I would be in favor of them. As it stands, “Neighbors 2” is the first real surprise of the Summer movie season. Grab a drink and popcorn and get ready for a night of pleasant debauchery.
7/10