Nicholas Stoller and his entourage of screenwriters have found a way of crafting a sequel that successfully rehashes the formula from the first film yet make it feel fresh. They’ve also found a way to creatively recycle gags from the first in a way that effectively calls back to the first film while being unique in its own right. Case in point, the popular airbag prank from the first “Neighbors” is not only referenced (in a PTSD scare in the office), but implemented in a wholly original scenario this time around, as an airbag is used to escape a garage. I have to compliment Stoller and company for making something old feel new again.
“Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising” has a similar layout to the first film. Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly Radner (Rose Byrne) are once again traumatized by the college student neighbors next door, this time in the form of a sorority. Heading up the sorority are Shelby (Chloe Grace Moretz), Beth (Kiersey Clemmons), and Nora (Beanie Feldstein), three social outcasts who start up the sorority in order to gain sisterhood for life. A strange rule denotes that sororities can’t throw parties in their homes, but have to attend the sleazy and misogynistic frat parties. Therefore, the three girls rent the house next to the Radners and loud parties ensue.
Stoller and his crew even find a way to bring Teddy (Zac Efron) back into the mix without it feeling too forced. After his best friend, Pete (Dave Franco), gets engaged and asks him to move out, the aimless Teddy finds himself on the street with nowhere to go. After visiting his old stomping grounds, he runs into the new sorority and coaxes them into letting him help them run their sorority. This is his way of getting back at the Radners, who he blames for his quarter-life crisis, and feeling valued. It’s not too long until he’s cast aside by the sorority and switches sides, seeing the error of his ways.
The spin Stoller puts onto the story this time around is that the Radners are looking to sell their house, giving them a new reason to despise the noisy neighbors. As of right now, the couple’s home is in escrow, which they never quite fully understand by movie’s end (in one of the film’s numerous funny running gags). They try to convince the sorority to lay low for thirty days, but to no avail. If they don’t seal the deal on the house within thirty days, they’re screwed as they already purchased another home without an escrow. Again with that running gag (that’s not a complaint).
From there on out, “Neighbors 2” roughly follows the same formula as the first film, this time it being sisterhood vs parenthood. The sorority throws loud parties (all cleverly feminist themed), the Radners call in the authority (this time in the form of Shelby’s father, played by Kelsey Grammar), and the sorority strike back with pranks. Pranks range from middling, such as making Mac uncomfortable by hitting on him, to the grossly outrageous, such as the women throwing their used tampons at the Radners’ home. Not every prank sticks (well, the used tampons certainly did), but the ones that do stick well.
Stoller wisely fills the film with humor other than childish pranks. Now that the Radners are parents, the writers have a lot of ground to cover in the couple being bad parents. When their potential buyers arrive they are greeted by the Radners’ daughter playing with a vibrator. Instead of taking it from her, they try to convince the buyers that it’s a toy from a popular Japanese cartoon. Later in the film, they put a dress on the vibrator in hopes of people believing it’s a toy princess. This is yet another of the film’s numerous funny running gags.
Teddy’s quarter-life crisis also gets wringed for material. The first act is all about how awkward it is for him to be coaching the new sorority, which admittedly produces minimal results. It’s when he switches sides and becomes clingy and emotional in regard to the Radners that he is valued. There’s a great moment where he’s learning how to hard-boil that is so simple and low key, especially in comparison to the rest of the film, but generates one of the biggest laughs. At first I felt as if Teddy was going to be an unnecessary inclusion, but Stoller found a good use for him. It’s also a nice moment to see him finally realize his potential.
There are aspects of “Neighbors 2” that go nowhere. I almost forgot to mention that Kelly is pregnant once again mainly because it’s an afterthought. Her pregnancy is only brought up on occasion to further drive home the point how deep in the hole the Radners are if they don’t sell their house. The sorority combatting misogyny and using it to their advantage (claiming sexism if their sorority is shut down) is explored briefly, but it could’ve been delved into more, if not just to produce more jokes.
“Neighbors 2” may not be as consistently as funny as the first, but it has its fair share of laugh out loud moments. It does have a bigger heart, though it does run out of steam quicker than the first one did. Still, for a sequel that on the surface is nothing more than a rehash of the first, it’s impressive how fresh it feels! With that being said, it’s probably best to stop here, as a third film would be overkill.
Final Rating: B