I’m not sure if it’s just my naughty sense of humor or my love of all things Seth Rogen, but in my opinion, you just can’t get much better in terms of comedy than Neighbors. The movie has it all – heart, comedy, and action. It paints a picture we all know very well…how will you handle growing up? Whether you’re 19 or 35, this movie has you covered. It explores all the milestones in the road of life: college, marriage, divorce, and having children.

The film follows Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne as Mac and Kelly Radner, who have just started their new lives as a married couple in the burbs. We see them dealing with all the new parent plights – sex while the baby is in the room, having to smoke pot at work cause you can’t at home anymore, all the way to the age-old question: should you just take the baby to the bar with you? You know…normal parenting stuff. Adding to the hardships of our new parents, a fraternity decides to buy the house next door. Enter Teddy Sanders (Zac Efron) and Teddy, will change these parents forever.

When I heard this movie was with Seth Rogen and Zac Efron, I immediately thought it could be a good movie but a bigger part of me thought it could be an awesome movie if they would have just cast someone other then Efron. Boy, was I wrong…I found myself thinking throughout this whole film that Efron was stealing most of Rogen’s thunder. He was hilarious, and I did not see that coming from the guy who starred in High School Musical (2006) and The Lucky One (2012). Efron has now solidified himself on my list of gentlemen to watch if they have an R-rated comedy coming out.

Mac and Teddy (Rogen & Efron) hit if off right from the start. They’re instant friends with Mac playing the cool old guy role and Teddy kissing a little old guy butt to make sure his future frat parties go off without a hitch. This made for a perfect lead-up to their eventual war, as I really thought Teddy and Mac made great buddies. Hell, I would pay to see a sequel set 40 years later that plays out like Grumpy Old Men (1993). Yet, as most friendships that revolve around drinking, drugs, and partying go, they end up at odds with Mac needing quiet at night and Teddy needing to host the party of the year to cement his legacy with his frat.

This is where things get interesting…watching Mac and Kelly (Rogen & Byrne) plot and execute the destruction of this frat is hilarious to watch and wonderfully acted. They cover all the emotions throughout their war from the frustration and anger the frat is causing them to excitement and enjoyment they get from bringing them down. To the dismay of our newly crowned parents these frat boys also have tricks of their own. They know how to play hard ball and they answer back in extraordinarily large (in some cases flaccid) fashion when Mac and Kelly put their backs to the wall.

The frat is perfectly cast too, with Dave Franco playing Pete, the same cool yet nerdy guy he played in 21 Jump Street (2012). We also have McLovin himself, Christopher Mintz-Plasse playing the big boned Scoonie. The man that really stole the show in the secondary cast was newcomer Jerrod Carmichael as Garf. I thought he owned every scene he was in. Carmichael has the gift, and I really hope to see him grab some bigger roles in the future.

All in all, this movie hits on all cylinders and is well worth the price of entry for viewers of any age (17 and older, of course).
Rating 4.5 out of 5