In Neighbors, Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen play a couple of new parents whose world is rocked when a fraternity (led by Zach Ephron) moves in next door. Neighbors begins with a more-or-less realistic tone for a comedy that escalates into a demented farce as Byrne and Rogen get more and more desperate to force the frat out of the neighborhood.
We know that Seth Rogen and Zach Ephron (Liberal Arts) can be funny, but Rose Byrne is the pleasant surprise. Unlike in most of the current crop of bromance and gross-out comedies, the female character relishes, is not a nag and can be outrageous and unrestrained herself. Byrne is also a good sport in a scene with a gross-out sight gag for the ages (that seeks to match the “hair mousse” in There’s Something About Mary, etc.).
This isn’t a Must See – and it doesn’t aspire to cinematic greatness. But Neighbors is not a bad choice if you’re in the mood for a low brow comedy: solid cast, a darkening sensibility and a good role for the gal.