Some folks like their sequels to be something utterly original, with few, if any, references to what came before. Others enjoy a bit of the familiar, with references to the characters and situations that made the original film so charming or successful or haunting or scary (whatever the case may be). So color me genuinely surprised how much callback there is in NEIGHBORS 2: SORORITY RISING, which takes a terrific premise—a look at the sexist Greek system at colleges that sororities aren’t allowed to throw parties, while male fraternities have basically created alcohol-fueled rape houses on campuses around the country.
The setup in the new film—still from original director Nicholas Stoller (THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT, FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL) and writers Andrew J. Cohen and Brendan O’Brien (along with Stoller, star Seth Rogen, and Rogen’s regular writing partner Evan Goldberg)—involves a group of young women wanting the right to party as hard as frat boys without the constant creep factor. Chloë Grace Moretz plays Shelby, the ringleader, who believes the only way to make this happen is to start her own party-centric sorority in a house slightly off campus. It just so happens there’s an empty, one-time frat house right next door to the Radners, Mac (Rogen) and Kelly (Rose Byrne), who just so happen to be expecting their second child as they are attempting to sell their home to an eager buyer.
Helping the new sorority take shape and build a party-centric reputation is Teddy Sanders (Zac Efron), who is having a bit of an identity crisis as his best friend and roommate Pete (Dave Franco) has just gotten engaged, leaving Teddy feeling lost as to his place in the world—he’s also about to be homeless. As I mentioned, the premise holds up. Mac and Kelly simply need the girls to keep a low profile until the escrow deadline passes and the new owners can’t back out, but when that plan fails, the only way to keep the buyers from pulling out of the deal is to destroy the sorority using every means at their disposal, which means pulling out a few old tricks. At this point, Teddy has come over to the Radners’ side, and together they devise scheme after scheme.
They use exploding airbags, party infiltration, reporting the girls to the dean (Lisa Kudrow, once again), calling local law enforcement (represented by returning supporting player Hannibal Buress). They eventually befriend the girls when they have to resort to throwing a sexy party to raise funds but degrade themselves in the process. Now NEIGHBORS 2 starts to feel a bit familiar and well worn. Easily half of the returning characters don’t really feel necessary, and so many of the situations feel familiar that you long for a new face or plot device.
I really like seeing Moretz and her fellow sorority founders Beth (Kiersey Clemons of DOPE and “Transparent”) and Nora (Beanie Feldstein, who happens to be Jonah Hill’s sister) stress and plan and figure out how to beat the sexist system, but the film’s desperate need to remind us that this is really about these young parents next door seems counterintuitive to where the message of the film ought to be.
Efron’s little-boy-lost routine as Teddy is actually one of my favorite elements of NEIGHBORS 2. All he wants out of life is to bro down and have people find value in him as a person. He’s aware of his power as a magnet for woman and doesn’t hesitate to remove his shirt and grind his hips in a MAGIC MIKE-style routine to distract the sorority girls while the Radners carry out a plan. But none of that stops Teddy from demanding respect from those around him, which might be the greatest role reversal bit in the whole movie. I’ll admit, it was a bit strange and creepy to hear Moretz swear like a sailor and talk about dirty sex stuff after years of seeing her s this great (decidedly underage) actress, but she takes no prisoners here, and there’s a commitment behind her foul mouth that works.
Rogen and Byrne, two exceedingly funny people, are practically reduced to supporting players in their film, as their still infant first child gets a lot of the big laughs as she plays with mommy’s dildo with an alarming frequency and just generally does adorable baby stuff. If you were a devoted admirer of the original NEIGHBORS, there is certainly material in the SORORITY RISING that keeps you laughing. I certainly was laughing more often than I wasn’t, but just barely. The simple fact is, you could do better this weekend, even in the realm of R-rated comedies. But I’m still a Seth Rogen devotee, so this is about as close as I come to liking one of his films but still recognizing that you can easily skip it.
