Neighbors (2014 film)

This article is about the American film. For the Indian film, see Neighbours (2014 film).
Neighbors

A man carrying a baby, standing beside a younger man holding a beer, in front of a picket fence.

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Nicholas Stoller
Produced by
Written by
Starring
Music by Michael Andrews
Cinematography Brandon Trost
Edited by Zene Baker
Production
company
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release dates
  • March 8, 2014 (2014-03-08) (SXSW)
  • May 9, 2014 (2014-05-09) (United States)
Running time
 97 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $18 million[2]
Box office $270.7 million[2]

Neighbors (aka Bad Neighbours in the United Kingdom) is a 2014 American comedy film directed by Nicholas Stoller and written by Andrew Cohen and Brendan O'Brien. The film stars Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, Dave Franco and Christopher Mintz-Plasse. The plot follows a couple who come into conflict with a fraternity that has recently moved in next door.

The film premiered at South by Southwest on March 8, 2014 and was released on May 9 in the United States. It was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $270 million worldwide. A sequel, titled Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, was released on May 20, 2016. Stoller returned to direct, with Rogen, Efron, Byrne, Mintz-Plasse, Barinholtz, Gallo, Kudrow, Buress and Franco reprising their roles.

Plot

Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly Radner (Rose Byrne) are a young couple with an infant daughter, Stella. The restrictions of parenthood make it difficult for them to maintain their old lifestyle, which alienates them from their friends Jimmy Blevins (Ike Barinholtz) and his ex-wife, Paula (Carla Gallo). One day, the couple finds out that Delta Psi Beta, a fraternity known for their outrageous parties, has moved into an adjacent house. The fraternity's leaders, Teddy Sanders (Zac Efron) and Pete Regazolli (Dave Franco), aspire to join Delta Psi's Hall of Fame by throwing a massive end-of-the-year party.

One night, the couple ask Teddy to keep the noise down. Teddy agrees on the condition that Mac and Kelly promise to always call him instead of calling the police. To earn Mac and Kelly's favor, Teddy invites them to join the party, which the couple agree to. At the party, Kelly meets Teddy's girlfriend Brooke Shy (Halston Sage) and Teddy shows Mac his bedroom, which includes a stash of fireworks and a breaker box that controls their power.

The following night, Mac tries his best to call Teddy but is unable to get in touch with him to ask him to keep it down so that their baby can sleep. Kelly convinces Mac to call the police and report the party as an anonymous person, but Officer Watkins (Hannibal Buress) identifies them to Teddy. Teddy feels betrayed that his new friends went back on their promise. The following day, Delta Psi constantly hazes Mac and Kelly, resulting in Stella nearly eating an unused condom after garbage from their party trash is dumped all over their lawn. The couple goes to the college dean Carol Gladstone (Lisa Kudrow) and learn that the school has a three strikes policy before they intervene with punishment; burning down their old house was Delta Psi's first strike.

After failing to force the fraternity to move by damaging their house, Kelly manipulates Pete and Brooke into having sex and Mac gets Teddy to catch them. Teddy and Pete fight, which ends with a barbecue grill being rolled into the path of a passing car and injuring a professor, giving Delta Psi their second strike and placing the fraternity on probation for the remainder of the year, effectively ending their party plans. To acquire evidence of Delta Psi's hazing, Kelly and Mac hire a pledge nicknamed Assjuice (Craig Roberts) to stand up to Teddy to record him threatening retaliation. When Teddy instead shows him kindness, he reveals that Mac and Kelly hired him and also damaged their house. Teddy begins playing violent pranks on the couple.

Mac and Kelly send Teddy a counterfeit letter from Gladstone enabling them to have parties again, and Teddy begins planning their end-of-the-year bash. Once the party is in full swing, the Radners call Watkins to complain about the noise. Teddy discovers the random strangers sent by Mac, Kelly and Jimmy. After finding a flyer about the party and determining the letter is counterfeit, he stops the party just as Watkins arrives. Jimmy throws himself from the balcony to distract Teddy, allowing Mac and Kelly to sneak into Teddy's bedroom and restart the party using the breaker box. Teddy catches them and fights Mac, while Kelly lights one of the fireworks and shoots it at Watkins's patrol car, while Paula convinces one of the Frat boys to turn the breaker box, resuming the huge party while the police officer is still there. Teddy takes the blame for the party and convinces Pete to take the others and flee. Gladstone shuts the house down and Mac and Kelly return home, adjusting to their new lives. Jimmy and Paula also get back together.

Four months later, Mac is at an outdoor shopping mall when he runs into Teddy, who is working as a shirtless greeter at Abercrombie & Fitch. The two greet each other warmly and Teddy tells Mac that he is attending night classes to complete his degree. Mac takes off his shirt and jokingly acts as a greeter with Teddy.

Mac and Kelly later take pictures of Stella dressed in various costumes for a calendar. They get a call from Jimmy and Paula, who are attending Burning Man and invite the couple to come, including Stella. Mac and Kelly decline, accepting their new roles as parents.

Cast

Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone, Adam DeVine, Blake Anderson, Anders Holm, Kyle Newacheck, Keith Cashin and Jake Johnson all have cameo appearances as former Delta Psi members.

Production

Seth Rogen and Zac Efron became attached to the film before it was pitched to studios.[3] Universal and New Line Cinema put in bids for the film, with Universal eventually securing the rights of the then-untitled project in July 2011, which was written by Andrew J. Cohen and Brendan O'Brien.[4] The script was written shortly after.[3] It was inspired by Cohen and O'Brien's fear of adulthood.[5]:3 In May 2012, Nicholas Stoller was in talks to direct the film.[6] The story was originally about Rogen's character and students in a frat but as it was too similar to Old School, Stoller changed the focus on Rogen's character and his wife against the frat students. Producer Evan Goldberg said: "The initial idea was frat war with Zac Efron. Maybe Seth, but definitely Zac Efron."[3] Byrne's role grew from a footnote relegated to the responsibilities of adulthood to a full-on partner-in-crime. Cohen also said: "Initially, our biggest problem with the script was that it was too repetitious, and amping up Kelly’s involvement and bringing her into the war broke everything wide open."[5]:6 Rogen welcomed the change, "to me that made it even better because it became less about me and some guys fucking with a frat. It was much more about me and my wife, which was way more interesting."[3] The cast and crew had two weeks of rehearsals during which they practised improvisation.[5]

Principal photography began in April 2013[7] and was completed by the end of May 2013 in Los Angeles, United States.[8] Filming lasted 38 days.[9] The two houses used in the film are situated in the West Adams District of Los Angeles.[5]

Cameras and iPhones were distributed to extras, partygoers, and cast members for additional first-person perspective.[5]:11 On August 26, 2013, the film's original title Townies was changed to Neighbors.[10] The film was released as Bad Neighbours outside of the United States of America, to prevent confusion with the similarly titled Australian soap opera.[11][12][13]

A "work-in-progress" cut of the film was screened on March 8, 2014 at The Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas during South by Southwest.[14]

Reception

Critical response

Neighbors received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 73% based on 205 reviews with an average rating of 6.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "With plenty of bawdy humor evenly spread between its well-matched stars, Neighbors earns its R rating—and filmgoers' laughs."[15] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 68 out of 100 based on 45 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[16] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[17]

Critics praised Efron's performance, and noted that he had successfully shed the "Disney kid" pretty boy stereotype.[18][19] Critics also praised Byrne's performance and the writers' decision to have her character be a co-conspirator with Rogen's character as opposed to having her on the sidelines.[20]

Box office

Neighbors has grossed $150,157,400 in North America and $120,507,734 in other territories for a worldwide total of $270,665,134 against a budget of $18 million.[2] Calculating in all expenses, Deadline.com estimated that the film made a profit of $136.1 million.[21] It is Rogen's highest grossing non-animated film, surpassing Knocked Up ($219.1 million).[22]

The film grossed $49 million in its opening weekend in North America, finishing the weekend in first place at the box office. The opening total was the third highest United States opening for a non-sequel R-rated comedy behind Sex and the City ($57 million) in 2008 and Ted ($54.4 million) in 2012.[23]

Accolades

List of awards and nominations
Group Date of ceremony Category Recipients Outcome
15th Golden Trailer Awards May 30, 2014 Best Comedy Trailer 4[24] Nominated
Best Comedy Poster Teaser One-sheet[25] Won
Best Comedy TV Spot Mad Neighbors[24][25]
MTV Movie Awards April 12, 2015 Best On-Screen Duo Zac Efron and Dave Franco[26] Won
Best Shirtless Performance Zac Efron[26] Won
Best Fight Seth Rogen vs. Zac Efron[26] Nominated
Best Kiss Rose Byrne and Halston Sage[26] Nominated
#WTF Moment Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne[26] Won
Best Musical Moment Seth Rogen and Zac Efron[26] Nominated
Best Comedic Performance Rose Byrne[26] Nominated
2014 Young Hollywood Awards July 28, 2014 Best Threesome Zac Efron, Dave Franco, Christopher Mintz-Plasse Nominated
Best Cast Chemistry–Film Neighbors cast Nominated
41st People's Choice Awards January 7, 2015 Favorite Comedic Movie Nominated
20th Critics' Choice Awards January 15, 2015 Best Actress in a Comedy Rose Byrne Nominated

Soundtrack

Neighbors (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by Various artists
Released April 29, 2014 (2014-04-29)
Length 42:58

The soundtrack was released as a digital download in the US on April 29, 2014,[27] and in the UK on May 12, 2014.[28]

Standard edition[27]
No. TitleArtists Length
1. "Get Ur Freak On / Keep Me"  Missy Elliott and The Black Keys 3:27
2. "Freaking Out"  Flo Rida feat. StayC Reign 2:58
3. "Good Day"  Nappy Roots 3:39
4. "London Bridge"  Fergie 3:25
5. "Girls Girls $"  Theophilus London 3:12
6. "All Night"  Icona Pop 3:08
7. "Hurt Me Tomorrow"  K'naan 3:49
8. "Die Young"  Kesha 3:33
9. "Cheap Beer"  FIDLAR 2:23
10. "Raise Those Hands"  Bassjackers and R3hab 4:57
11. "First Name Trouble"  Witchman featuring Marz 4:16
12. "Here Comes the Hotstepper" (Heartical Remix)Ini Kamoze 4:11

Sequel

On February 6, 2015, it was announced that a sequel to Neighbors is in development, entitled Sorority Rising, with Stoller set to return to direct. Once again written by Andrew J. Cohen and Brendan O'Brien, the film follows Mac and Kelly joining forces with Teddy to take on the sorority girls who move into the old frat house. Rogen, Byrne and Efron, as well as Franco, Barinholtz and Gallo, all reprised their roles. On July 23, 2015, Chloë Grace Moretz signed onto the sequel.[29][30] Kiersey Clemons, Beanie Feldstein and Selena Gomez also joined the cast.[31] Principal photography began in mid-2015 and the film was released May 20, 2016.

References

  1. ↑ "BAD NEIGHBOURS (15)". Universal Pictures. British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "Neighbors (2014)". Box Office Mojo. July 5, 2014. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Taylor, Drew (May 8, 2014). "Interview: 'Neighbors' Star Seth Rogen Talks Making It Relatable, Improv With Zac Efron And The Movie's Distinctive Look". IndieWire. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  4. ↑ Fleming, Mike (July 22, 2011). "Universal Lands 7-Figure Pitch Deal For R-Rated Seth Rogen-Zac Efron Comedy". Deadline.com. PMC. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Neighbors Production Notes" (PDF). Visualhollywood.com. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  6. ↑ Kit, Borys (May 21, 2012). "'Five-Year Engagement' Director Boards Seth Rogen-Zac Efron Comedy (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  7. ↑ "'Townies', starring Zac Efron, Dave Franco, & Seth Rogen, spotted filming in Los Angeles". onlocationvacations.com. April 8, 2013. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Zac Efron Wraps Filming "Townies"". disneydreaming.com. May 28, 2013. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  9. ↑ Cheney, Alexandra (March 19, 2014). "How Seth Rogen Negotiated Through Studio System for 'Neighbors'". Variety. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Nick Stoller's Townies Retitled as Neighbors". ComingSoon.net. Evolve Media, LLC. August 26, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  11. ↑ Patric, Seb. "Bad Neighbours review". denofgeeks.com. Retrieved 15 July 2014. ...As it happens, this exact question is at the very centre of Bad Neighbours (renamed over here from its US title Neighbors, for obvious Australian-soap-confusion-avoidance reasons)...
  12. ↑ Glasby, Matt. "Bad Neighbours Review". Totalfilm.com. Retrieved 15 July 2014. ...Called Neighbors in the States, where the words Ramsay Street mean nothing...
  13. ↑ "Neighbors (Bad Neighbours)". Malone's Movie Minute. Retrieved 15 July 2014. ...Neighbors, which is called Bad Neighbours in Australia, lest you think this was a feature length version of the Aussie TV soap opera…
  14. ↑ "Neighbors". SxSW. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
  15. ↑ "Neighbors (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Neighbors". Metacritic. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Was It Wise To Divide Up 'Mockingjay'? Finale's $102.4M Debut Is 5th Highest Of 2015, But Lowest In Series". deadline.com.
  18. ↑ Andrea Mandell, USA TODAY (May 6, 2014). "Zac Efron sends up his image in 'Neighbors'". USATODAY. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Zac Efron Shops Dildos in 'Neighbors,' Proving Once Again He's Far More Than a Disney Star". TheWrap. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  20. ↑ "'Neighbors': Rose Byrne's comedic talents in bloom". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  21. ↑ Mike Fleming Jr (March 12, 2015). "No. 11 'Neighbors' – 2014 Most Valuable Blockbuster Movie Tournament". Deadline.com. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Seth Rogen". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  23. ↑ Subers, Ray. "Weekend Report: 'Neighbors' Hazes 'Spider-Man'". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  24. 1 2 "Nominees For The 15th Annual Golden Trailer Awards Revealed As Industry Prepares For One Of The Most Fun And Original Awards Shows Honoring The Best In Motion Picture Trailers And Marketing". BoxOffice.com. May 6, 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  25. 1 2 "'Gravity' Wins Best of Show at Golden Trailer Awards". Variety. May 30, 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Johnson, Zach (March 4, 2015). "MTV Movie Awards 2015: Complete List of Nominees!". E!. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  27. 1 2 "Amazon.com: Neighbors (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) [Explicit]: Neighbors (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack): MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com.
  28. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Bad Neighbours (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Various Artists". itunes.apple.com.
  29. ↑ Justin Kroll. "Chloe Moretz Joins Zac Efron, Seth Rogen in 'Neighbors 2' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  30. ↑ Anthony D'Alessandro. "'Neighbors 2' Now Opening no May 20, 2016 Against 'Angry Birds', 'Nice Guys' - Deadline". Deadline. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  31. ↑ "Neighbors 2 Is Bringing Back A Ton Of Characters". Cinema Blend. August 13, 2015. Retrieved August 13, 2015.

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