170
Filmaholics
Become A Filmaholic
Bad Neighbours (2014)
Daniel's Review
The team behind ‘This is the End’ return for ‘Bad Neighbours’, starring Seth Rogen, Zac Efron and Australia’s own Rose Byrne.
This film is funny, and I mean laugh out funny at certain moments in the film. It knows when to be silly, when to be serious and when to be funny, that’s a huge achievement for a film like ‘Bad Neighbours’. The film has plenty of gross out humour, which made other films like ‘This is the End’ to be an unexpected enjoyable ride at the cinemas.
The acting is great, especially Efron who has some of the best lines and scenes in this movie.
The film does have a lot going on and the story might be a bit thin, but hey, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I had a great time as it was flat out funny and entertaining from start to finish.
Just remember, ‘Bad Neighbours’ isn’t for everyone, but if you enjoyed many previous films like ‘This is the End’ and ‘Superbad’ to say a few, you’ll definitely enjoy this film.
Score: 7.2/10
Published: May 4th, 2014
Details
Review
Release Date: May 8th, 2014
Studio: Universal Pictures
Runtime: 97 mins
Rated: MA15+
Shortcuts
Nic's Review
I was a big fan of 'This is the End' when it came out in July last year. It was raucous fun, insane and healthily dirty. So if you expected something similar with 'Bad Neighbours' you'll definitely get it, just not quite satisfyingly enough.
'Bad Neighbours' starts off well and, don't get me wrong, some jokes are absolutely hilarious. Both Seth Rogen's Mac and Zac Efron's Teddy are likeable characters, and whichever one you end up rooting for probably says more about you than about the film itself. The film moves along at an insane pace and the plot escalates quickly. The scenes where Mac and Teddy exchange pranks are fantastic and very funny. But ultimately the suspense that's built up just doesn't feel payed off by the end. Even for an MA15+ comedy, it feels anticlimactic. And neither do all of the jokes work. Which is okay. Rare is there a comedy where every intended joke gets a laugh.
But the problem with 'Bad Neighbours', and I feel it's worst problem, is that it doesn't know when to let a joke go, good or bad. When an unfunny joke lasts minutes and doesn't get a single laugh, the results are awkward. Yet for all it's shortcomings 'Bad Neighbours' is still one of the best comedies in the past few years, lightyears better than anything Adam Sandler has done in that time.
Seth Rogen is beginning to make himself into a comedy brand, and a reliable one at that. 'Bad Neighbours' is another step towards this. So if you feel like a few dick jokes and some outrageous slapstick is what you need for an hour and a half, go for it.
Score: 7.5/10