Bad Neighbours

There's something about a movie that bridges the divide between generations that I like. Bad Neighbours is definitely one of those films. On one hand it's about growing up, whilst on the other it's about retaining your youth as you grow older.

Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly (Rose Byrne) are a couple with a newborn baby who have just bought their first house. Soon after moving in, the large house next door is also up for sale and after much guessing over who will be moving in. They soon discover that it will be a fraternity from the nearby university. The president Teddy (Zac Efron) assures them that if they are ever too loud, Mac and Kelly should come to him instead of calling the cops and also invites them to party if they ever feel the need. Teddy loses his trust in the couple when they eventually do make a noise complaint and vows to make their life a living hell.

Zac Efron is a true powerhouse of acting in this movie, showing off his range in a variety of scenarios. One moment he is chilling with Mac smoking weed and the next he is menacingly devising ways to destroy his life. He also has some very touching moments when he realises that he isn't as smart as he thinks.

Dave Franco also stars as the accomplice and frat brother of Teddy, Pete. Pete is the more emotionally stable of the two and begins to feel remorse about what they are doing to their neighbours. His relationship with Teddy is hilarious, sometimes bordering on homoerotic.

Both Rogen and Byrne are funny, but the humour in the movie comes more from the insane antics of their neighbours than their reactions, then again they are playing the straight characters in a comedy and that role traditionally doesn't allow for too much wackiness.

The jokes in this movie are fantastic, most of them relying on the generation gap between the two sets of characters and the misunderstandings that this can cause. Some of the jokes early on where Rogen and Byrne are trying to endear themselves to the fraternity are just cringeworthy, but funny all the same.

Verdict: A really funny comedy about how the generation gap can cause wacky misunderstandings. It was great to see Efron in a slightly villainous role.