Neighbors
2014 · Directed by Nicholas Stoller
Original language: English
- comedy
The story
A couple with a newborn baby face unexpected difficulties after they are forced to live next to a fraternity house.
What it’s like
Bright, bland suburban daylight and a lived-in split-level house give this comedy its look: a fresh-from-the-hospital nursery, cluttered kitchens, and a fraternity house that spills loud color and strobing party light across the street at night. The camera stays mostly conventional and mid-range, with quick cuts and handheld energy during the chaos of the parties and the sprawling, shouted-over bits of physical gags. Sound is all pop-punk and dance tracks, thudding bass through walls, and crowd roar, with the quieter moments given over to a baby's crying and the hum of a monitor. The vibe is brash, warm and easygoing, a comfort-watch for a weekend afternoon, a lazy evening on the couch, or background noise while folding laundry. Pacing is brisk and joke-heavy, with the emotional center resting on a tired new-parent couple slowly learning to see their rowdy neighbors as peers rather than enemies. Intensity is mild: crude sex jokes, drug and drinking humor, bathroom gags, some scuffles and a few sharp bits of slapstick violence, but nothing graphic or truly cruel. For viewers who want raunchy laughs with a sincere family core and a sunny, low-stakes finish.
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