Neighbors (2014)

A 30-something married man (Seth Rogen) and his Australian wife (Rose Byrne, BRIDESMAIDS) have a nice house in the suburbs and a new baby (Elise and Zooey Vargas, who'll melt the iciest of hearts). But suburban domesticity has them longing a bit for their wilder days. When a frat house moves in next door, the loud music and wild parties keeps them and the baby awake at night. When they call the police, the frat president (Zac Efron) declares war! I thought the NEIGHBORS preview looked pretty lame myself and while the film is better than its trailer would lead you to believe, it's still a disappointment. Oh, it can be hilarious, don't get me wrong and I did often laugh at its irreverent "anything goes" gross humor (even rape and HIV are put up for laughs) but the film's premise runs out of fuel way before its conclusion. What might have made a classic SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE extended skit turns into a bloated one note comedy sketch. None of it is the fault of its talented cast. Rogen and Byrne's comedic timing is spot on and Efron is perfect as the hunky but not too smart frat leader. Still, the script has a bit of meat on it for those who insist that a movie has something to say and I confess I enjoyed it more than ANIMAL HOUSE but face it, warring neighbors each acting more like a jerk than the other can only wear thin after awhile. I think I'll have a hard time remembering much of it by next week. Directed by Nicholas Stoller. With Lisa Kudrow, Dave Franco (yep, James' brother), Ike Barinholtz and Carla Gallo.