BAD NEIGHBOURS

I pity my poor friend who'd cracked a rib in a booze related accident and then had to sit through BAD NEIGBOURS laughing her head off but hurting every time she did so. Because this movie is balls-out hilarious - but all the more impressive for the genuine insight it gives into the insecurities and pitfalls of college life and the struggle to accept ageing. 

The movie tells the story of cute young couple called Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly (Rose Byrne), still thinking of themselves as cool and struggling to accept life as suburban parents with a baby and a mortgage.  At first, the couple thing they can play cool and so appease the fraternity boys who've moved in next door, but an early morning call to the police unleashes all out war - Mac and Kelly on one side and Teddy (Zak Efron) and Pete (Dave Franco) on the other.    This takes the form of pranks, sabotage, infiltrating drunken parties and sowing discord - all played out as fifty percent Judd Apatow gross-out comedy and fifty percent Harmony Korine SPRING BREAK-style drugs, sex and alcohol. 

I know, I know. As a good politically correct adult I shouldn't find jokes about waxing pubes, pent-up breast-feeding and getting baked so funny, but I did. And I defy anybody to watch the airbag scene and not laugh out loud.  But the real charm of this film is seeing Mac and Kelly come to terms with being old.  Something my peer group can certainly relate to.  And as for the college kids, I thought the film made a brave attempt to show the real life consequences of partying to hard.  And to it's credit, I never felt like the film was trying to have its cake and eat it. Rather, it was bittersweet to see recovering addict Zac Efron muse on a youth spent going at it too hard, and the wisdom thereby accrued.  

So, all in all, a movie that should appeal equally to teens and thirty somethings - both grossly funny and insightful.  What's not to love?

BAD NEIGHBOURS aka NEIGHBORS has a running time of 96 minutes and is rated R in the USA and 15 in the UK for very strong language, drug use, strong sex, crude sex references and nudity.

BAD NEIGHBOURS is on release in the USA, UK, Ireland, Egypt, the Philippines, UAE, Australia, Switzrland, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Croatia, Israel, Lebanon, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, Thailand, Austria, Canada, Cyprus, Estonia, Spain, Iceland, Lithuania, Latvia, Norway, Panama,  Poland, Sweden, Turkey, Taiwan and Vietnam. It opens on May 13th in Cambodia; on May 15th in Hungary and Macedonia; on May 16th in Romania; on May 29th in the Czech Republic, Peru and Russia; on June 5th in South Korea and Ukraine; on June 19th in Brazil and Italy; on June 25th in Finland; on July 3rd in Denmark; on July 4th in Colombia and Mexico; on July 18th in South Africa; on July 23rd in Belgium and France; on July 25th in Finland and Norway; on August 7th in Chile and on August 14th in Argentina.