The 2014 hit “Neighbors” was a raunchy, sloppy comedy that had one irony beneath the genital jokes: that the nightmare of living next to a noisy frat house made a married couple nostalgic for their own rowdy youth.
For the sequel, “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising,” that idea has been replaced with another deep concept. Here, the now-vacant house next door is taken over by college women, who turn the act of partying into a defiant feminist cry of empowerment.
At least I think that’s what the movie is saying. The messages get a little mixed in the world of R-rated bodily-function comedies.
Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly (Rose Byrne) are still living in their home, with a toddler and another kid on the way. Their place is for sale, and if they can just live out 30 days of escrow, they’ll be in a new home in the quiet, quiet suburbs.
Suddenly, a brand-new sorority moves into the empty house next door. These women enlist the party-organizing services of Teddy (Zac Efron), the now-aging frat boy with the twelve-pack abs.
Director Nicholas Stoller works variations on the previous film’s formula, and the sequel actually holds together a little better than the original. Rogen does fewer monologues about his private parts, and some of the slapstick works pretty well.
You can tell that “Neighbors 2” is sincere about smuggling in its social messages: Despite the raunchiness, it does want us to cheer on the gay marriage of Teddy’s former roommate (Dave Franco, in an unfortunately diminished role from the first film) and see that the sorority sisters have a point when they decry the male power structure at school.
The girl-power contingent is led by Chloe Grace Moretz, Kiersey Clemons, and Beanie Feldstein. Their best jokes come from deriding the habits of the “old people” next door—the way they use telephones with cords, for instance.
As haphazard as they are, at least these movies are constantly buzzing with jokes and surreal moments. Even the two real-estate agents, who have limited screen time, are played to the hilt by comic actors.
It’s as though the “Neighbors” formula had been dreamed up by that toddler: gather together as much stuff as you can, throw it madly around the room, and see if it’s funny. Doo-doo jokes included at no extra cost.
“Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising” 2 stars
A sequel to the 2014 hit has a houseful of sorority sisters (led by Chloe Grace Moretz) moving in next door to long-suffering homeowners Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne. Slightly less disorganized than the first film, this one still has the usual collection of bodily-function humor and slapstick. With Zac Efron.
Rating: R, for language, nudity, subject matter
Showing: Alderwood, Cinebarre, Everett, Monroe, Marysville, Pacific Place, Sundance Cinemas, Thornton Place, Woodinville, Cascade Mall
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