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| Copyright: Universal Pictures |
Bad Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising
is the sequel to the equally hilarious Bad Neighbours. It has a very similar
plot to the previous movie, however this time it focuses around a sorority
whose leader believes that they should be able to party just as much as frats.
This doesn’t agree well with their neighbours who are trying to sell their
house and trying to relax after the previous frat house (owned by Zac Efron’s
character) was cleared. They decide to make it their mission to again to move/
get rid of the group and their parties which results in a war for rights of the
house.
Zac Efron and Seth Rogen return
as their characters from the previous movie. I feel both suit the comedy genre
best and especially together. They both complement each other and are almost
opposites both in and out of character, which I think suits them as a pair even
more. Rose Byrne, Ike Barinholtz and Carla Gallo also return to fulfil the “old
people” group (named by the girls in the sorority). The movie also features new
characters played by Chloe Grace Mortez, Kiersey Clemons and Beanie Feldstien;
they create the main plot for the movie to build on.
In typical Bad Neighbours fashion, the jokes were the main priority. The jokes
managed to make me laugh genuinely without becoming too cheesy or even
annoying. While the jokes were funny for me, they may not be for everyone; the
jokes focused around drugs, parenthood and generation differences. In one scene
(for example), Chloe Mortez’s character is told to remove the “old people’s”
phones so they cannot call for the police. She grabs a Cord phone and runs but
falls down because it’s connected to the wall and doesn’t understand what it
is. To parents and probably older people, the would find this funny as they’ve
experienced the change in technology; however younger audiences have grown up
with technology (including myself) so they might not understand the joke as
clearly.
Another aspect I think was
special to the movie was the fact it was able to entwine serious subjects
whilst still remaining a comedy. These included; Parenthood struggles, identity
crisis’ and feminism. Seth Rogen’s and Rose Byrne’s characters are expecting a
second child but are already struggling with just one; we see this when child
turns up with the mothers “play toys” continuously and refuse to give them to
her parents. In the end, both characters conclude that there is no such thing
as a perfect parent and move on with their lives. Zac Efron’s character is the
runt of his frat and struggles to find where he belongs and what to do in the
future. He ends up apologising to his friends and becomes a wedding planner for
homosexuals (like his friend).
And lastly, feminism. Feminism is
the main reason the movie’s plot exists. Chloe Mortez’s character attends a
frats party (a male sorority) which subjects the girls to sex, drugs and
provocative dancing. Fair to say she, Kiersey Clemons’ and Beanie Feldstien’s
characters didn’t agree with it. They decide to make a sorority to condescend
the typical ideas of girl groups and their role on campus’. This aspect is also
taken seriously and no jokes are made on it (unless it’s picking fun at the
sexist remarks). This I appreciate massively; I am not an extreme feminist but
a feminist nonetheless. To see something as controversial as this is a comedy,
where it is not harassed for its label is something I’ve never seen. It makes
it stand out.
All these reasons and aspects
build it towards my favourite movie, and even towards one of my favourite
comedies of all time. And contrasting to some of its reviews (a 5.8/10 from
letterbox and 5.9/10 from IMDb), I think it deserves a higher title.
