Rogen vs. Efron in Comedy “Neighbors” (2014)

Neighbors-Movie-PosterIt’s Porky’s meets Poltergeist as raunchy highjinks and the purging of a suburban menace swirl into a likely summer comedy hit. Nicholas Stoller’s Neighbors (B) takes the high-concept conceit of young parents (Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne) whose domestic life is turned upside-down by the arrival of a Zac Efron-led fraternity into the house next door and mines it for comic gold. Despite the outlandishness of much of the proceedings, the central ensemble is funny and believable, and there’s plenty of goofy goings-on to keep the story brisk and lively. Although the themes are a little one-note, many of the best bits are derived from the humor exploring the differences between the recently young and the actually young. Trading bongs and kegs for baby monitors and breast pumps feels like a trade-off and leads to a stand-off, and it’s an often hilarious battle.