Worth a watch… but a little low on laughs

Bad Neighbours (15) review

AVERAGE NEIGHBOURS: Seth Rogen (left) and Zac Efron’s Bad Neighbours is a solid effort.

We’ve all had neighbours that have tested our patience over the years – but Bad Neighbours takes that nightmare to the next level.

Imagine this scenario: you’ve just pumped all of your life savings into buying a house for your partner and child…only for a rowdy fraternity of lads to move in next door.

That’s the reality for Mac and Kelly Radner (Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne), whose suburban dream is dashed by Teddy Sanders (Zac Efron) and his party-loving pals.

While it all starts with a friendly drinking session, the relationship between the two households soon sours when Mac and Kelly call the cops on their neighbours – and it’s all-out war from then on.

Mac is pretty much what you’d expect from a Rogen (Knocked Up, Superbad) character – he only really has one style in locker and on this occasion it works.

There is plenty of chemistry between himself and Byrne, who is actually much funnier than her on-screen husband. Their baby daughter Stella is awesome too.

They scheme to get Teddy and his gang kicked out of their gaffe by their college Dean Carol Gladstone (Lisa Kudrow), with varying success.

On the other side of the fence are the clichéd American frat-boys (students to you and I). Efron is actually the stand-out performer as the leader of the pack – and I was pleasantly surprised to see him spreading his wings with a character that was actually much more layered than you initially expect.

However, despite a couple of great laugh out loud scenes – look out for tactically placed airbags and a different take on breast feeding – the movie as a whole isn’t quite as funny as it thinks it is and I did find myself a little bored at one point.

But while it may have its ridiculous moments, there is an underlying message in Bad Neighbours that most people will relate to.

Be it that moment when education (or in Teddy’s case partying) ends and the daily grind of adult lift set in, or the time when the smaller things in life (that’s family for Mac and Kelly) become all that really matter.

And, although I didn’t laugh as much as I’d like, there’s certainly something for everyone here.

Rating: 3/5
Watched at West End Cinema, Boston