YMMV / Neighbors (2014)

• Alternate Character Interpretation: Thanks to the Grey-and-Gray Morality of the films.
• Contested Sequel: Whether or not Neighbors 2 is a worthy follow-up is debated. Even though the film got decent reviews and thought its humor lived up to its predecessor, something that's not normally expected for sequels of comedy films, some wrote it off as simply a redo of the first film, presenting very little changes and making it seem unnecessary.
• Crosses the Line Twice: Practically the whole movie.
  • In the sequel, Mac getting vomited on during sex with Kelly? Not funny. Kelly whining that she might be pregnant and Mac telling her that he already climaxed from the vomit? Hilarious.
• Ensemble Dark Horse:
  • Despite the film being pitched as Rogen vs. Efron, most critical reviews — even the negative ones — heaped the most praise on Rose Byrne's Kelly, who doesn't get stuck with a Women Are Wiser role and gets a lot of laughs going from button-downed house-wife to scheming partner-in-crime with Mac. Plus, she does a hilarious Keet impression of Anne Hathaway. The fact that the film gave her a rare chance to use her own accent was a nice bonus.
  • Pete, mainly for being the Only Sane Man on both sides, and for being a genuinely good guy.
• He Really Can Act: This is the movie that proved to the world that Zac Efron's status as a brief Disney Channel star was not to be and that he had legitimate comedic talents.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • The Robert De Niro scene becomes this now that Zac Efron has starred alongside the man himself.
  • Zac Efron's next outing as a man named Ted will be much darker.
  • In the sequel, the Kappas host a costume party and Teddy dresses up as "Future President Hillary Clinton". Yeah about that....
  • In Neighbors 2, Teddy's dancing manages to distract the girls while Mac steals their weed. Since the filming all three of the main girls (Chloe Moretz, Kiersey Clemons and Beanie Feldstein) have come out as LGBT.
• Ho Yay: Pete's dramatic I Love You moment with Teddy could be read as this, especially with the romantic music that plays. Then the sequel had him come out of the closet.
• Jerkass Woobie:
  • Teddy is not the nicest person around, but in the sequel when he starts crying while talking about his desire to find a place to fit in and have a purpose, it's really pathetic and really difficult to not feel sorry for him.
  • Shelby is, without a doubt, a jerk, but she came to college without having any friends back home and is terrified of losing the ones she made and being alone at college so it's easy to feel bad for her.
• Nausea Fuel: The milking scene in the first movie.
• One-Scene Wonder: Dean Carol Gladstone and Officer Watkins, although the former is more of a Two Scene Wonder.
• Squick:
  • Paula says "check out my new necklace" during a party, and said "necklace" is a guy's huge erect penis around her neck.
  • The aforementioned milking scene.
  • The sequel also has the following:
    • Mac getting vomit on his face while trying to have sex with his wife.
    • The sorority prank the Radners by throwing used tampons at their window. Mac gets hit in the face with one.
• Strawman Has a Point: Jimmy gets shut down immediately for bringing up the idea of "mens rights," despite the fact that this very film points out it is quite possible to be prejudiced against men. Then again, critics would argue that "mens rights" groups focus too much on anti feminism rather than promoting men's rights, so Mac shutting down Jimmy is just the film's way of saying his solution isn't the answer the same way Kappa Nu's insisting on partying for 30 days isn't the solution to ending patriarchal norms.
• Too Bleak, Stopped Caring: Both sides in both movies do some pretty screwed up things throughout the film, making it difficult to root for either side. But this is the point of the films as it's less about the outcome and more about the anxiety of growing up, which drives the entire conflict.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic: Shelby and the Kappa Nu sisters. The sequel takes a more sympathetic stance on them than they did with Teddy and his frat brothers in the original. The problem though being a) they use Straw Feminist arguments to rationalize their actions and never get called out on it other than some scoffs (this film came out at a time when debates regarding feminism on the web were at a peak, so the writers needed to be more careful), b) the only thing the Radners actually did to them was request they keep the partying down until they can officially sell their house in 30 days, and c) the things they do to them are far more malicious (such as intentionally trying to break up the Radners' marriage). ^note While the Delta Psi's pranks were more physically dangerous, that can be chalked up to immaturity, and in their defense they felt legitimately betrayed in the first film, whereas in sequel, the girls decide to attack the Radners, simply out of pure spite, and their methods are far more calculating and conniving. It's somewhat made up for by them buying the Radners' home therefore being the solution to the problem they caused in the first place, however this still means that end up being a Karma Houdini, without ever really acknowledging that what they were doing was wrong except at the very last minute.

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