--- title: "Neighbors: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/neighbors/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/neighbors" critics_score: 69 critics_reviews: 16 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Neighbors (2014): what the critics said Critics' score 69 from 16 reviews: 10 positive, 5 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics find Neighbors funny: ten of the sixteen reviews are positive, and even the mixed ones concede a decent ratio of laughs. The praise clusters on the cast rather than the writing. Rose Byrne is named more often than anyone, several reviews calling her the film’s secret asset for the way her timing keeps the outrageous material grounded. Zac Efron’s deadpan is the other recurring pleasure, along with the escalating party set pieces. The reservations are about shape: a story that never quite arrives, uneven gags, and a reliance on shouty improvisation that some find tiresome. Slant objects that the rivalry is doggedly male-centred and Byrne is pushed into the background, an odd counterpoint to the reviews that put her front and centre. The spread is wide, from raves calling it a reinvention of the studio comedy to The Guardian, where Mark Kermode finds it aimless and notes that the trailer has already given away its best slapstick punchlines. ## The Hollywood Reporter — THR Staff Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 8 March 2014. Festival review. The critic finds the comedy very funny and steadily escalating, calling it a major win for its screenwriters. Rose Byrne earns special praise for her devious, scene-stealing performance. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/neighbors-sxsw-review-687046/) ## Time Out — Ashley Clark Rating 4/5. 28 April 2014. The 4/5 rating indicates a positive verdict. The available page text does not reveal a specific point of praise or criticism. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/bad-neighbours) ## Total Film — Matt Glasby Rating 4/5. 3 May 2014. Glasby finds the comedy consistently funny and praises its charm and set-piece gags, despite its rushed pacing and gender issues. He singles out Zac Efron’s casting and Dave Franco’s comic performance, while noting the film’s humour often outweighs its subtlety. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/bad-neighbours-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Betsy Sharkey Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 8 May 2014. Sharkey finds the raunchy comedy successful, praising its mix of crude laughs with sweetness and intelligence. She singles out the believable relationship dialogue and the sensitivity woven into the story. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-neighbors-review-20140509-column.html) ## Variety — Andrew Barker Fi1m's normalised score 72/100 (inferred from the text). 9 March 2014. Festival review. Barker finds the comedy an outrageous, winningly stupid riot despite its incoherent story and uneven gags. He particularly praises Zac Efron’s surprisingly intriguing performance and the reflection between Efron’s and Seth Rogen’s characters. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2014/film/festivals/sxsw-film-review-neighbors-1201128376/) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 8 May 2014. Ebiri finds Neighbors very funny, though somewhat confused and uneven. He praises Zac Efron’s deadpan performance and the party scenes’ feverish energy, while finding some improvised exchanges clunky. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2014/05/movie-review-neighbors.html) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page could not be accessed, so its critical verdict cannot be verified. No review text was available to identify what the critic singled out for praise or complaint. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/neighbors-2014) ## Screen Daily — Tim Grierson Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 2 May 2014. The page identifies this as a review, but its verdict is not visible in the accessible text. No specific praise or criticism can be established from the available excerpt. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/neighbors/5071197.article) ## Slant Magazine — Eric Henderson Rating 2/4. 8 May 2014. The review finds the comedy doggedly focused on male-centered rivalry, with Rose Byrne’s character pushed into the background. It praises the flashbacks that skewer the veneration of fraternity traditions. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/neighbors/) ## The Guardian — Mark Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 3 May 2014. Kermode finds the comedy aimless and too often reliant on shouty improvisation. He praises Rose Byrne’s contribution but criticizes a recurring slapstick gag whose punchlines were already given away in the trailer. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/may/04/bad-neighbours-review-raucous-comedy-short-laughs) ## The Playlist Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 7 May 2014. The headline gives the film a strongly positive verdict, calling it one of the funniest studio comedies in recent memory. It singles out the comedy as the film’s strength. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-neighbors-with-seth-rogen-zac-efron-is-one-of-the-funniest-studio-comedies-in-recent-memory-20140507/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 7 May 2014. The critic calls the film an instant classic, praising its emotional intelligence and its reinvention of the studio comedy. The review especially singles out the film’s fairness to both sides of the conflict and its sharp, escalating comic set pieces. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/neighbors-review-seth-rogens-suburbanites-vs-frat-boys-comedy-instant-classic/) ## Collider — Perri Nemiroff Rating B. 9 March 2014. Festival review. Nemiroff finds the film entertaining despite weak character development, logic issues, and a lack of narrative flow. She particularly praises Rose Byrne’s comic timing and ability to ground the outrageous material. [Read the review](https://collider.com/neighbors-movie-review/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 3.5/5. 8 May 2014. Crow calls it one of the funniest films of the year, despite a slow start and an unoriginal premise. He particularly praises Rose Byrne, whose comic performance makes her the film’s secret asset. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/neighbors-review/) ## Eye for Film — David Graham Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 18 June 2014. Graham finds the film enjoyable but misguided, with juvenile humour and an uneven balance between its protagonists and frat boys. He praises Rose Byrne and Zac Efron, and notes that Stoller captures suburban ennui well. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/bad-neighbours-2014-film-review-by-david-graham) ## Consequence — Blake Goble Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 12 May 2014. Goble finds the comedy funny about half the time, but says it tries too hard and its story never quite delivers. He praises the aggressive pranks and the nearly all-funny jokes about male anatomy. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2014/05/film-review-neighbors/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/neighbors.md