Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (released in some countries as Bad Neighbours 2 and on home release as Neighbors 2) is a 2016 American comedy film directed by Nicholas Stoller and written by Stoller, Andrew J. Cohen, Brendan O'Brien, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. A sequel to Neighbors (2014), the plot follows the Radners (Rogen and Rose Byrne) having to outwit a new sorority led by Shelby (Chloë Grace Moretz), living next door to sell their house currently in escrow. Zac Efron, Dave Franco, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jerrod Carmichael, Ike Barinholtz, Carla Gallo, Hannibal Buress, and Lisa Kudrow reprise their roles from the first film; it was Rogen's first live-action sequel. The film premiered on April 26, 2016, in Berlin and was released on May 20, 2016, in the United States, receiving mostly positive reviews and grossed $108 million worldwide.[3][5]

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising
Theatrical release poster
Directed byNicholas Stoller
Written by
Based onCharacters
by Andrew Jay Cohen
Brendan O'Brien
Produced by
  • Seth Rogen
  • Evan Goldberg
  • James Weaver
Starring
CinematographyBrandon Trost
Edited byZene Baker
Music byMichael Andrews
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release dates
  • April 26, 2016 (2016-04-26) (Berlin)
  • May 20, 2016 (2016-05-20) (United States)
Running time
92 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$35 million[2]
Box office$108 million[3][4]

Plot

Mac and Kelly Radner are expecting their second child, and prepare to sell their home to the Baiers family; the Radners' realtor reminds them that the house is in escrow for 30 days. Mac's friend Jimmy and his wife Paula are also expecting a baby. College freshman Shelby meets fellow freshmen Beth and Nora. Learning that sororities are not allowed to host parties, and disgusted by sexist and predatory frat parties, the trio create a new sorority, Kappa Nu, to throw their own parties.

Teddy Sanders hosts poker night with his former frat brothers. Pete has become a successful architect and come out of the closet, Scoonie has launched his own mobile app, and Garf is a rookie cop since graduating, but Teddy now has a criminal record and cannot find a worthwhile job.

The friends help Pete's boyfriend Darren propose, leading Pete to ask Teddy to move out. Distraught, Teddy runs to the old frat house, next door to the Radners. He meets Shelby, Beth, and Nora, the girls hoping to rent the house for Kappa Nu but unable to afford it. Finding an opportunity to be valued, Teddy offers to help them throw parties, earning enough donations and new members to pay rent.

Fearing that the sorority will scare off the Baiers, Mac and Kelly ask Shelby to temporarily refrain from partying, but she refuses. The Radners go to Dean Gladstone, who cannot control an independent sorority, and Shelby's father, who also fails to help, leading Kappa Nu to prank the Radners. Mac, Kelly, Jimmy, and Paula retaliate, infesting the sorority house with bed bugs, forcing the girls to evacuate and pay for fumigation tenting, just in time for the Baiers' visit. Teddy argues with Pete about the state of his life and moves into the sorority.

Low on funds to pay rent, the girls plan to sell marijuana at their 'tailgate party', eliminating the competition by getting all other dealers arrested. When Teddy objects, the girls kick him out, and he joins the Radners to take down Kappa Nu. They infiltrate the party, and Teddy distracts the girls while Mac steals their marijuana. Realizing Teddy's lack of direction in life, Mac and Kelly let him stay with them. The girls switch Mac and Kelly's cell phone numbers with their own and send text messages tricking Mac into flying to Sydney, Australia. Returning home, the Radners find Kappa Nu has robbed and vandalized their house, and the Baiers threaten to pull out from the sale unless the sorority is kicked out.

The sorority receives an eviction notice, and Shelby reluctantly organizes a sexually gratuitous frat-style party to raise money. As Mac and Kelly wait to call the police, Jimmy and Paula sneak into the party, while Teddy is unable to shut off the sorority's power. Shelby steals Mac and Kelly's phones and locks Mac and Teddy in the garage, but they break out using airbags. Overhearing Beth and Nora confront Shelby for compromising their original goals, Kelly encourages the girls not to give up on themselves. Paula goes into labor, and Teddy reconciles with Pete and Darren, happily agreeing to serve as their best man. The sorority enjoys a more empowering party for themselves and discover a crowd of girls from other sororities wanting to join Kappa Nu. With an overflow of money and new members, the sorority is able to keep their home, and the Radners agree to rent their house to Kappa Nu as well, earning them a bigger cashflow than selling the house.

Three months later, Teddy prepares Pete to walk down the aisle. Teddy has become a wedding planner for gay couples, utilizing his party-planning experience. Mac and Kelly have moved into their new home, with no close neighbors, and realized they have been good parents all along. They bring home their new baby, Mildred, to meet Jimmy and Paula with their new son, Jimmy Jr.

Cast

Production

Development

By early February 2015, a sequel to Neighbors was in development, with Nicholas Stoller set to return to direct. Andrew J. Cohen and Brendan O'Brien returned to write the film, along with Stoller, Seth Rogen, and Evan Goldberg.[6] Goldberg said he read a list of feminist essays as part of research for the script.[7] Two female comedians, Amanda Lund and Maria Blasucci, were brought on board to punch up the jokes, but director Stoller explained they were ultimately not given writer's credits because of Writers Guild stipulations.[8] The film follows Mac and Kelly joining forces with Delta Psi frat leader Teddy to take on the sorority girls who move in next door. Rogen, Rose Byrne, and Zac Efron returned to star. The film was initially scheduled to begin principal photography in mid-2015.[9]

Casting

In July 2015, Chloë Grace Moretz joined the cast,[10] and the title was revealed to be Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising.[11] On August 4, 2015, it was confirmed that Carla Gallo and Ike Barinholtz would be returning for the sequel.[12] On August 7, 2015, Beanie Feldstein and Kiersey Clemons were added to the cast to play Moretz's character's sorority sisters.[13] On August 13, 2015, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Dave Franco would return for the sequel.[14] Selena Gomez was seen filming on set.[15] Lisa Kudrow was also spotted filming, along with other cast.[16] By September 24, 2015, Billy Eichner had joined the cast of the film.[17] The same month, it was revealed that Hannibal Buress and Jerrod Carmichael had been cast in the film, reprising their roles from the first film.[18] Clara Mamet and Awkwafina also joined the cast.[19] On November 18, 2015, it was announced that Cameron Dallas had joined the cast.[20] In December 2015, it was revealed that Abbi Jacobson had also joined the cast,[21] followed by Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Liz Cackowski, and Brian Huskey, all reprising their roles from the first film.[22]

Filming

Principal photography began on August 31, 2015, in Atlanta, Georgia,[23] and ended on October 29, 2015.[24]

Post-production

During post-production, Lena Dunham, LL Cool J, and Cameron Dallas's scenes were all cut from the film. In her cut scene, Dunham played Joan of Arc.[25][26][27][28] LL Cool J played Beth's father.

Release

On February 6, 2015, Universal Pictures scheduled the film for release on May 13, 2016.[29] However, on July 27, 2015, the film was pushed back one week to May 20, 2016.[30]

Box office

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising grossed $55.4 million in North America and $55.3 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $108.8 million, against a budget of $35 million.[3][4]

In North America, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising opened alongside The Angry Birds Movie and The Nice Guys, and was projected to gross $35–40 million from 3,384 theaters in its opening weekend.[31][32] The film grossed $8.7 million on its first day, including $1.7 million from Thursday night previews (lower than the original's $2.5 million).[33] In its opening weekend the film grossed $21.8 million, less than half both the previous film's opening ($49 million) and projections, and finished third at the box office behind The Angry Birds Movie ($38.2 million) and Captain America: Civil War ($32.9 million).[34] The film dropped 57% to $9.4 million in its second weekend, including $11.4 million over the four-day Memorial Day weekend, finishing fifth.[35]

Internationally, where it is known as Bad Neighbours 2, the film was released in a total of 56 countries.[36] It was released in 16 markets on May 6, 2016, where it earned $8 million in its opening weekend. The United Kingdom and Ireland posted the top opening for the film with $2.4 million, followed by Australia with $1.8 million and $1.5 million in Germany.[36]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 64% based on 204 reviews, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising may not be strictly necessary, but it still wrings a surprising amount of humor from a recycled premise with a distaff twist."[37] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 58 out of 100, based on 39 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[38] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, the same grade earned by its predecessor, while PostTrak reported audiences gave the film a 67% overall positive score and a 45% "definite recommend".[34]

Mike Ryan of Uproxx gave the film a positive review, writing, "In a world in which so many comedy sequels fail, here comes a comedy sequel that isn't just 'as good as the first movie,' it's even better."[39] The Guardian awarded it two stars out of five, saying, "This pretty routine follow-up has some decent material and amiable bad taste, heavily diluted with gallons of very ordinary sequel product: more of the same."[40]

In addition, critics praised the movie for its depiction of a gay relationship and positive support from friends in a bromance that avoids gay panic, instead embracing acceptance.[41] The film was also commended for its purported feminist message and for engaging in issues of gender equality,[42] but has also inspired debate about its degree of progressivism.[43][44]

Accolades
Award Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Golden Trailer Awards Best Comedy "Trailer 2 (Nu Rules Green Band)" Nominated [45]
Trashiest Poster "Teaser" Nominated
People's Choice Awards Favorite Comedic Movie Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising Nominated [46]
Favorite Comedic Movie Actor Zac Efron Nominated
Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Actor: Comedy Zac Efron Won [47]
Choice Movie Actress: Comedy Chloë Grace Moretz Won
Choice Movie: Hissy Fit Zac Efron Nominated

Short film

On May 16, 2016, Seth Rogen uploaded a short film sequel to Sorority Rising to his Twitter account, titled Neighbors 3: Zombies Rising, in which he and Zac Efron reprise their roles as Mac and Teddy. The film follows the pair as they argue over how to deal with a tied up zombie, with matters becoming complicated when Teddy realizes the zombie was once part of his fraternity, Delta Psi Beta. The short ends after the pair accidentally kill the zombie, with Rogen and Efron themselves discussing what a great idea it would be for a third feature-length Neighbors film.[48][49]

References
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