Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

Neighbors

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Laugh-aloud raunchy humor masks messages about adulthood.

Movie R 2014 96 minutes
Neighbors Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 15+

Based on 27 parent reviews

MannyReviews
MannyReviews Adult
May 18, 2021
age 13+

Suuuuper funny, and has you stressed out the WHOLE TIME

I'm ngl this movie is very inappropriate. There are CONSTANT sexual references, there are at least 7 fully nude sex scenes, there is a scene where the husband has to "milk" his wife and her t*ts are all black and purple, there is even a scene where the frats are sculpting dildos and selling them to girls to make money. Long story short.....it is one of the FUNNIEST movies that i have ever seen, second only to Ted or Borat. I recommend this for 13 and up. I know this sound weird but chances are that at school, the amount of sexual jokes and cuss words they hear are the equivalent to an NC-17 movie, and more than likely they have or currently watch porn.So what exactly are you protecting them from that they haven't seen. Personally i was allowed to govern what i watched, as long as i did well in other aspect such as school and sports. I was watching movies such as silence of the lambs, and Rambo at age 10, and i turned out perfectly fine. And if you deny your child access to rated R or PG-13 movies, they will either do it at a friends house behind your back or on an illegal movie website behind your back, so its your choice.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
1 person found this helpful.
Charlie H.
Charlie H. Adult
November 4, 2022
age 17+

It knows how to have fun . . . in a romping frat comedy!

First off, I want to say that this movie knows how to have fun not only with all the epic part scenes but also sometimes with the comedy. I was going into this with no expectations whatsoever and coming out like: “wow, that was inappropriate, but it bloody hell knew how to throw a fun-fest comedy ride!!” But respect this movie for just going all out and having one of the most sickening times during parties I have seen (as of right now) and i just want to say this: Zac Efron isn’t that singing male from The Greatest Showman, he’s younger and immature in this movie and he knows how to make the movie fun. As much as watching these type of movies always makes me feel a bit wasted and feel like I shouldn’t have seen it, this one does exactly that but also it adds a good amount of “I had fucking fun!!” with this movie also. I had laughs, and I thought it was a good simple plot executed quite well. The parties were the most epic parts of the movie and the scene stealer was Zac Efron — easily. It manages to balance out comedy and a good enough plot that when the movie ended, I was like, “RESPECT!” Sometimes these movies can be a hit or miss for me, but this one had such a fun time that by the end of it, it was a hit and had a grin on my face by the end of the movie!!

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 27 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly (Rose Byrne) Radner are living the late-20s dream: They're married, they own a beautiful house in a safe neighborhood, and they have an adorable baby girl, Stella. When the house next door is bought by a college fraternity led by President Teddy Sanders (Zac Efron), the Radners put on their "we're still hip" faces and head out to meet their new NEIGHBORS in hopes of reminding them to keep it down late at night. Instead, the Radners are swept inside for their first all-night party in years. But neighborly feelings are put to the test when the Radners eventually call the police on the frat, sparking an escalating prank war between the new parents and the partying fraternity brothers.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (27 ):
Kids say (44 ):

If you enjoy the sort of raunchy comedies that make you simultaneously blush, squirm, and laugh out loud (i.e. This Is the End, Superbad, and Knocked Up), this latest Nicholas Stoller/Seth Rogen comedy is for you. Blending a booze-and-boobs college party comedy with a more serious look at what happens when once-cool twentysomethings get married and have baby, Neighbors definitely requires you to suspend your disbelief. After all, why would only one set of neighbors on a leafy suburban street object to a fraternity moving onto the block? But once you've come to terms with the fact the movie is very much about the Radners versus the frat house, you can just sit back and enjoy the raunchy -- but nonetheless hilarious -- show.

And if you work hard to look beyond the gross-out gags and penis jokes, you'll see, as in most movies made by Judd Apatow's proteges, surprisingly thoughtful messages about college life versus adult life. Efron is perfect as Teddy, who may be gorgeous but is also vapid, having wasted his four years in college caring only about his fraternity. Playing his bromance partner/best friend is Dave Franco, who, unlike Teddy, actually has a plan to become an architect after graduation. As for Rogen and Byrne, they're the perennial new parents, dealing with the loss of their youth (and ability to party without consequences) but eventually savoring the richness of life with a baby. If you're a fan of Rogen and Co.'s brand of comedy, this is a must-see, but if gutter-minded jokes make you say "Well I never!," definitely sit this one out.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how Neighbors' portrays drinking and drug use. Are there any real-life consequences? Does the movie judge the partying fraternity members differently than the new parents who partake? Do you?

  • Talk about the movie's messages about college versus adulthood. How do the Radners finally come to terms with their new stage of life? What does Teddy realize about his college career?

  • Is the movie's frank depiction of married sex, college sex, sex toys, and full-frontal nudity too graphic for older teens? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.

Movie Details

  • In theaters: May 9, 2014
  • On DVD or streaming: September 23, 2014
  • Cast: Seth Rogen , Zac Efron , Rose Byrne
  • Director: Nicholas Stoller
  • Inclusion Information: Female actors
  • Studio: Universal Studios
  • Genre: Comedy
  • Run time: 96 minutes
  • MPAA rating: R
  • MPAA explanation: pervasive language, strong crude and sexual content, graphic nudity, and drug use throughout
  • Last updated: June 20, 2023

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate