Sartaj Singh
Director Nicholas Stoller holds the reins to the wild ride of ‘Neighbors,’ a 2014 comedy movie about a couple with a newborn baby trying to deal with, and eventually fight back against the Fraternity moving in next door to them. Kelly and Mac are just settling into their lives as new parents when a nightmare scenario for them, and a sidesplittingly hilarious one for us, unfolds. The fraternity, presided over by Teddy Sanders, refuses to heed their requests to lower the volume of their nightly celebrations, leaving the couple with little choice but to call the cops on them.
The pissed-off party animals learn of their neighbors’ treachery and begin to pull hysterical pranks on them. When the grown-ups decide to respond in kind, it’s an all-out war of ridiculous proportions and hysterical mutual destruction, that can leave you on the floor wanting more movies like ‘Neighbors.’
8. Role Models (2008)
A film featuring the grown-ups vs kids dynamics in a friendlier manner, ‘Role Models’ sees Danny (Paul Rudd) and Wheeler (Seann Scott) attempt to bridge the generational gap, as they are assigned community service to preside over schoolboys in need of guidance. The two are put in the situation over a series of unfortunate events leading to a property-damaging fight with a tow truck driver.
Danny is in a constant state of FML, while Wheeler is an irresponsible skirt-chasing mascot who would barely qualify as a grown-up himself. They take a geeky teen and a crude middle schooler under their wing and struggle to make any progress, learning about their own faults more than the children’s. The David Wain-directed comedy has enough ridiculous humor punctuated by a heartfelt turn to be added to the watchlist of anyone who has enjoyed the intergenerational interactions of ‘Neighbors.’
7. Waiting… (2005)
Directed by Rob McKittrick, ‘Waiting…’ navigates the lives of restaurant employees at a generic chain restaurant called Shenaniganz. Monty, a waiter at the restaurant, and the rest of its staff members are bored out of their minds working mundane jobs. Reaching a breaking point, they throw caution to the wind and begin to engage in as much wild and chaotic behavior as they can get away with.
Much like Kelly and Mac, they rediscover having fun in their adult lives through pranks, jokes, and spontaneous behavior. Humorously showcases camaraderie, relationships, and absurdities that come with working in the service industry, ‘Waiting…’ portrays the balancing act of being a working adult and keeping one’s inner child alive.
6. Grandma’s Boy (2006)
‘Grandma’s Boy’ is a comedy film that revolves around Alex, a video game tester in his 30s, who, after being evicted, moves in with his grandmother and her senior citizen friends. Alex navigates the peculiarities of living among an eccentric elderly crowd while pursuing his career in the gaming industry. The film hilariously juxtaposes Alex’s tired and pitiful state as a man in his 30s, to the quirky, carefree, and funloving nature of the oldies living with him.
The comedic clashes and heartwarming moments between them in the Nicholaus Goossen directorial will be thoroughly enjoyed by those who liked Nicholas Stoller’s film, as ‘Grandma’s Boy’ explores the inverse, with comedic interactions including an older generation in an atmosphere of mutual support and good-natured fun.
5. Office Space (1999)
Peter Gibbons, is a disenchanted office worker trapped in a soul-crushing job at a tech company who finds out his girlfriend is cheating on him. He reaches a breaking point after a hypnotic suggestion is turned on in his mind by a hypnotist who dies shortly afterward. Tired of being harassed by incompetent bosses, he no longer cares about his job and starts to slack off and essentially flip off the corporate slave expectations of him. Surprisingly, he finds himself promoted to upper management while his friends, Michael and Samir, are about to be fired. They hatch a plan to steal from the very system that exploited them, but end up getting a lot more than they bargained for.
The satirical comedy directed by Mike Judge hilariously portrays the tedium and absurdities of office culture, while also delivering comedic relief through its clever satire, memorable characters, and the ultimate pursuit of personal freedom and happiness amidst the corporate grind. Much like Kelly and Mac, Peter and his friends decide to ditch what is expected of them and fight back, taking back control of their lives, and most importantly, having a blast by the end.
4. Super Troopers (2001)
Posted in a remote town bordering Canada, Vermont state troopers, Thorny, Rabbit, Mac, Farva, and Foster cruise the highways playing harmless pranks on young citizens and each other, while having as much as they possibly can. However, when their town is hit with budget cuts, they begin a frantic competition with their rivals, Spurbury P.D. Helmed by Jay Chandrasekhar, the cop comedy’s antics are accentuated by their perpetrators being people you wouldn’t expect to be as carefree and fun-loving, a comedic undertone that is shared with the young parents from ‘Neighbors’ stooping to the level of college kids to undermine them.
3. Revenge of the Nerds (1984)
Fathering the trope of nerds coming into their own and fighting back against jocks, ‘Revenge of the Nerds’ is a classic frat comedy by director Jeff Kanew, that sees the stereotypically awkward and frail nerds get back at their bullies using their greatest weapon, big brains. Working their way up the college power and popularity chain with some underhand tactics and the most hilariously entertaining talent show performance in film, the nerds develop confidence and an iron-clad bond of friendship. The main characters are all icons in their own right, and share an uphill battle with the cool and popular kids, much like the protagonists from ‘Neighbors,’ with added themes of minority struggle and the expected adherence to societal norms.
2. Old School (2003)
Directed by Todd Phillips, ‘Old School’ acquaints us with Mitch, Beanie, and Frank, who face a low point in their personal lives, with a cheating girlfriend, a premature marriage, and fading youth. They come up with a plan to retake their glory days by creating a fraternity on a college campus that takes in all types of people, from problematic students to retirees. The results are beyond ridiculously hilarious as the three embrace the chaos while barely keeping up in their older bodies.
Their antics are threatened by the new dean, Pritchard, who makes it a personal mission to drive them off campus. As Mac and Kelly slowly begin to enjoy their crazy situations with the fraternity, reliving their youth, the protagonists of ‘Old School’ were initially reluctant, but completely embrace their newfound community. The movie is unapologetically absurd with its party scenes and will have fans of the genre in splits by the end of it.
1. National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978)
The godfather of fraternity party movies, ‘Animal House,’ by director John Landis centers on the Delta Tau Chi fraternity of outcasts and misfits being targeted by the elitist Omega Theta Pi and Dean Vernon Wormer. The Delta house members just try to have a good time but unequivocally incite the wrath of the Dean and Omega house. They are attacked and driven off campus, only to come back and take their revenge in the most spectacular manner.
The movie has way too much going on to ever describe, the Dean’s wife is seduced, a motorcycle blasts into a house, an armoured car disguised as a cake conducts coordinated strikes on a parade with support weapon teams and mortar crews. If party comedies like ‘Neighbors’ appeal to you in any capacity, ‘Animal House’ sits at the top, as king of the hill.
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