Neighbors 2: Sorority Uprising (2016) - Nicholas Stoller

Nicholas Stoller's Neighbors 2: Sorority Uprising is like many comedy sequels before it, a film that astrays very little from the tried-and-true formula of the first film, delivering another entertaining comedy that has more hits than misses.  Picking up after the events of the first film, Neighbors 2 finds Mac and Kelly coming to terms with adulthood, preparing to move into a new home across town.  Attempting to sell their current home, the couple soon finds that their new neighbors, an upstart sorority, can be just as intrusive to their tranquil domesticated life as the fraternity before it.  In an attempt to rid themselves of the problem, Mac and Kelly find themselves forming an alliance with their ex-neighbor, Teddy Sanders, who is struggling to find a purpose in post-college life.  Neighbors 2:  Sorority Uprising is exactly what one would expect from the comedy sequel, being a dumb, loud, comedy that delivers more of the same, thanks to its stellar comedic cast.  While I wish she was given even more to do, Rose Byrne once again steals the film from her costars, showing impeccable comedic timing and making me once again question why this woman isn't in more comedies.  The jokes are much of the same variety, most hit, some miss, but what does stand out about Neighbors 2: Sorority Uprising is its not too subtle commentary on the double-standards of society using specifically when it comes to greek life, sexuality, and debauchery.  Shelby, the antagonist to Mac and Kelly's peaceful neighborhood, is a college girl who launched a sorority in defiance of the backwards, institutionalized sexism of greek life that says only fraternities can throw a party.  While its a bit of a stretch to call Neighbors 2: Sorority Uprising some type of triumph for feminism, the film does without question capture the absurdity of these double-standards in society, specifically around sexuality and general debauchery, subtely and not-so-subtely showcasing the lack of equality.  Don't expect any type of profound commentary, this is a Seth Rogen comedy for fucks-sake, but Neighbors 2: Sorority Uprising is fun, well-intentioned, and certainly has something to say about the double-standards of our society when it comes to gender.

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