Neighbors 1 is one of the funniest movies I have seen in recent years. It had something to say while being funny, it was well paced, great memorable characters and a surprise star vehicle for Zac Efron. The sequel has a lot of that same stuff as its predecessor, it’s still funny though not as quite, it is less surprising and fresh, but just as amiable, and even a slight more progressive compared to the first film.

Mac and Kelly (Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne) the protagonists from the first film along with Teddy (Zac Efron), their adversary are back in a reasonably clever way. The couple has managed to sell their house but it remains in escrow for 30 days where if nothing goes wrong they get to sell their house. In moves a new sorority who are mentored by Teddy, a person who is stuck between his college days and adulthood. Again Efron makes a strong character focal point like he did in the last film, having friends who are getting on while he is stuck in limbo, much like our protagonists are putting him on even ground.

Adding to the new character list are the Kappa Nu sisters played by Chloe Moretz, Kiersey Clemons, and Beanie Feldstein. They freshen up the Neighbors dynamic but aren’t given as given strong material that the first film had. In making a point the five screenwriters often give them plainly expository dialogue that’s cheesy to sell, but fortunately the movie is just breezy enough that you can lie back and enjoy the film still, even if you’ve seen this show before.

The law of diminishing returns starts here. I am thankful this isn’t a comedy sequel that rests as much on tried unfunny schtick as Horrible Bosses 2 does. The filmmakers do make the effort, and again some funny gags shown in the trailers aren’t even in the final film, which is funny enough for me to give the movie a slight recommendation like most critics  have.