NEIGHBORS 2: SORORITY RISING (2016)

Summary:

Mac and Kelly Radner are on the verge of selling their house and moving to the suburbs, preparing for the arrival of their second child. However, their plans are thrown into chaos when a rebellious new sorority, Kappa Nu, led by freshman Shelby, moves into the vacant house next door. Disillusioned with the restrictive and sexist rules of traditional sororities, Shelby and her friends Beth and Nora seek to create a new Greek house where they can party freely and make their own rules.

As the sorority's wild parties threaten to derail the Radners' crucial 30-day escrow period, Mac and Kelly are forced to team up with their former nemesis, Teddy Sanders, who is feeling lost and purposeless after his friends have moved on with their lives. Along with Teddy's old fraternity brothers, they launch an all-out war against Kappa Nu, employing a series of escalating pranks and strategies to shut down the sorority and secure their house sale, leading to hilarious and destructive consequences for everyone involved.

Keywords: Neighbors 2, 2016, Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, Chloë Grace Moretz, Comedy, Sorority, Fraternity, College, Parenthood.

Plot:

The film opens with Mac and Kelly Radner navigating the challenges of parenthood with their young daughter, Stella, and preparing for the arrival of their second child. They've put their house on the market, hoping to move to a quieter suburban neighborhood before the baby's birth. Their real estate agent informs them that a family has made an offer, contingent on a 30-day escrow period, meaning the house must be free of any major issues, particularly noise complaints, for the next month. This puts immense pressure on the Radners to maintain a peaceful environment.

Meanwhile, freshman college students Shelby, Beth, and Nora are experiencing the disappointment of traditional sorority life. They find the existing sororities to be overly restrictive, sexist, and focused on superficiality, with strict rules against throwing their own parties. Driven by a desire for true independence and the freedom to party on their own terms, they decide to form their own sorority, Kappa Nu, where they can escape the patriarchal system and create a safe space for women to have fun. Their biggest challenge is finding a suitable house, which they eventually locate next door to the Radners – the very house previously occupied by the raucous Delta Psi Beta fraternity.

The Radners are initially wary but attempt to be understanding, hoping Kappa Nu will be less disruptive than the previous fraternity. However, Shelby and her friends quickly establish their presence with loud parties that directly interfere with the Radners' open house viewings. The Radners' real estate agent warns them that potential buyers are being deterred by the noise, jeopardizing their escrow. Desperate, Mac and Kelly try to reason with Shelby, but the young women are determined to assert their right to party, leading to an immediate clash of wills.

Feeling overwhelmed, Mac and Kelly realize they need help. They turn to their former nemesis, Teddy Sanders, who is now struggling to find purpose in his life. While his best friend Pete is engaged and moving on, Teddy feels left behind and directionless. He initially offers to help Mac and Kelly by infiltrating Kappa Nu, believing he can mentor the girls and subtly influence them to tone down their activities. Teddy attempts to bond with Shelby, offering advice on how to run a successful sorority, but his true intentions are soon revealed, causing a rift between him and Kappa Nu. Feeling betrayed, Shelby and her friends declare war on the Radners and Teddy.

The conflict escalates into a series of increasingly elaborate and destructive pranks. Kappa Nu's first major fundraiser, a "charity car wash" where the girls wear revealing outfits, is sabotaged by the Radners and Teddy, who swap their car wash soap for a highly sudsing industrial detergent, creating an uncontrollable foam party. In retaliation, Kappa Nu blasts loud music during the Radners' open house, causing potential buyers to flee. The Radners and Teddy escalate their tactics, stealing Kappa Nu's weed stash, only for the girls to easily acquire more. They then replace the sorority's smoke alarms with their own, triggering them during a party, which leads to a fire truck showing up, further embarrassing Kappa Nu and solidifying their resolve.

The sorority, however, faces a significant financial hurdle: they need to pay their rent. With their funds dwindling, they plan a series of events, including a "tailgate party" fundraiser. This coincides with the Radners' final, most crucial open house, meant to secure their sale before the escrow deadline. The Radners, Teddy, and his former fraternity brothers (Pete, Jimmy, and Scoonie) devise a plan to infiltrate the tailgate party and sabotage it, hoping to drive away potential buyers for Kappa Nu's house and force them out.

During the chaotic tailgate party, the pranks reach their peak. The Radners and their team try to disrupt the event, but Kappa Nu is equally cunning. Teddy, however, begins to have a change of heart. He sees Shelby's passion and determination, recognizing a similar drive in himself that he once had with his fraternity. He realizes that Shelby and her friends are genuinely trying to create a community and a sense of belonging, much like he did. He feels a connection to their struggle against a system that seems to be against them. This realization leads Teddy to switch sides, much to the dismay of Mac and Kelly, as he decides to help Kappa Nu protect their party and their house.

The situation comes to a head when Dean Gladstone, the university's faculty advisor for Greek life, arrives, along with the police. The university has strict rules against independent sororities and the noise complaints are mounting. It seems Kappa Nu is doomed to be shut down. However, Teddy, now fully committed to helping Shelby, devises a plan. He uses his knowledge of Greek life bylaws to point out a loophole: Kappa Nu isn't technically a university-sanctioned sorority, so the university's rules don't strictly apply to them. They are simply a group of young women renting a house. This prevents Dean Gladstone from immediately shutting them down.

Ultimately, the Radners' house sale is still in jeopardy, and Kappa Nu still needs to find a way to exist. In a surprising turn of events, the family who initially put an offer on the Radners' house, after seeing the chaos first-hand, withdraws their offer. However, another young couple, who are much more understanding and even amused by the sorority's antics, decide to buy the Radners' house, appreciating the vibrant, if chaotic, neighborhood. This allows Mac and Kelly to finally move to the suburbs with their growing family.

As for Kappa Nu, with Teddy's continued help and newfound purpose, they find a new, more suitable house off-campus where they can continue to operate as an independent sorority, free from the university's strictures and the direct conflict with the Radners. The film concludes with Mac and Kelly settling into their new, quieter life, while Teddy, having found a new sense of direction and purpose in mentoring Kappa Nu, finally feels like he belongs. The Radners reflect on their experiences, acknowledging the challenges of growing up and moving on, and the importance of finding your place in the world, whether it's in a quiet suburb or a rebellious sorority.

Cast (Lead Roles):

• Seth Rogen as Mac Radner
• Rose Byrne as Kelly Radner
• Zac Efron as Teddy Sanders
• Chloë Grace Moretz as Shelby
• Kiersey Clemons as Beth
• Beanie Feldstein as Nora
• Dave Franco as Pete Regazzo
• Carla Gallo as Paula
• Jerrod Carmichael as Jimmy
• Ike Barinholtz as Jimmy Boody
• Selena Gomez as Madison
• Lisa Kudrow as Dean Carol Gladstone

Crew:

• Director: Nicholas Stoller
• Writers: Andrew Jay Cohen, Brendan O'Brien, Nicholas Stoller, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
• Producers: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver
• Music by: Michael Andrews
• Cinematography: Brandon Trost
• Editors: Zene Baker, Jordan C. Ross

Release Info:

• Original Release Date: May 20, 2016
• Language: English
• Genre: Comedy
• Running Time: 92 minutes
• Accolades: None major