Customer Reviews

Neighbors [Region 2]

5 star:		(74)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I truly love the late-John Belushi's work, seeing as his acting in "Animal House" and "The Blues Bros." were sensational, but "Neighbors" offers a different type of role for Belushi. The film has a bizarre usage of dialogue, lighting, costuming, and an exceptionally uncanny soundtrack, not to mention the twisted storyline and 110% intriguing plot. Belushi works so hard to play his serious-character and comes out looking like an pro in the end. The role was definetly for him! Aykroyd, this time, is the zany, manic "salesmen-type" personality, similar to his SNL sketches, to play Belushi's next-door neighbor. Totally humorous on the part of Aykroyd, the novelty of his character keeps the laughs going. Cathy Moriarty, from "Raging Bull" is sultry and sensual as Aykroyd's "wife.". Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. "Neighbors" is a dark, surreal jaunt as many of the fans make it out to be -- it's simply a fabulous disaster! Don't wait to watch something else -- watch "Neighbors" -- and pray a Ford Ranchero with a Red Baron biplane in back doesn't pull in to the vacant house next door!

Wow, I thought I was the only person on the planet that loves this movie. I am pleasantly surprised to see so many reviews here (positive, no less). When I tell people this is my all-time favorite dark comedy, they have no idea what I'm talking about. "Neighbors...what's that?"

For those not in the know, here is the basic story: Earl (Belushi) lives on the end of this cul de sac which appears to be in the middle of nowhere. There are only two homes on the street. Earl lives in one and the other is vacant. There's a swamp in the yard (how cool is that?!) and there are these dangerous-looking power lines running through the back yard emitting bolts of electricity every few minutes.

The movie begins with Earl coming home with his wife from a hard day of work. He's this ultra-conservative guy with a boring evening routine. As he sits in front of his TV to watch the evening news (as his wife prepares dinner in the kitchen) he hears a car door slam shut. Minutes later, the door bell rings (ding, dong). Enter the new neighbors, Vick and Ramona. Get ready for a ride! The next 24 hours gets interesting. Little ol' Earl has his life turned totally upside down by these crazy, crazy new neighbors. I mean, these neighbors don't even sleep!

This is a must-see for anyone who loves dark or offbeat comedies. Watch this with an opened mind and enjoy the ride!

Edit 01/28/2009: I thought some of the fans of this film would be interested to know that the Universal HD channel aired Neighbors in all its HD glory just a few weeks ago. It was nice to see it for the first time in widescreen format as well as HD. Let's hope there's a Blu-Ray version around the corner!

Edit 07/01/2010: For those who haven't noticed, there's a video on demand link near the top of this page. Neighbors is available for purchase via VOD for $9.99! I don't know how long it's been there, but just noticed it today.

Edit 09/21/2011: It's now available on DVD!! Neighbors (1981)

I first saw this movie when it came out in 1981.I laughted out loud watching Belushi playing the straight man.Just looking at his face was all I needed to crack up.Dan Aykroyd is always fantastic,but Cathy Moriarty really steals the movie.Everywhere John goes,in the shower,to bed,any part of the house,Cathy's there.I know this movie wasen't a big hit,and the reviews were terrible,but there's something about this film that's special.People hate this movie,or love it.I happen to love it,Its just ashame its Belushi's last film.

Neighbors is a pretty interesting movie cause John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd's roles are reversed meaning John Belushi plays the serious role while Dan Aykroyd plays the crazy role.
This movie is about a middle aged man named Earl Keese (Belushi) who is a bored suburbanite and he and wife don't speak to each other often, then a younger couple (Dan Aykroyd and Cathy Morarity) moves in next door and the fun begins.
This movie doesn't have much of a plot but it's a good way to spend an hour and a half by watching this movie, for those who want a great performance by John Belushi may not think much of this movie but I truly think that you should give this movie a try, unfortunately this was John Belushi's last movie cause a year later he died of a heroin overdose and he will always be in my heart cause he has done so much is his short lived career from Animal House, Saturday Night Live, Blues Brothers and the underrated romantic comedy Continental Divide.

This may be Belushi's best role. Haven't the rest of you ever felt like you were an observer looking in on the bizarre happenings of the world around you? I have too, and this is exactly the part that John Belushi plays. Without the dark and bizarre surrealism, and the exaggeration, the film makers wouldn't have been able to get this feeling across to the viewer. Evidently, some people weren't able to grasp it anyway. I can only say that those people must not be among the "observers" that the rest of us are, which by default puts them among the "observees." This film is truly a hidden masterpiece.

I'm a fan of both John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd so I wached this movie Neighbors and it was like nothing I had ever seen before. It was a very weird movie but I liked it and I have read that a lot of critics didn't think it was a good idea that John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd decided to trade characters with John playing the roll that was written for Dan and vise versa, I actually thought it was wonderful and and highly entertaining and Belushi was great as his character Earl and Aykroyd was a riot in his over the top performance as his creepy neighbor Vic! I would recommend this movie to every fan of Belushi, Aykroyd and SNL and I hope that this movie gets released onto a DVD, in widecreen and with extra features! After I watched the movie I found out that it was based on a book so I went to a used bookstore and bought the book Neighbors by Thomas Berger and it was good and I noticed that the movie was pretty faithful to it and the book is even weirder then the movie and Vic and Ramona even more bizarre and Earl's wife and daughter even more obnoxious!

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful and wonderful still. "Neighbors" is a dark, surreal jaunt as many of the fans make it out to be -- it's simply marvelooouuuss!

Earl Keese is an unimaginative Walter Mitty. After Captain Vic and Empress Ramona move next door, Earl begins on a 24 hour journey to save his soul - to be released from the stagnant swamp of dead-end living - and 9-5 working.

The swamp scene behind Earl's house is a powerful and mythic metaphor of Earl being "sucked down" by outside forces. It's also where he becomes baptized into a "new world" where he will reign.

This follows many of the Joseph Campbell tests and trials of the mythic hero. Both Belushi and Aykroyd expand their acting by switching their normaly stereotyped roles.

Great performance by Oscar-Nominated (Raging Bull) Cathy Moriarty as the temptress.

An often over-looked film. A brilliant symbiosis of the comedy and thriller genre.

Filmed on Staten Island.

Exterminate all rational thought. That is the conclusion one must come to. One must enter this bizzaro world of sadism and deception with the mind of a madman...

Far from the humorless exercise in torture you may have been led to expect, this movie is a tour-de-force of rapier wit and twisted hysteria. A potent cross between comedy and psychological horror with a twist of sarcasm thrown in for good measure, this movie is a monument to the comic genius that was the Akroyd & Belushi team. No serious comedy collection is complete without this masterpiece.