← Back to Reviews
in
Neighbors (1981)
The 1981 black comedy Neighbors will always be remembered as the cinematic swan song of the late John Belushi, which is probably the only legacy this ultra bizarre comedy deserves.
Belushi plays Earl Reese, a quiet and unassuming guy who lives in a secluded suburb with his wife, Enid (Kathryn Walker). This suburb consists of Earl's house and the rundown house next door, that looks something like Norman Bates' house, no other sign of civilization for miles around. Earl and Enid find their quiet but dull lives turned upside down when the obnoxious Vic (Dan Aykroyd) moves into the vacant house with his wife, Ramona (Cathy Moriarty) and what follows is the most illogical and crazy things between this two couples that defies description.
This film does have a couple of things going for it, including some stylish directorial flourishes, courtesy of John G; Alvidsen, who won an Oscar for Rocky. Alvidsen sets up a very atmospheric canvas on which this story unfolds, which I'm assuming is supposed to be some sort of lampoon of shows like The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. Even the initial presentation of the story's setting...these two houses out in the middle of nowhere with a giant electrical tower between them. And you just know that electrical tower is going to figure into the story somewhere. Another Rocky alumnus, Bill Conti, provided the deliciously clever music which fits the bizarre goings on like a glove.
It's the story that really hurts this one. Larry Gelbart's screenplay, based on a novel by Thomas Berger, makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. The viewer is never given a handle on exactly who Vic and Ramona are...first we think they're con artists because Vic borrows money from Earl to buy food and then cooks a meal instead. Then we think they might be swingers because Ramona keeps throwing herself at Earl and Vic completely charms Enid. They pretend to not care when Earl accidentally dumps their car in a swamp and then later want to report him to the police. This poor schlub Earl keeps getting dumped on for no good reason and for some reason, his wife Enid is oblivious to the whole thing and wishes Earl would just be nicer to the new neighbors. As the film neared its conclusion, I was sure was going to get a "and then I woke up" scene but it never happened.
Despite the messed up story, the four leads do deliver top-notch performances that almost make this thing work. Belushi is beautifully cast against type and is very convincing as the suburban sad sack. If the truth be told, two of his funniest scenes are in the bathroom preparing for encounters with Ramona that are completely sans dialogue. Aykroyd is an appropriate mixture of greasy and creepy as Vic and Cathy Moriarty is sex on legs as Ramona. Something definitely got lost in the translation getting this from the page to the screen, but as the final work of John Belushi, it is definitely worth checking out.
The 1981 black comedy Neighbors will always be remembered as the cinematic swan song of the late John Belushi, which is probably the only legacy this ultra bizarre comedy deserves.
Belushi plays Earl Reese, a quiet and unassuming guy who lives in a secluded suburb with his wife, Enid (Kathryn Walker). This suburb consists of Earl's house and the rundown house next door, that looks something like Norman Bates' house, no other sign of civilization for miles around. Earl and Enid find their quiet but dull lives turned upside down when the obnoxious Vic (Dan Aykroyd) moves into the vacant house with his wife, Ramona (Cathy Moriarty) and what follows is the most illogical and crazy things between this two couples that defies description.
This film does have a couple of things going for it, including some stylish directorial flourishes, courtesy of John G; Alvidsen, who won an Oscar for Rocky. Alvidsen sets up a very atmospheric canvas on which this story unfolds, which I'm assuming is supposed to be some sort of lampoon of shows like The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. Even the initial presentation of the story's setting...these two houses out in the middle of nowhere with a giant electrical tower between them. And you just know that electrical tower is going to figure into the story somewhere. Another Rocky alumnus, Bill Conti, provided the deliciously clever music which fits the bizarre goings on like a glove.
It's the story that really hurts this one. Larry Gelbart's screenplay, based on a novel by Thomas Berger, makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. The viewer is never given a handle on exactly who Vic and Ramona are...first we think they're con artists because Vic borrows money from Earl to buy food and then cooks a meal instead. Then we think they might be swingers because Ramona keeps throwing herself at Earl and Vic completely charms Enid. They pretend to not care when Earl accidentally dumps their car in a swamp and then later want to report him to the police. This poor schlub Earl keeps getting dumped on for no good reason and for some reason, his wife Enid is oblivious to the whole thing and wishes Earl would just be nicer to the new neighbors. As the film neared its conclusion, I was sure was going to get a "and then I woke up" scene but it never happened.
Despite the messed up story, the four leads do deliver top-notch performances that almost make this thing work. Belushi is beautifully cast against type and is very convincing as the suburban sad sack. If the truth be told, two of his funniest scenes are in the bathroom preparing for encounters with Ramona that are completely sans dialogue. Aykroyd is an appropriate mixture of greasy and creepy as Vic and Cathy Moriarty is sex on legs as Ramona. Something definitely got lost in the translation getting this from the page to the screen, but as the final work of John Belushi, it is definitely worth checking out.