Neighbors (1981) User Reviews

If Vic and Ramona move in next door, prepare for change.

[chaz-18 · 7/10 · 27 December 1998]

Belushi and Aykroyd team up for a dark comedy unlike any I've seen.

Earl (Belushi) is quietly living his life in the suburbs with his wife and daughter, but it takes a decided turn for the worse when a lunatic (Aykroyd) and his wife move in next door.

Earl's life is turned into a nonsensical nightmare by the new couple; Vic tells nonstop lies about everything including whether his 'home-made' spaghetti sauce came from a jar and if the spaghetti is from a non-existent Italian restaurant while his wife Ramona (Cathy Moriarty) alternately seduces and blackmails Earl. Particularly funny is the segment in which Earl tries to sneak out in the middle of the night for a rendezvous with Ramona, only to be caught by Vic, who is awake, on his rooftop, and wearing scuba gear.

I didn't really care for this movie the first time I saw it, because almost nothing made any sense. Now, it's one of the few movies I've purchased. I suppose it's an acquired taste, but don't give up too quickly on it. After all, Belushi isn't making any new ones, is he?

ps- Great musical score! No instruments lend themselves to bizarre going-ons quite as readily as a trombone and kazoo.

When funny was funny. Belushi's swan song!

[michaelRokeefe · 7/10 · 26 October 2015]

NEIGHBORS is directed by John G. Avildsen and based loosely on a novel by Thomas Berger. This will be John Belushi's last movie before his untimely death. And he gets to share the screen with Saturday Night Live pal Dan Aykroyd.

Earl Keese(Belushi)lives a quiet, close to mundane life with his wife, Enid(Kathryn Walker)and their daughter, Elaine(Lauren-Marie Taylor). More or less happy. Earl's whole routine in his quiet and calm neighborhood is in for a major disruption when loud, obnoxious and freeloading Vic(Aykroyd)and his sexpot wife, Ramona(Cathy Moriarty)buy the house next door. Go ahead and accept it; there goes the neighborhood. The Keese family minding their p's and q's, while the suburb disintegrates before their very eyes. Ramona and Vic invite the neighbors over what turns out to be a bizarre dinner date straight from crazy town. Earl will be forced to scheme a way to get rid of the over-the-top couple. The movie lingers on and begins to peter-out! Belushi didn't seem to be 100% Belushi. Aykrod dyed-blonde? But Miss Moriarty made the best of her movie debut...Wow! Also in the cast: Igors Gavin and Dru-Ann Chuckran. A couple of great tunes were featured: "Hello, I Love You" by The Doors and "Stayin' Alive" by The Bee Gees.

Walker, Belushi, and idea keep it interesting.

[jeremy3 · 7/10 · 19 August 2012]

This movie is a bit sleepy, but there are many good things to keep the last role of John Belushi entertaining. First of all, Kathryn Walker was great as the wife who was completely bored with her life. Her role was very convincing. She seemed to know her husband and be tired of his contained personality. Belushi usually played crazy people, but in this role and Continental Divide Belushi plays relatively down-to-Earth roles. Belushi was a totally conservative, conformist, who couldn't even complain about the high power electrical wires right outside his home.

In come his new, strange neighbors who quickly turn his life upside down. Like many films with this theme, the one whose life is turned upside down by his crazy neighbors soon finds out that the real problem is not his neighbor, but his boring life. I remember when this movie came out, but I hadn't seen it until today. The critics really slammed this movie at the time. One thing I think the movie critics missed was how brilliantly this movie satirized suburban doldrums. At the very end of the movie, Belushi's character is watching an advertisement on television about a funeral home. Belushi was only in his early thirties at the time, but was overweight. His character, I believe, was supposed to be about ten years older. The advertisement on television is one of the best scenes (and the person speaking is obviously Dan Akroyd in the commercial). His life is over, and all that is left in his boring existence is preparing for his mortality.

However unpopular, this is my Belushi favorite.

[Docterry · 11 June 2003]

My memories of real youth, like from five to ten years old are completely blurred for the most part but for some reason I remember watching John Belushi movies. I remember going to see `Neighbors' and `Continental Divide' in the theater! I haven't really examined this but basically since I was born I have adored John Belushi. I remember renting `Neighbors' when the VCR was a new item and I'd watch it over and over again. I guess I was a pretty strange ten-year old. Memories of watching his movies, his death and whatever else are still with me in strange little flashes.

I find `Neighbors' to be his best work. This is a controversial opinion! I've recently reread Woodward's `Wired' and it seems John detested everything about this movie. He had sincere hatred for the director, Alvidsen- he continually asked to replace him. Yet, John's biggest concern for `Neighbors', again citing from Woodward's book, was the soundtrack. He wanted it to be punk rock and Holy Christ did it ever wind up the antithesis. Of course I would love to have seen `Neighbors' done the way John would have intended it but I still am very fond of this movie as is. I think Alvidsen did a great job of bottling all of John's manic energy and I think he summoned his best performance. It's such a strange contradiction that, again from reading `Wired', John wanted desperately to lose the `Bluto' stigma and prove he could be a versatile actor. This role reversal gave him that chance and yet he was against this film from the beginning.

I think `Neighbors' is fantastic. It's like `Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf' on acid or something. This film should be examined by future filmmakers as an example of how what seems like all the wrong ingredients can make a positive and an unforgettable piece of cinema in the end.

Berger Deserved Better

[RJC-99 · 4/10 · 7 December 2005]

This turd won't send many running to Thomas Berger's rich novel, which is a shame. The book is everything the film failed to be: a scathing satire on moronic American suburban life.

The problem is a director far out of his depth. Though armed with a script largely faithful to its subversive source material, director John Avildsen (Rocky, Karate Kid) is a maker of feel-good entertainment who hasn't a clue how to handle satire or absurdity. It's like asking John Ashcroft to rap.

While Belushi is serviceable and Akroyd is fun, we can only imagine how this last partnership might have turned out in competent hands. They're frequently misdirected by Avildsen who thinks he's doing Reagan-era Abbott and Costello. Painful; read the novel.

The Vidiot Reviews...

[capone666 · 7/10 · 14 September 2014]

Neighbors

The irony of neighbours is that you often kill them with the same tool you borrowed from them.

However, the aggravated neighbour in this dark comedy is liable to use his bare-hands.

Despondent suburbanite Earl (John Belushi) is jolted from his mundane existence when an unconventional couple (Dan Aykroyd, Cathy Moriarty) moves in next-door.

Unnerved by his forwardness and her flirtatiousness, Earl is confused as to why they moved into his quiet community.

He soon begins to draw his own conclusions, which ultimately leads to paranoia and self-destruction.

A satire on suburban bliss, Neighbors finds both its SNL alumni playing against their type in order to create a truly eccentric comedy.

Based on the delusional bestseller by Thomas Berger, this undervalued psychological comedy from the '80s is an excellent commentary on the confines of safety and sanity.

Furthermore, you should only interact with your neighbours if they have a pool.

Yellow Light

vidiotreviews.blogspot.ca

Does it always shrivel up like that when you shower?

[FlashCallahan · 3/10 · 3 March 2017]

One man's quiet suburban life takes a turn for the worse when a young couple move into the house next door.

From the word go it is obvious these are not the quiet professional types who should be living in such a nice street.

As more unbelievable events happen, he starts to question his own sanity.......

John Belushi was a legend. He was hilarious, straight to the point, and unpredictable. So why on earth cast him as the straight guy next to Ackroyds 'crazy' titular character?

This is where the film fails, it's not believable one iota. Imagine Nicolas Cage playing straight next to Tom Hanks who is in cuckoo mode? It just doesn't stick.

So we go through the same old motions of Ackroyd antagonising Belushi, taking his money, taking his car, and generally being a complete moron.

of course, this falls on death ears for the rest of his family, believing that he is too highly strung. And then we have an unfunny subplot involving Moriarty trying to bed Belushi.

It's supposed to carry the message 'Love thy Neighbour' with a comic twist, but it's never funny, never as awkward for Belushi that it should be, and it leaves you feeling pretty redundant come the end.

It was a risk for the two leads to change their atypical roles, but it doesn't pay off sadly.

Funny and yet leaves a sense of sadness

[massimo1943 · 7/10 · 30 September 2001]

This movie is listed as a comedy, and therefore it is supposed to make us laugh. To be sure, we do occasionally laugh ;yet there is a disturbing flavor of sadness and bitterness both in the plot and in the characters.To begin with, those two houses, at the end of a suburban road, close to a swamp and a high voltage power transmission tower are exceedingly depressing. One learns from the plot that there is not even a decent restaurant at any short driving distance. And , as far as other people around, besides the five major characters, simply forget about them !!! I strongly suspect that acting in this movie may have played a not insignificant role in John Belushi " almost" suicide, shortly after.

Boring, boring , boring

[lgillham3 · 1/10 · 10 March 2010]

This is a terrible movie. The worst part is it was advertised on TV as a comedy. A short 10 second snippet of Dan Akroyd, John Belushi and Kathy Moriarty sitting around talking, giving impression that you need to go see the movie to hear the hilarious punch line that they didn't show in the advertisement. So people go to the movie only to find out there was no hilarious punch line at the end of that scene, or any other scene. No hilarious lines, not a belly laugh, not a laugh, not a grin, not a smile not even a hint of a smile, just two hours of boredom, wondering if you should leave now or wait on the promised laugh, which never comes. In one scene John Belushi gives Dan Akroyd $50 to go buy a carry-out supper. Dan goes next door and makes spaghetti. As we walked out of the movie the man behind said: "I feel like I just paid Dan Akroyd $50 for a plate of bad spaghetti."

A Strange Comedy, Sort of a Burbs Precursor

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 7 March 2016]

A quiet man (John Belushi)'s peaceful suburban lifestyle is threatened by the new, obnoxious couple that moves in next door.

I feel like this was a precursor to "The Burbs". Not as funny, definitely not as weird, but some of the same concepts about the horrors of the suburbs. John Belushi excels here because he is given an opportunity to be the normal guy rather than the "wild and crazy one". Aykroyd is okay, though this is far from his best.

And Cathy Moriarty? I still have to wonder how she never got any bigger. She seemed to start off so strong, fade away, briefly come back for "Casper" and then... where did she go? Cathy, we need more movies with you, please.

Probably the worst movie of the 80's.

[jocedeg · 1/10 · 12 December 2006]

There's nothing in that movie remotely funny. This is the Belushi movie I had never seen and now... I wish I hadn't seen it. The pacing is terrible and there's no sense of passing time: everything seems to happen in two hours but the story apparently takes place in more than a day. The plot is full of holes, illogical and characters have unexplained mood swings: they go from hating each other to missing one another in a flash. Continuity didn't seem to be a concern when they made that movie. I felt like parts were missing.

All in all, it's badly written, incoherent, under-directed, the music is terrible (Warner Bros cartoon, anyone ?) and... we just don't care. At least I don't. Too bad Belushi didn't get the chance to make another movie to make of forget this piece of crap.

Probably the Funniest Dark Comedy I have Ever Seen!!!

[public1 · 10/10 · 15 September 2004]

What would you do if your new neighbors were wildly sexy, uninhibited, and made a sport of playing with your emotions and desires, in seductively teasing and dangerously exciting ways? If you think you're happily married (Wife & Kid) and nothing exciting ever happens to you because your too straight edge and repressed (like Belushi's character) then you can only react. And react John does. This comedy works on so many different levels. I have seen every thing Belushi and Aykroyd have ever done on screen, big and small, together and separate, and this is their best work. This movie is unpredictable, and it's meant to be that way. It is a comic reminder that one night can turn your world upside down, inside out and backward. The laughs are both in your face and subtle, one of my favorites comes right at the end, when Vic (Aykroyd) deadpans "It's not enough". You'll just have to see it to know what I mean. If you liked the dialog and humour in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", "Snatch" and other Dark Comedies, and you like Belushi & Aykroyd, You'll love this.

An Underrated Oddity

[TheRetroCritic · 7/10 · 18 May 2008]

It's completely understandable why Neighbors wasn't exactly a success upon its release and why critics panned it every time they got the chance. Following super hit Blues Brothers with a weird, low-key black comedy was always going to be a challenge. The premise is comparable to The 'Burbs: mysterious neighbours in an isolated suburbia cause great stress and confusion for its uptight inhabitants. The whole thing plays very much like a WB cartoon, the irritating mickey-mousing score being an obvious clue. John Belushi is fun in an against-type performance whilst Dan Aykroyd is as good as ever. The humour is dark and wacky making the whole thing pretty unexpected and, times, random. Calling this film "illogical" is a bit like calling an episode of Road-Runner "improbable". The point of Neighbors is exactly that sometimes the random and the unexpected can be frustrating and overwhelming but that, in the end, it makes like much more interesting. Overall, Neighbors is great fun and its Tex Avery-style goofiness is either something you'll love or hate. Personally, I think this is a little gem deserving of some more attention and recognition.

Don't waste your time

[jonathan-rich · 1/10 · 3 February 2004]

It's official -- this is the worst movie I have ever seen. It's a comedy with almost no laughs. Very little happens, and even worse, it happens incredibly slowly. If you like Aykroyd and Belushi (and believe me I do), don't let this stinker blacken the rest of their achievements -- just avoid it. It's like watching your favourite sports star screw up the whole game. It's just embarrassing. Life is short -- don't waste your time on this drivel.

For those who like their comedy dark, it's great!

[cinefan · 6 December 1999]

As is evident from the many split decisions to be found on this site, "Neighbors" is not everyone's cup of tea. However, for those who have a taste for dark comedy, it is quite a good film. As has been stated numerous times, this film was a critical and box-office failure, and there were many tensions between Belushi and the director on set. Despite this turmoil, or maybe because of it, "Neighbors" has an authentically skewed, uncomfortable tone. This works in it's favor, however, considering the subject matter. As does the casting of Aykroyd and Belushi in the roles of tormentor and victim, respectively. This choice is probably most responsible for some's dislike of the film. Unfortunately, Belushi, near the end of his life, was being pigeon-holed as a crass, boorish "wild man" of comedy, mostly due to his turns in "National Lampoon's Animal House" and "1941." However, he was a fine comedic actor capable of great subtlety and fine nuance, which is why he consciously chose the role he did (the film was originally conceived with John in the role of Vic). This film and many scenes from his first year on "Saturday Night Live" grandly illustrate his range. Likewise, Dan Aykroyd was quite an intense performer back then - in many "SNL" scenes (again, mostly from the first year), Aykroyd paraded out a variety of high-strung bizarre characters which practically vibrated with energy... indeed, though he did not end up playing it, the role of "D-Day" in "Animal House" was conceived with Dan in mind. Here, he really gets to cut loose and, as always, his and John's interplay are priceless. Not to be overlooked is the incredibly hot Cathy Moriarty who, not to take away from her own formidable comedic prowess, was quite the piece of ass (she was also stunning in "Raging Bull"). This is by no means a perfect film, and it does slow in spots, but it is by no means the disaster many make it out to be. See for yourself... love it or hate it, at least admire it for trying to be different. Funny stuff!

Smug, post-frat boy humor...

[moonspinner55 · 1/10 · 5 March 2001]

Irreverent, satirical late-night comedy hits a turn for the worse with "Neighbors", which isn't even up to "Saturday Night Live" standards at its weakest. Dan Aykroyd shows up on suburbanite John Belushi's doorstep dressed like a hipster and talking like a dangerous Dean Martin. Aykroyd gives me a headache, and this movie is positively filled with him. Belushi, trying for a semblance of subtlety, is much preferable...but why is Belushi playing the straight-man anyhow? The sex jokes are ludicrous, the black comedy forced, the dialogue full of groaners. The success of films such as "Animal House" are really to blame for this type of sniggering, smug humor, always perpetrated by middle-of-the-road talents dying to be "edgy". It's enough to drive one right out of the suburbs and into Detroit. I'd walk out on this movie even on an airplane... NO STARS from ****

belushi's last

[goya-4 · 7/10 · 22 October 2000]

John Belushi stars in his last film as a husband who lives a quiet life with his wife in the suburbs until Dan Aykroyd and Cathy Moriarity show up and unleash their obnoxious and out of control lives upon the neighborhood and especially on Belushi and his wife..Has some good moments with Belushi trying to remain sane.. on a scale of one to ten..7

Horrible even by SNL alumni standards!

[planktonrules · 1/10 · 29 May 2005]

My wife and I like to play a little game when we go on long drives. It's called "let's name horrible movies made by Saturday Night Live cast members". It seems to last for hours as we name stinker after stinker (such as Dr. Detroit or A Night at the Roxbury) and ultimately it boils down to two movies as the worst ones we can think of: Neighbors and Nothing But Trouble. It's funny, but if we play the same game but make it to name the BEST of their movies we have a much harder time unless we remember to include Bill Murray's movies (and he's done some wonderful ones).

So, why is Neighbors one of the two worst SNL movies? Well, first I must admit there MAY be worse ones but we have actually tried to avoid most SNL vet movies, so our base is not exhaustive. Second, it is one of the few movies that made me physically sick (the other being Jerry Lewis' CRACKING UP). It simply had NOT one funny line of dialog, no funny scenes and featured two men who I know CAN be funny--I do still recall seeing John Belushi in Animal House and Dan Aykroyd in Trading Places (not GREAT but a good flick).

So what is the plot? From what I can remember, Belushi plays his role VERY STRAIGHT as a dull suburbanite and Aykroyd as an obnoxious neighbor. THAT'S ALL THE PLOT!!!!! Nothing more. THAT'S IT!! Next time, at least try to write a script and make SOME efforts for humor! I WANT MY MONEY BACK!

A Dry Run For The 'Burbs.

[wilsonstuart-32346 · 6/10 · 21 May 2018]

I became acquainted with Neighbors through Bob Woodward's controversial 'Wired: The Short Life And Fast Times of John Belushi' (in turn, I read a review of Wired in the long defunct lads mad Loaded!). Anyway, regardless of the disputed accounts and allegations of inaccuracies, I finally got to see Neighbors in the early days of the newly launched UK TV station Channel 5 (itself no stranger to scandal thoroughout the Nineties - due to a schedule of football, films and fornication).

Almost from its inception Neighbors was affected by every sort of problem that could conceivably affect a movie; I have no intention of rehashing these, but I will say that Neighbors is a strangely compelling comedy; John Belushi is quite effective as frustrated, ineffectual, conservative surburbanite Earl Kesse, whose steady life rapidly unravels under the relentless psychological and emtotional assault (temptation?) from his provocative new neighbours Vic and Ramona, both played with an obvious relish by Dan Ackroyd and Cathy Moriarity (the decision by Belushi and Ackroyd to switch roles was the project's shrewdest move) ; there are good turns from Kathryn Walker and Lauren - Marie Taylor as Belushi's repective wife and daughter.

Contemporary audiences were left frustrated with Neighbors - instead of Animal House or 1941, they got a black comedy of suburban life that doesn't quite work despite the best efforts of its cast. Whilst I though John Alvidsen did not a bad job, given the circumstances, perhaps a sharper script,less studio interference and a more suitable director might have gotten something closer to Gelbert's dark, caustic satire on middle American life. The endless fights and backstabbing took a toll on the finished product.

A final point, as a comparison with Sid Vicious, was by Alex Cox in his book 'X Films: True Confessions of A Radical Filmmaker' that struck a cord with this reviewer; no one disputes that John Belushi's on set behaviour, fuelled by a serious cocaine addiction, which would tragically kill him months later, was outrageous; yet his lobbying for a soundtrack by punk band Fear perhaps showed a better instinct for the film than the studio professionals around him - not that we will ever know.

Mean spirited and ugly

[dbborroughs · 2/10 · 11 February 2005]

I suppose this looked good on paper but the story of an everyman being tormented by his neighbors is simply an excuse for abusing the audience.

I should talk, I've willingly sat down and watched this film a couple of times over the years, trying to figure out what several friends found so screamingly funny in this movie. After each screening, or partial one I'm left feeling that blows to the head by blunt instruments would have been more fun and would have taken away less time of my existence.

Its not completely with out redeeming values, there are some laughs, well not laughs but chuckles, or maybe smiles. There's something that keeps this from the bottom of the bottom, but lord knows what it is.

I hate this movie

Had its moments, but the film seems almost meaningless.

[Aaron1375 · 6/10 · 18 July 2010]

I thought this film had some good funny moments to it, it was kind of a nice turn to see John Belushi in the less crazy role than he was usually cast in. Instead, the role of the crazy guy is played by Dan Aykroyd who plays crazy rather well in this one. A bit to well, when I once saw part of this film as a child I thought that this movie was a horror film rather than a dark comedy. And dark it is, a bit to dark in places and a bit to uneven as this film goes here and there with no structured plot to speak of. The film feels very pointless, in fact as the end of the film sees a resolution that kind of makes little sense. The story is basic as a guy with a rather bland life has this bland existence interrupted by a set of crazed neighbors (hence the title). Not that they are that crazed, just a bit obnoxious and wild, not the type to go on a killing spree anyway. Dan's character is a bit like a much more crazy version of the brother-in-law he played in "The Great Outdoors", but less for the way he acted and more because they were both unwanted guests at the time. This film could have been a lot better had they worked on the script a bit more as I have said it at times feels like an assortment of random scenes. Thankfully, a good many of the scenes are a bit funny.

"He was fantastic in bed...until I got into bed."

[Hey_Sweden · 5/10 · 27 December 2016]

"Neighbors" is a loopy dark comedy, based on a novel by Thomas Berger. Although the screenplay is credited to Larry Gelbart, it was actually heavily re-written, and was a very troubled shoot. It stars 'Saturday Night Live' funnymen John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, in a classic case of role reversal. Here, Belushi is the straight man and Aykroyd the zany one. Belushi plays Earl Keese, a mild middle class individual living at the end of a suburban street. One night, the neighbors move in: pushy, obnoxious Vic (Aykroyd), and his extremely seductive wife Ramona (Cathy Moriarty, then hot off her memorable turn in "Raging Bull"). They introduce an element of excitement into Earls' mundane existence.

In this viewers' own humble opinion, this wasn't a particularly funny movie. Moments of real wit and cleverness are not that frequent. Director John G. Avildsen ("Rocky", "The Karate Kid") just doesn't seem to have a feel for this sort of material. Occasionally, "Neighbors" is amusing, but the main thing that it has going for it are some deft performances. Aykroyd clearly has fun in his part, and Belushi shows a different side to his comedic talent by doing an impressive job here. Moriarty is devilishly entertaining. Kathryn Walker ("Slap Shot") is fine as Earls' wife, as is Lauren-Marie Taylor ("Friday the 13th Part 2") as his free-spirited daughter. There are also a few appearances by Belushi and Aykroyds' fellow 'SNL' alum Tim Kazurinsky.

To be fair, there are some good lines, such as the one that motivates Earl to open his cellar door. I thought the scenes with Belushi and Moriarty were among the better ones. Bill Conti supplies a deliberately goofy music score.

It's also rather sad watching this, knowing this was Belushis' last film.

Five out of 10.

One of the greatest comedies ever made

[fertilecelluloid · 9/10 · 1 January 2005]

I have no hesitation in recommending this to any viewer with a warped, dysfunctional, black sense of humor. It is absolutely brilliant.

A cruel, mean-spirited world view is loose in this classic, a relentless assault on one man's senses that marked John Belushi's final screen appearance... and what a way to exit! Ackroyd, Belushi's new neighbor, begins to harass and take advantage of Belushi's goodwill just hours after he has moved in. Cathy Moriarty, as Ackroyd's tempestuous wife, is a revelation as she toys with Belushi's raw emotions.

Director John Avildsen chose to shoot this comedy like a sitcom and his choice proves to be the correct one.

It's brilliance on a stick for specialized tastes.

Neighbors (1981)

[jonahstewartvaughan · 7/10 · 22 July 2023]

Return to the Video Store #9

Neighbors (1981)

(7/10): An odd but kind of fun film from the early eighties that sadly was the departure of legendary John Belushi, R. I. P. But taken on its own terms it's not that bad of a black comedy.

Also featuring previous Belushi collaborator Dan Aykroyd this follows a man who lives with his wife in a house peacefully in the middle of nowhere when all of a sudden the one house next door has new tenants and they are quite the odd and chaotic couple to say the least. Both create unique and disastrous scenarios for him that his wife is either simply oblivious to or sides with them when they turn the tables on him.

It's the kind of comedy that makes an ass out of pretty much everyone in it at some point in the film; Earl sinks their car and also is always ready to accuse them of being deceptive, even when, on the rare occasion, it isn't that way at all, Vic seemingly stole his money, talks a little too openly about things that relate to his Earl's daughter or nearly shoots him, Ramona is a very sly seductive woman who constantly makes advances on Earl and when people start asking questions she pins it on Earl, plus she is also a blackmailer and Enid, Earl's wife is either ready to side with them every time or she is defending them and not listening to Earl.

I do have to say that it has its moments of early eighties cheese and camp but honestly I think not much my kind of humour. The main thing is that no matter how badly Earl can act towards the new neighbours and also I know that everything is made up in the end and they're friends, I just can't help but feel that it was very cruel to him building up to the end, he was at peace and then so much happens in one night and it seems like everyone is against him, I understand that that's the point but still it feels like it's a bit too much.

It was zany and wacky enough that I was entertained and it had some laughs but I feel like it might have to grow on me.

Also I just couldn't get over Dan Aykroyd with bright blue eyes and blonde hair, I never saw him look like that at it just looked off putting yet I was still looking at it.

It's So Sad That This Was Belushi's Last Film.

[phillafella · 2/10 · 16 July 2003]

So-called comedy about a feelgood businessman who tries to keep his sanity when he discovers his new neighbors are one-dimensional. John Belushi was a talented comic actor, and he was hilarious on SNL and in the film ANIMAL HOUSE. Sadly, he was never able to repeat those successes, and he died too soon. This film, in particular, proves it. There is no real chemistry between Belushi and Dan Aykroyd here and the jokes are never there. Belushi's death was a tragedy, but this film was an even bigger one.

1 out of 5