Thursday, March 28, 2019

Blu-ray Review: Neighbors (Retro VHS Style)


Mill Creek Entertainment; Amazon
Why is it I have a nostalgic feelings towards anything related to the 1980s? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I was born in 1981. Plus, everything "entertainment" related is better than anything being released today. 

Studios are well aware of the 1980's nostalgia craze, such as Mill Creek Entertainment, which has been releasing several 1980s films to Blu-ray with retro VHS-style slipcovers. 

The 1981 cult comedy classic "Neighbors" ($14.98; R; 95 minutes) starring John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Cathy Moriarty, and Kathryn Walker arrived on Blu-ray earlier this month. It's a bare bones edition with no special features or bonus extras.

Based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Berger and directed by John G. Avildsen, the film centers around Earl Keese (played by Belushi), a middle age man with a boring job who lives in the middle of nowhere with his disconnected wife, Enid (played by Walker), and their rebellious teenage daughter (played by Lauren-Marie Taylor). After a long day at work, Earl wants nothing more than a peaceful and relaxing night at home, but that doesn't occur on this particular night, as his new neighbors, Vic and Romona (played by Aykroyd and Moriarty) decide to crash his plans.

Vic is extremely obnoxious, rude and downright crazy at times. Ramona is overly sexual and just as insane as Vic. The duo invites themselves over for dinner and end up turning Earl's entire life upside down.


Final Thoughts

Neighbors was released to theaters in the year I was born, so, yeah, I'm feeling a little bit old while writing this review. I first saw the film on television in the early 1990s, though I had forgotten most of the plot; well, that is until I watched it on Blu-ray and my memory started to come back. Though the film has aged a tad bit, it's just as zany as I remembered it to be. John Belushi gives a great performance as the straight and arrow guy and Dan Aykroyd and Cathy Moriarty both give over the top performances as the wacky neighbors.

Don't be fooled by the R rating as the dark humor is pretty tame compared to today's standards. You have to remember the movie came out a few years before the PG-13 rating was introduced.

The video quality (1080p High Definition Widescreen, 1:85:1) is pretty good, but the audio (English 2.0 DTS) could have been better. Plus, there isn't a subtitles option on the disc.

Overall, Neighbors is a funny offbeat comedy. Considering the retail price, Neighbors is worth purchasing on Blu-ray.

*Note: I received a review copy from Mill Creek Entertainment.
All opinions are my own.

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