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.
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.