20) Neighbors
Yes, I’m well aware that there’s another Seth Rogen/Evan Goldberg comedy everyone is talking about, mainly because it almost started WWIII, but I’m going back farther. Hype and mystery aside, The Interview was a valiant effort, but let the records show that I could not stop laughing while sitting through the SXSW premiere of Nicholas Stoller’s uproarious frat-house comedy Neighbors. Are the laughs solely at the expense of immaturity, vulgarity, shocks, perversion, idiocy, and brotacular stereotypes? Yes, yes, and more yes, but that’s what makes Neighbors such a damn fine exploitation of the college years that every one of us dreams about.
You’ve also got heroic performances by Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne as two parents struggling to connect with their “totally rad” past selves, partying with the perfectly douchey college punk played (to perfection) by Zac Efron, and a supporting cast that fills in nicely whenever a mindless dick joke or aggressively average De Niro impression is called upon.
Neighbors could be a new generation’s Animal House in the right circles (well, almost, because how do you top a perfect movie?), but Stoller’s film will undoubtedly have you begging for more once the credits roll. Please, sir, can I have another?
19) Happy Christmas
Joe Swanberg is one of many mumblecorians who are leading a grassroots campaign against Hollywood dramas, going the route of emotional tales based on grounded relationships, and even though his previous effort Drinking Buddies revolves around one of my favorite topics (beer), 2014’s Happy Christmas immediately became my favorite Swanberg sensation.
From Anna Kendrick’s honest portrayal of a mid-mid-life crisis to the sweet, humble connection built between Swanberg and Melanie Lynskey, there’s no glitz and glamor hiding the true, middle-class love that’s complicated by real-world problems – not outlandish Hollywood dramatics. Swanberg dares to tell life how it is – stories considered mundane by other filmmakers – but Happy Christmas proves that when a film relies on performances, soul, and a link to the human spirit, you don’t need gigantic outcries of attention when trying to prove undying love.
Happy Christmas is a romantic heartwarmer for the modern age, refusing to fall victim to typical cinematic speedbumps that make every man a degenerate cheater and every woman a scorned, powerless onlooker.