Neighbors (1981)

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

Director:

John G. Avildsen

Writers:

Thomas Berger (novel), Larry Gelbart (screenplay)

Stars:

John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Kathryn Walker

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Belushi	...	Earl Keese
Kathryn Walker	...	Enid Keese
Cathy Moriarty	...	Ramona
Dan Aykroyd	...	Vic
Igors Gavon	...	Chic
Dru-Ann Chuckran	...	Chic's Wife
Tim Kazurinsky	...	Pa Greavy
Tino Insana	...	Perry Greavy
P.L. Brown	...	Police Officer #1
Henry Judd Baker	...	Police Officer #2
Lauren-Marie Taylor	...	Elaine Keese
Sherman G. Lloyd	...	Fireman #1 (DOC) (as Sherman Lloyd)
Bert Kittel	...	Fireman #2
J.B. Friend	...	Additional Fireman
Bernie Friedman	...	Additional Fireman

Storyline

One man's quiet suburban life takes a sickening lurch for the worse when a young couple move into the deserted 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 and more unbelievable events unfold, our hero starts to question his own sanity... and those of his family.

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Plot Keywords:

house | married couple | title same as book | visit | opening a door | 

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Taglines:

John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd are at it again!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

18 December 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die verrückten Nachbarn

Filming Locations:

Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,500,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$29,916,207

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Elaine Keese (Lauren-Marie Taylor) has the movie poster for Lech Kowalski's 1981 punk rock documentary "D.O.A.: A Right of Passage" [See: D.O.A. (1980)] on her bedroom door. John Belushi was a known fan of punk bands like Fear and The Dead Boys.

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Goofs

After Vic's dog Baby is heard barking in Enid and Earl's bedroom, we never hear or see the dog again, even after Vic, Ramona and Earl leave Bird Street.

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Quotes

Vic: We might have had a wonderful relationship. But then, as Arthur Bremer once said: "How many things go right in this crazy world?".

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Alternate Versions

The movie's original cut had a very dark ending with Earl getting killed, but the studio re-edited the film with a happy ending with Earl leaving home and joining Vic and Ramona on their adventures.

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Connections

Referenced in Skinned Alive (1990)

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Soundtracks

The Twilight Zone Theme
(uncredited)
Music by Marius Constant

User Reviews

However unpopular, this is my Belushi favorite.

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.