Postmodernity in Bad Neighbours

Bad Neighbours, directed by Ben Stoller in 2014 tells the tale of a young couple who have just had a child. Coinciding with the birth of the child, was the moving in of a university fraternity to the previously unoccupied house next door. Throughout the year the fraternity cause havoc and a rivalry ensues between the two groups of protagonists, in a typical slapstick satirical comedy, starring the likes of Zac Effron, Dave Franco and Seth Rogan.

Bad Neighbours (Stoller, 2014) exhibits postmodernism in many key ways including inter-textual referencing, pastiche, hyper-reality, simulacra and the lack of a meta-narrative. The latter is less so prominent in the following clip however it is pertinent to note the presence of the other four factors of postmodernity.

This clip showed the two main groups of protagonists engaging in dialogue as a Robert De Niro themed party ensues in both the foreground and the background. This therefore is a prime example of not only the obvious intertextual referencing of the aforementioned characters, but also Fredric Jameson's’ theory of pastiche, as although the protagonist seem to be mocking or imitating De Niro’s past characters, it could be conceived that this is more of an appreciation of his work and to show how his life's work can have such a huge impact on later films.

On the other hand the clip also depicts Jean Baudrillard’s theory of hyper-reality and simulacra. Note how Robert De Niro and also Al Pacino are held as significant and existential phenomena’s as opposed to just being the names of other characters within the fictional world created in the film, therefore hyper-reality is created because although as the audience we understand that this is a fictional storyline the referencing blurs such a distinction and is therefore a prime example of Baudrillard’s quote that ‘it is no longer a question of imitation but just substituting signs of the real for the real.

This is a recurring theme throughout the film as is shown in this clip to which further intertextual referencing is notable to which then further implies this notion of hyper-reality.

Finally it is pertinent to note how the film as a whole is fragmented and shows a clear disregard for a meta-narrative, as despite the chronology of the opening and ending of the film the bulk of the film follows different protagonists in different adventures. Saying this even the ending opposes what is expected as the two protagonists become friends and end up working together. This therefore conforms to Lyotard’s description of postmodernism.

Conclusively therefore the incessant inter-textual referencing and the subsequent hyper-reality created in the film alongside other key features of postmodernity, ultimately creates a quintessential postmodernist film, placing it with famous postmodern predecessors pulp fiction and the matrix.