Comedic actors have long been criticized for milking their signature shtick for all it’s worth. How many times, for instance, can Adam Sandler play variations on the man-child persona he popularized way back in 1995 comedy Billy Madison (if the grosses for Blended are any indication, we may yet find out – but that’s another article entirely)? In the case of Seth Rogen, the funnyman has largely found his niche as the loveable stoner with a heart of gold. From Knocked Up to Pineapple Express, Rogen has established himself as a bonafide comedic brand, a branch that has fallen off the Judd Apatow tree.

In Neighbors, Rogen does indeed hew fairly close to the type of character he’s best known for, but rather than holding the film back, his wry chuckle and panicky, frenetic energy are employed for good, not evil. In fact, Neighbors probably works largely because of the way Rogen is able to play off of his co-stars and the over-the-top situation they’re all placed in.

A plot ripped straight from the best 1980s sitcom that never was, Neighbors follows a married couple (Rogen and co-star Rose Byrne) who move to a quiet suburban neighborhood with their baby daughter. However, soon after arriving in their new home, chaos descends on this young family in the form of a college fraternity (led by Zac Efron) that just so happens to be moving in next door. What transpires then can only be described as a cat-and-mouse game that escalates into all-out war.

Considering its wacky premise, Neighbors makes a noble effort in balancing the “oh-no-they-didn’t” gags with a more grounded approach to the story at hand. R-rated comedies so often languish so much in their own outrageousness that the end result comes off as more lazy and desperate than shockingly hysterical. A few of the gags in Neighbors still suffer and cause the film to lag a bit, but by and large, screenwriters Andrew J. Cohen and Brendan O’Brien have crafted a fun ride that actually has something meaningful to say about both college life and the nerve-racking transition into new parenthood.

Though the film is careful never to make audiences choose a side, both Rogen and Efron provide strong anchors for their sides of this big-screen battle, with fine support from Byrne and Dave Franco, respectively. In particular, Efron manages to transcend the superficiality of his own admittedly-impressive abs to deliver a performance that is at once hilarious and a bit tragic. Anyone who doubts the actor’s ability to hold his own onscreen will likely be convinced that he has far more going for him than High School Musical. Likewise, Byrne continues to demonstrate her remarkable versatility, after having memorably proved her comic timing in Bridesmaids. In fact, some of the standout sequences in Neighbors rely on her ability to shift from sexy to ridiculous to devilishly clever at a moment’s notice.

Director Nicholas Stoller – whose best film remains the comic gem that is Forgetting Sarah Marshall – may not be the strongest comedy director working today (Edgar Wright – who also has four directorial credits to his name and brought us the under-appreciated Scott Pilgrim vs. the World – probably has the best track record), but the fact that Neighbors manages to be mostly successful as a character story is impressive enough. Sure, the film isn’t the pinnacle of R-rated comedy (heck, Rogen’s This Is the End is a bit sharper), but it’s more funny than not and provides plenty of juicy material for its four main players to work with.

Fans of Rogen and/or Efron will be especially pleased with Neighbors, but even moviegoers just looking for a good chuckle on a Friday night will have a blast watching the turf war ensue. Just be sure to check your air bags on the way home. Just to be safe.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Neighbors stars Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Zac Efron, Dave Franco and Lisa Kudrow. It is directed by Nicholas Stoller and is now in theaters.