Different films offer different things for the viewer to take away from their experience. Some are for purely entertainment purposes, some have greater messages to send. However some films, and Good Neighbors fall into this category, are more about teaching a variety of smaller life lessons to live by. I enjoyed this film, not because it was of any quality, but because you’ll find the way these lessons are taught to me enjoyable, if not good for a outright belly laugh at times. But enough of this, onto what we learned from watching the film.

Lesson I: Cat people are creepy

Have you ever met a crazy cat lady? Of course you have. Have you ever met a sane cat lady? Think hard, now. If the answer is no, then this lesson is probably redundant for you. But Emily Hampshire’s character, who carries an absurd love of all things cat which she values over any human relationship leaves the viewer wondering exactly what the neighbor lady with all the cats does in her free time.

Lesson II: Cats are creepy

They creep around, rub themselves against things and choke on their own hair. And for such a smart animal they seem unaware of the dangers presented by crossing a road in heavy traffic, or by eating other people’s garbage.

Lesson III: Paraplegics are creepy

Maybe the most offensive lesson on the list, this one becomes rather self-explanatory once you watch the film. What’s worse, you never find out if the guy actually supports or opposes the Quebec referendum.

Lesson IV: People are crazy

I can’t tell if this movie is cynical about human nature in general or simply over-the-top with the list of characters that the writer played around with. They get the awkward dialogue and strange unpredictable behavior down pat, but you wonder if it is a statement or just a fun snapshot. I like to think it’s the second one, because if it’s the first it’s a pretty piss poor job.

In Closing:

A final note; the movie is set around the Quebec referendum, the last of which was in 1995 to determine if Quebec wanted to start taking the step to become independent, a measure which was narrowly struck down. The movie grossed less than 7 thousand dollars in total, and in case you were wondering, the title of the movie is tongue-in-cheek. They aren’t actually very good neighbors.