Sandy Kenyon reviews 'Neighbors 2,' 'The Nice Guys'

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Two new comedies hit theaters this weekend, one starring comedic actors and the other headlined by stars you're probably used to seeing in more serious roles.

But are either worth your time and money?

One is "Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising," a sequel to the very popular "Neighbors" starring Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne and Zac Efron.

In the new film, the couple have even worse luck the second time around. The antagonists who move in next door aren't fraternity brothers, but sorority sisters, and the girls of Kappa Nu are determined to fight for their right to party.

Mac and Kelly, played by Rogen and Byrne, don't appreciate being referred to by the sisters as "the old people." So enter their old neighbor, played again by Zac Efron, who has switched sides to join them.

There are few laugh-out-loud moments and too many jokes that are just plain gross, but that said, the second visit with these neighbors is funnier than the first.

The second new film is "The Nice Guys," starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, who play rival private investigators who aren't very nice at all. But that's actually what's required in the mean streets of Los Angeles in the 1970s.

Crowe is far from his fighting weight, but that doesn't stop him in a very violent movie that finds him alongside both Gosling -- at the peak of his prowess -- and a young actress who comes close to stealing the movie from them.

Angourie Rice plays Gosling's daughter, just 13 years old when she filmed the movie. Her role is reminiscent of when Natalie Portman broke out as a star at the age of 12 in "The Professional."

And for that, "The Nice Guys" is one of the best movies of the year so far.