Character Relationship Map: Neighbors

Characters

• Mac Radner (played by Seth Rogen) — protagonist

  New father struggling to maintain suburban peace against rowdy college neighbors.

• Teddy Sanders (played by Zac Efron) — protagonist

  Charismatic but immature fraternity president clinging to his glory days.

• Pete Regazolli (played by Dave Franco) — supporting

  Teddy's loyal frat brother who later pursues architecture and comes out.

• Carol Gladstone (played by Lisa Kudrow) — supporting

  College dean attempting to enforce campus rules and mediate disputes.

• Jimmy Blevins (played by Ike Barinholtz) — supporting

  Mac's best friend who is also expecting a child and joins the feud.

• Brooke Shy (played by Halston Sage) — supporting

  Sorority member involved in party organization and recruitment.

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Carol Gladstone → Pete Regazolli (Power Disciplinary Authority) — Institutional discipline affects Pete as a fraternity leader.

  Carol's college policy places Delta Psi on probation after the fraternity's second strike, directly restricting Pete's party plans.

• Carol Gladstone → Teddy Sanders (Power Disciplinary Authority) — Carol represents the college authority constraining Teddy's organization.

  Carol explains the school's three-strikes policy, under which Delta Psi receives another strike after the professor is injured.

• Pete Regazolli → Brooke Shy (Romantic Sexual Affair) — Their affair fractures Teddy and Pete's partnership.

  Mac manipulates Pete and Brooke into having sex, then leads Teddy to catch them in the act.

• Teddy Sanders → Brooke Shy (Romantic Girlfriend) — Their relationship is part of Teddy's personal life within the fraternity setting.

  The plot explicitly identifies Brooke as Teddy's girlfriend when Mac and Kelly meet her.

• Mac Radner → Carol Gladstone (Professional Complainant) — Mac seeks institutional assistance against the fraternity.

  Mac and Kelly go to Dean Carol Gladstone after the fraternity's retaliation, asking the college to intervene.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Mac Radner → Brooke Shy (Social Manipulative Acquaintance) — Mac turns a social connection into a strategic weapon.

  Mac meets Brooke through the neighborhood interaction and later uses her involvement with Pete to create a confrontation with Teddy.

• Jimmy Blevins → Pete Regazolli (Conflict Fraternity Opponent) — Jimmy opposes Pete as part of the neighborhood coalition.

  Jimmy joins Mac's campaign to gather evidence, forge the probation letter, and sabotage Delta Psi's final party.

• Mac Radner → Pete Regazolli (Conflict Indirect Adversary) — Mac undermines Pete through a targeted deception.

  Mac's manipulation of Pete and Brooke causes Teddy to catch them together, triggering a fight and a disciplinary strike against Delta Psi.

• Jimmy Blevins → Teddy Sanders (Conflict Feud Participant) — Jimmy becomes an active opponent of Teddy and the fraternity.

  Teddy's revenge prank targets Mac and Jimmy with airbags, and Jimmy later helps Mac confront Teddy during the final party.

• Teddy Sanders → Pete Regazolli (Alliance Fraternity Brother) — They are central partners in running the fraternity.

  Teddy and Pete lead Delta Psi Beta together and aspire to enter its Hall of Fame by throwing a massive party.

• Mac Radner → Teddy Sanders (Conflict Primary Rival) — Their escalating neighbor feud drives the central conflict.

  Mac asks Teddy to control the fraternity's noise, but Teddy retaliates after Mac anonymously calls the police and later confronts him during the final...

• Mac Radner → Jimmy Blevins (Social Best Friend) — Their friendship supplies practical and emotional support during the feud.

  The plot describes Jimmy as Mac's best friend, and Mac later enlists him to help shut down the fraternity.

Story Analysis

A young father's struggle against a fraternity feud becomes a comic negotiation between youthful excess and adult responsibility.

Plot Progression

1. The Party Next Door — Mac struggles with the restrictions of new parenthood when Delta Psi Beta moves into the neighboring house. A failed agreement over noise turns ordinary neighbor friction into open hostility.
2. Retaliation On The Lawn — Teddy retaliates after Mac calls the police, and the fraternity's hazing threatens the Radner household. Carol explains that college intervention is limited by a three-strikes policy.
3. Sabotage And Consequences — Mac's attempt to damage the fraternity's foundation fails, so he engineers a confrontation involving Pete and Brooke. The resulting injury gives Delta Psi its second strike and places it on probation.
4. The Counteroffensive — Mac recruits Jimmy and tries to obtain evidence of Teddy's hazing behavior. Teddy instead shows compassion, exposes the sabotage, and answers with an aggressive prank.
5. The Final Party Trap — Mac and Jimmy forge a letter lifting probation and publicize Delta Psi's party. Teddy detects the deception, but the Radners and Jimmy infiltrate the house and create a final struggle over the power.
6. Growing Into Adulthood — Teddy accepts responsibility and the fraternity is shut down. Months later, Mac and Teddy reconcile, while Mac accepts parenthood as his new way of life.