Who said sororities aren’t allowed to have as much fun as the frats? In case you haven't heard, that’s pretty much the entire mission statement of Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising. Although the college Greek system is often portrayed through incredibly masculine and misogynistic lenses in modern film and television, the upcoming sequel seems to have taken a vastly different approach to that concept. In fact, we’ve just learned that a cut sex scene between two of the film's stars would’ve placed a heavy emphasis on the notion of female empowerment. Sadly -- as I said -- it was cut.
Based upon a new report from Vanity Fair, it seems that Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising originally featured a sex scene between Chloë Grace Moretz’ character Shelby, and Zac Efron’s character Teddy. The scene reportedly existed as an "anti-sex scene" because it allowed Shelby to take full physical advantage of the admittedly handsome and happily objectified Teddy while keeping her clothes on. This entailed putting Zac Efron in some seriously compromising (and likely hilarious) positions. While the end result was something incredibly funny, it also didn’t thematically fit with the film’s message of sisterly bonding and empowerment, so the end result saw it cut from the final product.
Aside from the fact that the scene didn’t totally work within the greater context of the movie, the filmmakers also decided to cut it because it didn’t logistically work within the relationships built up by these characters. The movie reportedly makes a concerted effort to showcase that the ladies of Kappa Nu view Zac Efron’s Teddy as an "old man," and berate him mercilessly for it. As such, a sex scene between him and the supposedly 18-year-old Shelby would not have necessarily fit with everything preceding it in the film.
Neighbors 2 has generated some insane buzz for a comedy sequel. It seems to deconstruct the female side of the collegiate Greek system with even more surgical precision than the original did for fraternities. With so many people calling it one of the best comedies in recent memory, as well as one of the best comedy sequels of all time, it seems as though the filmmakers don’t have to worry about cutting that one particular scene.
Based upon everything we know about the upcoming sequel, it doesn’t seem like there will be any shortage of raunchy comedy when Neighbors 2 finally hits theaters. There‘s a good chance that the sex scene between Zac Efron and Chloë Grace Moretz will make it onto the special features of the DVD release, so you may still get an opportunity to see it someday. Neighbors 2 parties its way into theaters this weekend, so be sure to check it out.
