Blockers tells us that it is not our friends that are the worst (insert picture of a rooster here) Blockers, it is in fact our parental units.
Leslie Mann, John Cena and Ike Barinholtz are a set parents who learn that their three daughters have agreed to a sex pact for their Senior Prom night. The adults decide that they will do whatever it takes to ensure that not one of their daughters loses their virginity on that iconic rite of passage evening.
The comedy is surprisingly heartfelt as it accompanies a whole lot of hilarity.
Both Cena and Mann are marvelously madcap in their roles and the former has just announced to the world that his comedic side is one that needs to be explored again and again. Then again, he also showed that brilliance in Trainwreck. The latter, we’ve always known, is beyond brilliant in such roles. This time out, though, Mann is given much more to work with than being somebody’s wife, girlfriend or significant other who is also funny. She is a single mom who is doing her best to raise her daughter in a way that befits a girl becoming a woman, circa 2018.
The three girls—Julie (Kathryn Newton), Kayla (Geraldine Viswanathan) and Sam (Gideon Adlon)—are delightful and one firmly believes that these three future titans have known each other since the first day of Kindergarten. The three of them deliver grounded characters that are full of that innocent hope meets adulthood knocking on the door mentality that are late teens.
Screenwriters Brian and Jim Kehoe have really given theseactresses an elusive gift for young female thespians. It is one thing to give us a solid, modern and fully rounded teenage soul—particularly in a coming-of-age comedy. But, this is a titanic trio of rich people that have firm heads attached to their shoulders. They have one eye firmly on the fun that is prom night and another eye looking out for what is exactly right for them, their future and who they are as budding adults. It’s impressive.
It’s hard to spotlight just one as each keenly knew they were a part of a comedy ensemble. They were also an ensemble within an ensemble in terms of the three young ladies as longtime friends. That is a tricky line to maintain. Newton, Viswanathan and Aldon each are so impeccably cast that it almost feels their onscreen relationship with each other and the larger ensemble is easy. As many of us know, this achievement is anything but easy.
As a father of a young girl, Blockers might be an interesting movie to feel inspired by given its specific plot. But with female characters firmly in command of their bodies, their minds and their futures, there is a hope that came over me that my daughter will witness films over her molding years that illustrate what it is to be a strong, intelligent and upstanding modern woman. The film also hit those father-daughter emotional buttons for me since all three parents—Lisa, Mitchell and Hunter—find ways to connect with their daughters that in turn finds their children making great decisions. Also, it is also handled in a myriad of ways that smartly reflects the varying connections that parents have with their children.
Don’t mean to be looking too deeply at a crude prom night sex farce, but Blockers goes deeper and that is partially what makes it so surprisingly touching and tender. Director Kay Cannon gives us a movie that simultaneously plays for broad, yet raunchy humor, with some seriously timely hilarity that speaks to both parents and their teen kids. Again, it’s funny to think about all those teens and their folks witnessing a film of this subject matter together. But, it strangely works on that level as well. In the least, it is a hilarious and heartfelt cinematic experience. At the most, it is a means for parents and their budding adult children to have discussions about a barrage of issues that confront all who are that age.
For those of us who remember some of the more hysterical teen movies of the 80s and early 90s, Blockers is both a throwback and pushes the needle further into the future. It possesses a classic feel because it is a rare high school movie of the modern era that paints teenagers as fully-fledged characters instead of two-dimensional cardboard cutouts that other films in this rarified genre have accomplished of late. It also is the rarest of movies that spotlights its three young female leads as singular, strong and unswayed by the wills of men, either their fathers or potential paramours.
The Blockers Blu-Ray bonus features a bevy of content that is unrated, thus allowing some of the raunchiest and richest humorous moments of the film itself are magnified.
The History of Sex with Ike Barinholtz must lead our look at the extras. First of all, having comedian Barinholtz host this featurette is a stroke of genius. Having him be him and the hilarious human that he is delivering his thoughts on the history of sex over the span of human kind is innately a must-see moment for this must-see movie.
Not to be left out in the funny bonus feature hosting duty, Cena kills it with his too-short (155 seconds, come on!) John Cena’s Prom Survival Kit for Parents. For parents, prom season is a stressful season. Toss in the fact that for many parents, senior prom is also the beginning of the end of the child in the home and the empty nest syndrome starting to take hold. With all that in mind, Cena delivers a knockout punch to how to handle that challenging period of time for any parent.
Speaking of Cena and all he is willing to do to make this comedy work on every possible level it could, a bonus feature (thankfully!) is devoted to that extra mile he went in the beer funnel scene. Chug! Chug! Chug! finds Cena being a true team player for our trio of Blockers as he does what he can to win a drinking contest that involves, well… let’s just say it’s one of the films’ more hilarious moments. And… a gift that keeps on giving throughout the latter half of the film.
Prom Night puts the spotlight on that sex pact that sits at the center of our film. It is an enjoyable look at all the players—the ladies who have joined forces to “lose their V-card” and the fellas who could be looking at a historic night themselves—as the icon that is prom night is navigated. Also funny, and not for those with a weak stomach, is Puke-a-Palooza. There is one particular moment in the film that involves a bit of vomit and who knew that it would take such an enormous amount of blocking and planning by filmmakers to make sure they got the “moment” just right?
Love it when a comedy Blu-Ray comes home with a Line-O-Rama. It works on so many levels, not the least of which is discerning which hilarious moments are scripted and ad-libbed. Also, a joy on comedy home vid releases is the Gag Reel. This one moves fast at only just over two minutes but is a joy as it truly gives us an insight into the creative power that this entire cast possesses.
Hearing Cannon on her audio commentary track is like a master class in directing comedy in the modern era. This is a filmmaker worth watching and she is now—thanks to Blockers—become an artist whose name alone attached to a film will get my interest piqued.
Hopefully Blockers busts the bubble of that perceived sense that teens only want films that mirror themselves in ways that Hollywood has previously established is the way of the youth. Cannon’s film takes the simplest of premises and instead of delivering something ordinary has given audiences something surprisingly extraordinary.
Film Grade: B
Bonus Features: B-