Blockers
(2018)Teens out to have fun. Parents out to stop it.
Three parents try to stop their teen daughters from having sex on prom night in this comedy starring Leslie Mann, John Cena and Ike Barinholtz (Bad Neighbours).
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Directed by Kay Cannon (feature debut)
Starring Leslie Mann, John Cena, Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Newton, Geraldine Viswanathan, Gideon Adlon, Graham Phillips, Miles Robbins
Written by Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, Brian Kehoe, Jim Kehoe, Eben Russell
Flicks Review
BY Daniel Rutledge Flicks Writer
It’s always concerning when an older person starts making an observation about “millennials”. This is a movie by a bunch of older people that’s mostly about young folk and it has a lot of that same sort of unfortunate cringe. Even the trailer centres on a teen conversation told entirely in emojis that nobody has ever had ever, but maybe some grandpa thinks is how these danged millennials communicate.... More
But for all Blockers gets wrong, it gets quite a lot right, too. It’s refreshing to have a teen sex comedy about girls trying to lose their virginity, rather than boys. It’d be nicer still to have it more from their perspective rather than their parents’, but it’s tough to complain when there’s this diverse a group of central female characters in any Hollywood production.
Crucially, a lot of the gags hit well. It’s not a laugh riot - the gross-outs and dick jokes are pretty average - but there’s a lot of heart in the clearly defined characters that pays off with what feels like organic humour.
The obligatory third act drama is where things go really bad, as Blockers yanks at the heartstrings with all the subtlety of a drunk, horny teen on prom night. That foolish earnestness almost undoes the great work the film accomplished by not morally judging teen girls for wanting to drink booze, take drugs and f-ck. And it’s a really big ask to expect us to cry over mended parent-daughter relationships when only a few scenes earlier John Cena was shooting beer out of his butt into another man’s mouth.
Still, there’s enough originality and decent jokes in Blockers to recommend it to fans of the genre. It’s a promising directorial debut from Kay Cannon and I look forward to what she does next.Hide
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Blockers
The Press Reviews
Blockers isn’t really about these girls losing their virginity. It’s about how they seize control of their destinies, one triumphantly lewd zinger at a time. Full Review
It plays to the strengths of its performers, from screen novices to the comic vet of the cast, Leslie Mann, who may never have had this good a showcase. Full Review
Despite an element of gross bodily fluid-laden gags, Blockers manages to be heartfelt and endearing – even if the film’s message is sometimes heavy handed. Full Review
A film that reflects a much more contemporary, sex-positive experience - and one that lets everyone laugh, in grand gross-out humour fashion, at the same time. Full Review
As both teen comedy and mid-life crisis comedy it's terrific. Full Review
Not in the Bridesmaids league but a very funny female-centric comedy with big laughs and spot-on attitudes. Full Review
A movie which portrays sex either as worrying and disgusting, or as a rite of passage best approached in a sober, responsible way. Full Review
Blockers falls short of being modern comedy classic, but it’s still a good time. Full Review
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