Blockers

2018’s Blockers, directed by Kay Cannon.

Starring Leslie Mann, John Cena, Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Newton, Geraldine Viswanathan, Gideon Adlon, Ramona Young, Graham Phillips, Miles Robbins, Jimmy Bellinger, Colton Dunn, Sarayu Blue, Gary Cole, Gina Gershon, Diane Raphael, Hannibal Buress. 

What is it about?

Cock Blockers is about a group of adults (Leslie Mann, John Cena, and Ike Barinholtz) who’s children (Kathryn Newton, Geraldine Viswanathan, and Gideon Adlon) are about to graduate high school, and plan to lose their virginity for prom night. Overly attached, the parents work together, madly dashing around town to save their children’s virginity before it’s too late. Will they be successful in their blocking?

Why is it worth seeing?

Blockers’ comedic premise is intriguing, as a trio of parents’ experience what every parent inevitably goes through- their kids’ exploration of their budding sexuality. Not content to stew in helpless guardianship anxiety, they instead strike out to ruin their young adults’ attempts at deflowering. But even with all the peripheral gross out humour, we’re not spending enough time with the real heroes of the story- the kids.

One of the strengths of American Pie’s franchise is the appeal of its (usually) young characters. Sold as gross out sex filled comedies, the lessons and bonding the characters mature through is the sentiment that keeps you coming back (at least before the dreaded direct-to-video dreck arrived) for more. Blockers takes a similar drive, so integral in Pie, and instead bases most of its perspective through the neurotic parents, who are determined to prevent their children from losing their innocence.

But the teens presented perhaps could lose a bit of their innocence. Here are multi-dimensional, kind, and sympathetic people, who’s parents just don’t seem ready to acknowledge that their kids are probably more mature than they are. Any steam generated from spending time with the kids is at times quickly evaporated by the hijinks of Cena, Mann, and Barinholtz.

It’s not that the folks don’t have chemistry- Cena in particular is hilarious as the dad whom is out of his element but thinks his intensity will barrel his way through any situation. But it’s difficult to believe typical adults with reasonable capacity (Mann in particular) would go to the absurd lengths depicted here, and it makes you wish that we could spend that time with the kids instead (like we spend time doing in Ladybird or any John Hughes film).

Full of post modern comic banter, testicle grabbing, and vomit and beer-butt chugging, Blockers is heavy on comedic banter and gross outs, but light on the characters who really matter.

Rating:

3/5

Trailer: Click Here.