Grade: C
Author: Billy Madden
Every once in a while, moviegoers are handed a “coming of age” flick movie that addresses teenage plights, particularly around sex. They are usually formulaic, especially in carrying the same simple message of doing what is right for you. Blockers are no exception in this instance.
Blockers follow three parents attempting to protect their daughters from a prom night sex pact. The three parents in this comedy exemplify typical teenage parent tropes. First is the overprotective mother, Lisa (played by Leslie Mann), who does not want her daughter to leave Chicago to go to college. Next is Mitchell (John Cena), the sports-loving “tough on the outside” father crafting a relationship with his athletic goodie-two-shoes daughter. Lastly, there’s Hunter (Ike Barinholtz), an obnoxious oblivious father of a closeted lesbian who only agrees to participate in the coitus covenant to keep her secret safe.
The parents and ladies run into many obstacles throughout the movie, which brings laughs. Naturally, due to the premise, the film squeezes in numerous crude jokes into a one- and forty-two-minute run time.
The predictable storyline is, unfortunately, the main thing that weighs down the chuckle fest, dragging down the entire feature at the final twenty-minute mark. There is also a lack of balance between embarrassing moments and heartfelt ones. It seemed like the writers couldn’t decide how they wanted the entire picture to be experienced.
Blockers are nothing to write home about, as you’ve seen it all before. Still, it is worth seeing if you crave gratuitous laughs and nudity.
Rated: R (for crude and sexual content, language throughout, drug content, teen partying, and some graphic nudity)
Director: Kay Cannon
Screenwriters: Brian Kehoe and Jim Kehoe
Starring: Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz, John Cena, Kathryn Newton, Geraldine Viswanathan, and Gideon Adlon
Genre: Comedy
Synopsis
When three parents stumble upon their daughters’ pact to lose their virginity at prom, they launch a covert one-night operation to stop the teens from sealing the deal. Leslie Mann (“The Other Woman,” “This Is 40”), Ike Barinholtz (“Neighbors,” “Suicide Squad”), and John Cena (“Trainwreck,” “Sisters”) star in “Blockers,” the directorial debut of Kay Cannon (writer of the “Pitch Perfect” series).