Blockers (Review)
Blockers Continues the Trend of Funny and Slightly Woke Movies in 2018!
I have to say, 2018 has been quite a year for comedies. There have been one or two stumbles, but with Game Night and now Blockers, this is shaping up to be a good year for laughs. As ridiculous as Blockers is though, it’s a movie that has a strong underlying message in its gender swapping of the typical coming of age teen sex comedy. It’s a film with surprising insight and a heartwarming finale. This is all in spite of plenty of sex jokes and gross-out humor, which is only more surprising in how consistently funny it is.
After Ferdinand last year, I’ve come to have a place in my heart for John Cena. Blockers has only served to make even more room for him as he proves to be just as good at comedy as he is at “wrastlin’.” This time around he plays an overprotective dad who is just a bit out of tough and naive when it comes to his daughter. He still sees her as his little girl and can’t imagine her doing anything as deviant as having sex or doing drugs. Over the course of the night, that image is slowly shattered for him and he’s forced to accept that she isn’t his “little girl” anymore. Cena plays the role with a straight face, despite the uproarious situations his character is thrown into. From catching neighbors in the middle of exploring their sexual boundaries to butt chugging beer against high schoolers, his wide-eyed naivety gives him an endearing childlike innocence, which is slowly destroyed.
As good as Cena is, he wouldn’t be half as funny without his co-stars Leslie Mann and Ike Barinholtz. While Cena might not be the main character, he constantly steals the spotlight, but only after these two give him the openings to crush his lines. All three come together as a perfect storm of stereotypical parents, but manage to avoid being cliches. This is probably thanks to the fact that all three have plenty of experience when it comes to comedy. As good as they are, their daughters (Geraldine Viswanathan, Kathryn Newton, and Gideon Adlon) manage to take the raunchy teen roles and adapt them perfectly as young girls with a prom night sex pact.
What I really loved about Blockers is the fact that it wasn’t a movie that simply gender-swapped the stereotypical “guy desperate to lose virginity” archetype. It took the concept and adapted it beautifully for young women. What’s the difference? Well, speaking from experience, young men are idiots and do a lot of stupid things constantly. While the daughters certainly did stupid stuff, it never felt like they were trying to be their male counterparts. Instead, it all felt incredibly natural and the results are side-splitting. Especially because Blockers takes this opportunity to really question gender roles when it comes to sex in high school. As one parent points out in the film, it’s not fair that losing your virginity is no big deal for a guy but it’s a catastrophe for a girl. More importantly, though, it’s a movie that advocates safe sex without preaching it. As open-minded as Cena, Mann, and Barinholtz seem they can’t help buying into the idea that they have to protect their daughters from sex in the beginning. Fortunately, their epic journey over the course of the night leads them to the realization that this isn’t a decision they can make for their kids, only one they can prepare them for. Luckily, they seem to have done a pretty good job of that.
Blockers was a delightful surprise on a number of levels. The script is smart and has a sharp tongue that manages to nail jokes on a number of different levels. For me, this is the sure fire sign that it’s incredibly well written. Also, director Kay Cannon brings a woman’s perspective to a comedy concept that’s probably been nearly done to death. However, her vision breathes new life into the trope and the result manages to hit a new high. I said it once before, but 2018 is starting off pretty woke and I love Cannon manages to do with Blockers what Bridesmaids tried so desperately to do years ago.
For me, Blockers is the perfect way to blow off some steam after a long week. It’s a delightful movie that manages to land every joke and tug just enough at heartstrings to make it a feel-good film. I wholeheartedly recommend seeing Blockers if you’re looking for a movie that will seriously make you laugh. It’s familiar and new all at the same time. Classic without being cliche. Most importantly though, it’s a damn funny film.
