by Monica Hayes
Kay Cannon’s Blockers is a sexual charged raunchy coming of age comedy that will have you on the floor laughing your butt off!
Julie (Kathryn Newton), Kayla (Geraldine Viswanathan) and Sam (Gideon Adlon) have been friends ever since elementary school and now, its prom night. Julie tells her besties she decided it was time for her and cutie boyfriend Austin (Graham Phillips) to go all the way and what better time to lose her virginity than prom night. Kayla, the outspoken athletic one of the crew, thinks that is a great idea and also states that she will lose her virginity to her date Connor (Miles Robbins). Not wanting to be left out, or to show her true self, Sam reluctantly joins in and states she will do the same with Chad (Jimmy Bellinger). The girls have now agreed that #Sexpact2018 is a go!
Later that evening Julie’s mom Lisa overprotective, single mom Lisa (Leslie Mann), throws a pre-prom party for the kids and their dates. Kayla and Connor, Sam and Chad and Julie and Austin are all set to leave for prom when Sam’s estranged dad, Hunter (Ike Barinholtz) shows up hanging out of the sunroof of a limo he rented for her big night. Everything is set, the kids load into the limo and they are ready to get their night started. Once the kids leave, Lisa, Mitchell (John Cena), and Hunter are in the house chatting when Julie’s computer is chiming non-stop. Lisa goes to get Julie’s laptop and sees her text messages, complete with emojis of the night’s events to come. Watching them bumble their way through trying to figure out the meaning of the text messages is priceless. Eventually, Hunter figures it out and they make a pact of their own to block their daughter’s sext pact. From this point on, the monkeyshines and shenanigans are afoot.
In her directorial debut, Cannon does an excellent job at letting Mann, Cena, and Barinholtz play to their strengths. Mann, the overbearing mom who doesn’t want her baby to leave the nest; Cena, the best coach there is, but cry real tears at the drop of a hat; and Barinholtz the smartass bad boy who is misunderstood. Watching them run around all night, always one step behind their kids, getting into all sorts of off the wall scenarios remind me of the Three Stooges. Hilarious! There are definitely raunchy scenes that put you in the frame of mind of American Pie, There’s Something About Mary or you can go back a little further to Sixteen Candles. So you know you will be in tears. The difference between Blockers and those movies, this one focuses on the female point of view. Yes, guys, us females think about sex just as much as you do and we act upon those urges.
Let’s not forget our three heroines. Of the three, Newton has more experience, but it is Viswanathan who steals the spotlight. Her performance of the outspoken, go hard, in it to win it Kayla was a joy to watch. She is the typical jock that conquers everything she sets out to achieve. She has some scene that will… well, you are just going to go have to see it. Don’t get me wrong, Newton and Adlon are slouches and hold their own quite nicely.
Blockers has some serious undertones throughout the entire movie dealing with double standards. First, the double standard of how boys losing their virginity is celebrated whereas girls losing theirs are looked down upon and second, that girls need to be saved all the time. There is even a coming out of the closet moment. However, none of these issues take over take away or interfere with this film.
Overall, Blockers does not take itself seriously, and neither should you. It is a brilliant funny coming of age movie that will have you cracking your side ten times over. A for sure sleeper. Cannon has hit this one out the park! Note, if you don’t like brief nudity, minor sex acts, and some drug use, you’re going to miss out on a truly funny movie.
Grade B