Film Review - Blockers (2018)

by Aly Lalji

The raunchy comedy genre never tires away. As long as it has the elements of originality, the good chemistry of characters and a segment of heartfelt sentimentality, what has ‘Blockers’ got to lose? Two out of three isn’t bad as the film definitely lacks originality. Sometimes a form of repetition is what the audience crave for. The theme of teenagers making a pact to lose their virginity on prom night has been done before. Any ideas what film? Here‘s the hint; it involves thrusting a pie. This is the first aspect that the audience will be perceptive too.

However, instead of horny desperate boys as our protagonists, the fact that three teenage high school senior girls want to lose their virginity, is why an audience would be captivated by this simplicity. Is this possible? One would assume that girls are more pristine and less vulgar to want to commit the atrocity of sex. To clarify the premise; three parents try to stop their daughters from having sex on Prom night. Once they’ve learned of their daughter’s sex pact and secret agenda, they will do everything in their power to stop them. However what obstacles will they face to find their daughter’s and out of the three girls who will triumph by getting laid?

For the first few minutes, the audience can compare this as a downgraded version to the Oscar-nominated ‘Ladybird.’ Instead of one girl, three girls’ want to plan carefully to engage sexually with the boy or girl of their choice. There’s also the topic of one of the girls, Julie played by Kathryn Newton from ‘Big Little Lies’ wanting to go to UCLA instead of the nearby Chicago University to seek independence away from her single mother, Lisa played superbly by the most known actor in the film, Leslie Mann. Although this segment lacks innovation, who cares? It’s something we can all relate to.

All three parents are different as well as the three daughters’. They all have a good character background that establishes the chemistry of captivating relationships and we all empathise with their motives of why parents are overprotective with their daughters. We begin to ask ourselves in the audience if we were parents; do we allow our daughters that we love to do what is inevitable or do we overprotect them as we feel the time of prom night is a silly excuse to deflower ourselves? The overall message is when they hit eighteen, we as parents need to be more trusting and let go of holding onto the bicycle.

The slapstick antics are fine. The parents having to butt chug with teenagers, the vomiting on each other in the limousine due to inebriation and the attempted ‘Fast and the Furious’ car chase from parent to children is a funny one. But the merits all lie within the drama of the film and the side plots. ‘Suicide Squad’s Ike Barinholtz who plays Hunter is the most flawed parent but deals with his daughter, Sam played by Gideon Adlon in a sentimental way that clasps our hearts as he accepts his daughter’s sexuality. Ex-wrestler, John Cena who plays Mitchell should be proud of his performance as his overprotection of his daughter played brilliantly by Geraldine Viswanathan is hilarious. His muscles and threatening persona is scary to his daughter’s date, but to see his soft, vulnerable side is what we enjoy the most. ‘Blockers’ is definitely worth watching. It’s far from unique, but as long as we are entertained and laugh from the brainless escapism this will keep the audience satisfied.

Nevertheless, the fact that we can relate to it as we have all been there, be it losing our virginity or protecting our child, or grow up; we will enjoy a new raunchy comedy where girls have the turn to play it crudely.