Review: Blockers (2018)

I am not usually a fan of comedies. I don't find a lot of the humor used in today's comedies to be very funny at all and based on the trailers I had seen for Blockers, I did not expect to enjoy this movie at all... boy was I wrong.

+ Recommended - R, Comedy

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I am not usually a fan of comedies. I don't find a lot of the humor used in today's comedies to be very funny at all and based on the trailers I had seen for Blockers, I did not expect to enjoy this movie at all... boy was I wrong.

Blockers follows two main groups. We have a trio of girls who are about to graduate high school and the opposing trio that is made up from one parent from each of the girls. The reason these two groups are at odds is the result of an agreement the teens made to lose their virginities on prom night. Unsurprisingly, the parents are not super down for that outcome. Surprisingly though, this film is incredibly sex-positive. By trial and error, this cast leads us through a night filled with important conversations with the high school crew and even more  important conversations with the older generation.  Kayla (Geraldine Viswanathan), Julie (Kathryn Newton), and Sam (Gideon Adlon) have been friends since their first day of Kindergarten. Now they find themselves on the cusp of adulthood and unsure of what is coming next. In an attempt to further their bond, they each decide they will lose their virginity on the same night: Prom.

Normally, this whole concept would be considered completely unoriginal, and in a few ways it still is. A group of parents who don't want their baby girls to grow up and will stop them by any means! Boring. Blockers makes it a fresh take. The different narratives from each of these empowering young women (not so much the adults) leave you on the edge of your seat until the next time they are in a scene. I won't spoil what makes each of the characters so unique, but I will tell you that they are all a breath of fresh air.  Our attempting cock blockers: Lisa (Leslie Mann), Mitchell (John Cena), and Hunter (Ike Barinholtz) are definitely the rogue antagonists in the story. Lisa doesn't want to see Julie follow in her footsteps, Mitchell thinks Kayla is in over her head, and Hunter... well Hunter's motivations flip back and forth. These parents started out close but grew further apart as their children grew older. Now, they try to come together to prevent what they think could be a life ruining mistake.  

The acting in this movie is hilarious, the jokes are well timed and witty, and the whole film is almost two hours of fun. Kay Cannon's directing in this film sets the story apart from everything we've seen lately. When Jared and I were leaving the theater last night, we tried to remember the last comedy that we enjoyed and we both came to the consensus that it's been a minute. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this in a packed theater with everyone laughing along. If you have time and money to spend, go out and see Blockers. I really don't think you'll regret it.