Blockers
Starring: John Cena, Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz
It’s your standard teen sex comedy … for adults.
That’s how our household’s Mr 16 described this one – and as a critic, like his dad, he’s spot-on.
That said, any couple attending it with their late teens will find laughs all around.
If you’ve seen the trailer, you know the drill – three teenage girls make a prom night sex pact.
It’s uncovered by their parents, who pull out all stops to sink the pact on the big night. So far, so little for the plot.
John Cena cements his new role as muscly funny guy a la Dwayne Johnson. Leslie Mann puts in her usual quirky performance as another parent, and Ike Barinholtz steals the show as the stereotypical, deadbeat loser dad.
Among the kids, the acting honours are not so even – well, almost non-existent.
The portrayal of one girl as a sporty tomboy is worth the price of admission, while the portrayal of another as a deep in the closet lesbian seems tokenistic at best.
The other daughter is the typical WASP-ish princess.
By choosing all girls for these lead roles, the movie does have something to say about society’s differing views of male and female teen sexuality. Interestingly, the boys are all bit players and caricatures of the millennial slacker drug dealers we know and love.
But we’re here for the laughs, and on that front the film does deliver, after a slow start.
In fact, the finish of the film is a little slow as well, but in the jam-packed middle there are plenty of laugh out loud moments.
Leave your brain at the door, and let the laughs run free.
– Jason Beck
