A hilarious new effort from Kay Cannon gives new life to a familiar comedy formula
It’s unusual a summer goes by now without a raucous comedy from either Seth Rogen, Judd Apatow, or one of their associates. Neighbors, This is the End, Trainwreck, This is 40, and Bridesmaids are but a few of their efforts that have successfully blended crass humor with some genuinely heartfelt tales. This year was no different, with Blockers (produced by Rogen) delivering the laughs, while also marking the directorial debut of Kay Cannon, best known for her work as writer of the Pitch Perfect series and 30 Rock.
The premise is simple: three parents, their friendships forged on their daughters’ first day of kindergarten, find themselves reunited after a period of estrangement when they discover, through a string of text messages on a laptop, that their children have all made a pact to lose their virginity on prom night. Thus begins their misguided efforts over a single evening, and across town, to block their daughters attempts to consummate with their selected partners, who are dealing with issues of their own about their lives and their futures.
It’s a simple premise, but one ripe for comedy, as is usually the case with these efforts. Many of the laughs come from the increasingly farcical efforts of these parents to track down and interrupt the efforts of their kids to go through with their pact. Plenty of wise cracks, observational comedy, and oodles of juvenile humor peak with the butt-chugging scene hinted at in the trailer. Countering this is an emotional backbone is about parenting, the need to let go of control, and of children becoming adults themselves. It’s an interesting inversion of the typical roles, with the parents (save one who knows this intervention is a bad idea) making mistake after mistake in reading the situation, while the teenage girls are being rather methodical and smart with their moves, be it with an end game in sight or working out conflict and confusion within. Not to say they don’t indulge in some R-rated language and behavior, but there is a more natural representation to them than their parents in their all out cross-town shitshow.
Leslie Mann remains one of the great comedy talents of our age, equally able to draw tremendous empathy for her plight as a single mom who is about to lose her daughter (and best friend) to college. John Cena shows an increasing range with his remarkably sensitive hulk of a father, while Ike Barinholtz rounds them out as perhaps the most flawed, and yet fully realized parent of the trio. What is applaudable, as hinted at earlier, is the younger cast getting plenty of attention. Kathryn Newton, Geraldine Viswanathan, and Gideon Adlon turn in genuine performances as kids dealing with the end of their high school lives, social dynamics, sexuality, and friendships.
These are kids who are products of their parents’ own issues and insecurities and so provide the perfect foils to upend their lives on this fateful night. It’s not that often you get a female-driven teen comedy, and the change in perspective is certainly refreshing, aided by the eye of director Kay Cannon, who shows a deft touch in not losing the young cast amidst some silly humor. It’s a refreshing change in focus and energy. The film is rather predictable though, and wraps up in an absurdly neat fashion. It seems to tick so many boxes in pursuit of advancing many causes and characters that it comes across as a little too tidy, especially in terms of its final act. It’s noble and well-intentioned, but with most of the film showing how messy the lives of teens and parents can be, it just doesn’t quite mesh. Still, overall it’s executed in such a slick, heartfelt, and entertaining way you can forgive a little unevenness in parts.
The Package
The Blu-ray of Blockers shows off a solid visual presentation. Detail, texture, blacks, and contrast are all good, colors pop but retain a natural hue, no issues with quality are evident. The release is stuffed with extra features:
- Audio Commentary: Director Kay Cannon talks about the story, the cast, crew, and characters, funny stories on set, and other tidbits. Occasionally amusing, but there are often lulls in content.
- Deleted Scenes: All very short in length, with no commentary about the reason for excision.
- Gag Reel: On set mistakes, just under three minutes worth.
- Line-O-Rama: A few improv takes not included in the final film.
- Rescue Mission: A five minute featurette about the film, key scenes, and cast members/crew reflecting on their own parental experiences.
- Prom Night: Cast and crew talk about the prom aspects of the plot, from production to their own experiences in high school.
- The History of Sex with Ike Barinholtz: Barinholtz riffs on the origins of sex and courtship in human history.
- John Cena’s Prom Survival Kit for Parents: Cena entertains with a ‘survival kit’ for getting through prom season.
- Chug! Chug! Chug!: John Cena’s character chugs a beer in the film. Through his butt. See how it’s done!
- Puke-a-Palooza: What would a gross out comedy be, or indeed a prom, without people barfing. See how that one scene was executed.
- Digital download and DVD copies of the film.
The Bottom Line
Blockers is thoroughly entertaining, despite it being a tad familiar in terms of style and how the film unfolds. It has an emotional core that roots the film while the more far-fetched comedy moments unfold, aided by the welcome embrace of a young female cast to drive things along. The Blu-ray offers a solid presentation as well as plenty of extras to add to the release.
Blockers is available on Blu-ray and DVD from July 3rd, 2018.
