**** outta *****

4 outta 5

Blockers is a great comedy that bounces nimbly back and forth between the adult and teenage characters.  What is kind of genius about it is that it never gets whiplash because both sets of characters are supplying constant, awesome quips.  The only part the movie stumbles a bit is when it tries to get serious but that is because it has been so wild that parts where it gets real are a bit of a drag.  Still Blockers succeeds because it is really consistently hilarious which is what one wants from a comedy.

It is prom night and hesitant dad, Mitchell (John Cena) is letting his daughter, Kayla (Geraldine Viswanathan) go out with her friends.  Unfortunately, Mitchell discovers his daughter and her two friends, Julie (Kathryn Newton) and Sam (Gideon Adlon), have made a pledge to lose their virginity on prom night.  With the help of Julie’s mom, Lisa (Leslie Mann), and Sam’s dad Hunter (Ike Barinholtz), they decide to crash the prom and parties to stop their kids from having sex.  But a hellish night of antics, personal drama, and car accidents ensures as the parents are one step behind their partying kids who are determined to go all the way. 

What is interesting about the movie is that it takes the format of the standard sex comedy and flips it around where it is shown the parent’s perspective of being horrified by their daughter’s actions.  The teens aren’t thinking about the repercussions of their actions as the parents are frantic but they can’t quite catch up with the kids.   It’s a bit of a comedic chase movie where the kids are blissfully oblivious as their parents are behind causing mayhem. 

Another unique thing is how the three parents respond to their daughter’s plan.  Mitchell is in denial, Lisa is having traumatic flashbacks of her own teenage escapades, and Hunter just wants to let her girl go have fun.   The best part is at the end when the parents finally catch up with their kids at a hotel party and each of them has a different reaction.  But what makes Blockers so good is how it zips between the two main storylines and the constant one liners they all put out.   Parts where it gets serious aren’t as good since the movie is dialled up to extreme comedy setting so seeing people with real emotions tends to be less interesting.

Cena as Mitchell is the buttoned up nerd of a dad, which is an interesting way to play Cena because he is such a physically intimidating presence.  But since he acts so wimpy he becomes the relatable everyman.   When he starts bursting open doors to preserve his daughter’s purity it actually is funnier because he’s been so restrained the entire time.  The three parents often get into awkward situations which are funny because the actors sell it so well and some great lines.   When Lisa is racing in a car after he kids in a limo, Hunter starts psyching her up by telling her to be like Vin Diesel in a Fast and Furious movie but she when driving fast enough he says “This slow and non-furious attitude is not helping us!” 

Barinholtz as Hunter is great; he is a divorced dad trying to be cool but hiding an inner pain that pops up at random intervals.  However, since Mitchell and Lisa barely know him they don’t really care.  When he pours his heart out about his relationship with his daughter and ex-wife and the two ignore him and just realize another way to track down their kids.   Mann as Lisa also has some awesome moments like when they accidentally flip their car and she tries to move it with her bare hands, saying that in times of crisis parents can have superhuman strength.   They all go through various stages of grief and rage throughout the film and get caught in weird situations.   One time they go to another parent’s house for information and discover the parents in the middle of a kinky sex game.  They just have to roll with it without being discovered which leads to a lot of hilariously awkward bits.

The three girls all have their standout moments.  The most interesting bit is Sam struggling with coming out and she tries being straight to fit in but is flirting with a girl has a preference for wearing capes.   In one of the movie’s funniest shots, the cape wearing girl makes a move like a hero and Sam totally falls in love in an instant.  Newton as Julie is having the time of her life even though she doesn’t know her mom is desperately trying to stop her and Viswanathan as Kayla has some of the movie’s funniest one-liners as she’s trying to be cool and sexy but just fails.

Blockers shouldn’t be as good as it is but it has high energy, lots of laughs and the cast chemistry and script keeps things lively.   It may devolve in moments into a lot of people screaming at each other as the parents are trying to let go of their kids and failing spectacularly.  And the hollering is really funny.