The cast of “Blockers” at a red carpet event. The new movie premiered on Friday, April 6, 2018. (Screenshot courtesy of “Blockers” Twitter)
The most confusing part of 2018’s newest comedy “Blockers” was the fact that the main actors Leslie Mann and Ike Barinholtz spent the whole movie engaging in a dialogue with an invisible character. All John Cena jokes aside, this raunchy comedy about a trio of parents who attempt to stop their daughters from losing their virginity on prom night was actually pretty enjoyable.
Comedian Barinholtz was, without a doubt, the star of this film. His role as Hunter, a free-spirited and recently divorced father, requires him to frequently deliver slapstick punchlines that elicit laugh-out-loud reactions from the audience. Throughout the film, Hunter attempts to rekindle his relationship with his daughter Sam, whom he has neglected in the years since his divorce. This impressive performance by Barinholtz took most of the comedic pressure off of co-stars Mann and Cena, who seem less comfortable delivering sexual punchlines.
Cena definitely isn’t one of the more talented actors in Hollywood, so it was an excellent writing choice to make his character ironically funny instead of reliant on witty jokes. His character, Mitchell, is an overprotective father who, despite being muscular and intimidating, frequently shows his soft and sensitive side. On the other hand, Mann’s character, Lisa, has an authoritative personality and likes to boss Mitchell around. This creative personality swap opens the door for some hilarious interactions between the two actors.
One of the biggest keys to the success of this comedy was its incorporation of hilarious secondary characters who cross paths with the main characters during their adventure. Despite having only a few minutes of screen time, these secondary characters have some of the most outrageously funny scenes throughout the film. Hannibal Buress, playing the role of Sam’s easygoing new stepfather, stood out as one of the funniest characters in “Blockers” despite having limited screen time.
While the acting by Barinholtz, Buress and co. was outstanding, “Blockers” was held back by a weak plot and some overly raunchy scenes.
The frantic trio of parents getting into car chases, breaking into houses and having confrontations with teenagers produced some hilarious action sequences. The only problem with these scenes was that they made the storyline pretty unrealistic and dramatized. A strong plot can definitely set apart a great comedy from good ones. Unfortunately, “Blockers” probably will never be considered a great comedy based on its hectic plotline. With that being said, most people don’t buy tickets to a comedy to get a scintillating plot.
The film definitely had its fair share of sexual and raunchy content. Given the fact that the plot is centered on teens trying to lose their virginity, this is difficult to avoid. At times, it feels as though “Blockers” went a little too far with its humor. From Cena consuming alcohol in the most outrageous way ever to an uncomfortable encounter with the neighbors, there were points throughout the movie where the crowd’s laughter turned into groans. Let’s just say “Blockers” was one of the easiest “R” ratings that the Motion Picture Association of America has given all year.
Ultimately, the extremely diverse cast of “Blockers” uses a combination of sexual, slapstick and ironic humor to generate countless laughs from the audience. The film not only offers tons of funny scenes but also conveys an important message to parents about giving their kids freedom. Lead actor Barinholtz particularly stood out with his hilarious performance as deadbeat dad Hunter. As long as you’re someone who doesn’t mind some raunchy and sexual humor, “Blockers” is definitely worth seeing.
Rating: 3.5/5
Matthew Souvigney is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at matthew.souvigney@uconn.edu.
