Blockers (2018) - 7/10

I went back and forth on this one a lot. At times I wanted to go 6/10, others 8/10. I'm going to split the difference here and maybe revisit at some time in the future. I think my big hold up right now is that, despite loving comedies, I can't put my finger on exactly what makes a great comedy. I can't think of one on the spot that I would give a 10/10. Thus all comedies feel like they are getting unfairly weighed against a drama or other genre film. 

I also have found that on some of the re-watches of comedies for this blog that comedy loses something when it is being looked at through an overly critical or analytical lens. In fact the comedies that I would claim to love are largely ones where my initial watch was with a group of friends - especially if we then adopted the jokes and inserted them into our conversations routinely. I find that to be something that is mostly unique to comedies - people don't tend to sit around quoting famous monologues from dramas. For instance, I never sat around drinking beers while reciting 'tears in the rain' from Blade Runner.

Point being, Blockers is a solid comedy film and I feel like my score is a bit harsh. But maybe once we get into the rubric it will help me sort out why I can't fully get behind it.  

1. Acting 

 Overall, I like the acting for Blockers, though it doesn't feel particularly elevated over some of its peers. Its tone is largely 'feel good' and so I think that performances are somewhat muted for likability. The actor working the hardest is probably Leslie Mann. Her character has the clearest emotional arc and she gets to play around with range a lot more. Mann is constantly trying to juggle the absurdity of the plot with the irrational but still understandable arc of feeling like she is getting left behind by her daughter and her impending loneliness. Her performance is, for a lot of these reasons, much more nuanced than some of her counterparts. 

Ike Barinholtz is also doing a lot of great work here. His character in particular is presented as an obnoxious and unlikable person. Therefore he has a lot of work to do to make sure that the audience is able to find him both funny and likable as the runtime progresses. I also think that this requires a more measured approach than what shows on the surface. At first you have to find the comedy within the context of being the obnoxious 'bad guy' and make that work. But then, slowly over the course of the film, you have to change that approach to finding comedy in more sincere and likable ways to endear your character to your audience. It's good writing and a good performance. 

John Cena wasn't new to acting at this point in his career, but this was one of his more 'major' roles. What Cena lacks in pure acting talent, he more than makes up for by being game for just about anything the script throws it him - and it throws a lot. Any sort of scene that called for 'hijinks' involves Cena's character. And this includes everything from full vinegar strokes eye contact, getting fondled up by an explorative couple, and, of course, some good ol' fashioned butt chugging. I also like the sillier aspects of his character that play against type - such as the fact that he cries at any emotional moment that involves his daughter. It may be dumb, but I like that he is a pro-wrestler that is willing to do things like this in his movies (unlike some other 'too cool' ex-wrestlers who take their brand very seriously). 

Outside of the trio of adults, we also get nice performances from their teenage counterparts. Kathryn Newton, Geraldine Viswanathan, and Gideon Adlon all get to play around with 'flipping the script' on conventional prom night virginity stereotypes and they seem to have a lot of fun doing it. With that said, the script doesn't ask a whole lot of them other than Adlon who gets to go on a more personal discovery journey about her sexuality than her friends do. 

The supporting cast also includes a lot of great comedic performances and I always enjoy seeing the extremely dry and effortless wit of Hannibal Buress. But let's move on. 

2. Cinematography 

There isn't a ton of specifics that jump out in terms of cinematography. It's a mostly straight forward affair and the most adventurous thing we get is the flipping car scene. With that said, everything seems to be executed competently and blends well with the comedy and timing of jokes. 

3. Production/Costume Design

Similar to the cinematography, most of what occurs on screen is fairly straight forward. However, a quick shout out to the costumers for their work on the character's outfits. There isn't anything revolutionary here, but I like how distinct each characters outfits were and how it spoke to their character. Touches like these in film gets overlooked a lot, but they are important story telling devices that relay information to the audience. For example, Cena's tucked in long sleeve button up and cargo pants are just so perfectly 'lame dad' and the audience can learn a lot about him without him even talking. This plays into the girl's prom dresses as well. Each feels very specific and fitting for each character. 

4. Writing 

Blockers basic premise is a familiar one, but with a gender spin. It's not quite 'American Pie but with girls', but it's definitely built on that type of 'teens losing their virginity on prom night' trope. With that said, Blockers is able to tap into a more earnest tone than some of its raunchier counterparts without completely losing the sexual hijinks along the way. It also has a nice two-pronged approach where we see the night from the two differing perspectives of adults and teenagers, which bring a more well rounded narrative for the audience to enjoy. 

 With the premise set, the next obvious hurdle is making it funny. I think Blockers is able to largely succeed and does so by using a ton of different 'types' of comedy. For instance there is a ton of quotable lines from this film to include things like;

Kayla: Julie, I got you something. It's coconut oil. For lube. I hear it works just as well, and it makes blow jobs taste like Almond Joy.
Julie: Ah, thank God it doesn't taste like Mounds. I'd rather eat ten dicks than one Mound.

The writers were also able to craft some great bits of situational comedy. Fora example, Cena's character is folding laundry early in the film and starts playing around with what he thinks is his wife underwear - going as far as to pretend to each the underwear; only to find out that those are in fact his daughters. There is also a running bit about Barinholtz's character repeatedly crashing into a random student and his 'moments' at prom which bridges both situational and physical comedy. Not all physical comedy is falls or kids getting tossed into walls either. I think the uncomfortable scene of Adlon's character almost losing her virginity to Chad as a prime example of physical and cringe comedy coming together to great effect. 

All in all, Blockers script has a fresh spin on a somewhat tired concept and is able to pair it with a high volume of jokes and comedic situations.  

5. Sound Design 

The soundtrack for the film is composed almost entirely of pop hits from its era and it matches quite well with the fun and light tone of the script. 

I also appreciate when films work in little stylistic moments with music. A small but effective example is in the opening moments, the song that is used for one of the character's phone alarm transitions to being the soundtrack to the scene at the exact moment that the character moves to turn the alarm off. It's just a cool transition even if its not overly necessary for the film in any particular way. 

 6. Editing 

The plot does meander a bit in its middle acts. The first act is mostly setting up the premise and moving things towards the start of prom night. The the bulk of the film revolves around the parents moving from one scene to the next as more and more comedic roadblocks are encountered. This allows for lots of funny scenes to take place, but doesn't necessarily move the plot forward much. This is as much a writing problem as it is an editing one, but maybe there was a way to restructure some scenes or tighten up others to allow the plot more forward momentum. 

7. Visual Effects 

Not a ton of traditional CGI work, but the car crash and explosion stands out as more ambitious move from the filmmakers.  

8. Originality or Strength of Adaptation 

I already mentioned how the film plays around with some familiar teen comedy tropes and gender reversals; so it does get some points for freshness. I also like that it is able to capture the more sex positive sensibilities of it's time. You could even argue that the parents are representative of the older sensibilities of the American Pie era, and the teens represent the newer and more progressive ideas around sex that newer generations have embraced. And the fact that the parents get onboard with the more progressive views by the end of the film is an obvious nod to our actual changing dynamics with sex now. 

9. Stunt Coordination 

Not a ton outside the physical comedy bits I already mentioned - especially the bits with Hunter and Jake Donahue crashing into each other.  

10. Direction 

Kay Cannon is a very credentialed comedian with tons of writing credits from great shows and movies including 30 Rock and the Pitch Perfect series. Her directorial debut here is well within her wheelhouse comedically, but I don't see a ton of signatures specific to her outside of the tone. Ultimately this is a pretty competent comedy film, but the jury is still out for her future efforts in the director's chair. 

Legacy/Final Thoughts

Blockers being released in 2018 makes it one of few mid budget comedies of this kind to get a full theatrical treatment is recent years. I've talked about the slow death of these types of films before, and this one in particular feels like it was part of the last dying breaths of the post 'Apatow' type comedy era. Hopefully there will be more of a course correction back to these crowd pleaser movies, but for now we at least have this as a reminder of highly quotable and breezy comedy films from the 2010s time frame.