Seated around a table in their school cafeteria three friends make a pact to lose their virginity on prom night. Julie (Kathryn Newton) has every element planned, down to the rose-petal covered duvet, the candle she wants burning on the nightstand and the way she wants her long-time boyfriend to hold her face while they kiss; Sam (Gideon Adlon) is less certain of the details and her own sexual orientation but is in for the ride; and Kayla (Geraldine Viswanathan) selects her date at random by screaming out across the cafeteria “…that dude!”
What this scene does so well is not only introduce us to the trio of brilliant young ladies at the heart of this film, but also shows us that there are more ways than one to think and feel about sex and that it’s OK!
The evenings shenanigans really kick off when an open laptop pinging with rapid fire messages between Julie, Sam and Kayla catch the attention of the girls’ parents played by Leslie Mann, John Cena and Ike Barinholtz. Hilarity ensues as Mann, Cena and Barinholtz attempt to decode richly innuendo-laden emoji messages before coming to the realisation that their not-so-little little girls are planning on losing their virginity #SEXPACT2018.
The solution? Stop them at all costs.
Blockers is a film that will now be forever grouped with classics like American Pie. It’s a teen sex movie for this generation, one that seeks to empower women and correct the age-old stereotypes that pigeonhole girls into believing their virginity is a precious gift, while saluting boys for losing theirs. No doubt this is all thanks to first-time director, Kay Cannon (producer and screenwriter of Pitch Perfect) who is deftly able to tell women’s stories in a way that is true to how women live their lives.
This movie is about young women coming into their own and proving, much to the horror of their parents, that they are not only capable of making their own decisions, but are also fully aware of themselves, and the consequences that come from those decisions. The film touches on these issues so well that it doesn’t shove them down your throat. There is only one soap-boxy moment in the whole movie, and that is quickly and deftly shut down by Mann.
Blockers is a movie with six leading actors and each have been perfectly cast. The chemistry between them is spot on and they complement each other perfectly. At last we have a group of girlfriends who aren’t competing with each other and aren’t jealous of one another. They just genuinely support and love each other as real friends do.
Leslie Mann is the veteran comedian in the group and she shines. But her skill as ringleader is only as successful is it is because of the men standing beside her. John Cena is hysterical and Ike Barinholtz’s one liners are gold.
Bottom line, despite all the slapstick antics, Fast and the Furious inspired car chases and truly raunchy comedy this is a movie about women coming into their own and taking control of their lives. Finally!
