Blockers
review by Bobby Blakey
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I love a good R rated comedy, but the issue often becomes the lack of pushing the boundries to fully take advantage of the rating. Thankfully there are some that try to go out of the way to take it to the next level and the latest Blockers looks to do just that. The film is the directorial debut of the Pitch Perfect franchise writer Kay Cannon and stars Leslie Mann, John Cena, Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Newton, Gideon Adlon, Geraldine Viswanathan, Gary Cole, and Gina Gershon, but does it live up to its title or should it be blocked from you memory altogether?
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Blockers follows three parents who stumble upon their daughters' pact to lose their virginity at prom, causing them to launch a covert one-night operation to stop the teens from sealing the deal. Everything about this movie reminded me of the classic 80s / 90s comedies of the genre taking viewers on a silly journey with multiple layers while still infusing a bit of heart. There are some elements from the trailers that are were pretty funny that are sadly missing here, but it is so funny most of the time you don’t even miss them. Sure there are elements that fall flat at times, but as a whole there were more moments where I found myself laughing out loud than not.
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The cast are all great with the parents stealing the show, most notably John Cena. Had you asked me a couple of years ago about the thought of Cena having great comedic chops I would have thought you were crazy, but his ability to poke fun at himself and his timing are spot on. He is so funny here throughout and his banter with the always funny Barinholtz is comedy gold. For every crazy over the top silly moment there are moments full of heart that help hold the movie together, but they never get too deep to take you out of the overall laughs.
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This is a great comedy that works the majority of the time despite the story being pretty silly. It gets raunchy at times, but never goes to the directions I really thought it would and that is a good thing. If you like any involved or just a good R rated comedy then give Blockers a try.
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This release not only includes the film, but also unrated bonus content including a gag reel, deleted scenes, Line-o-rama, and numerous featurettes that take you behind bringing this comedy to the big screen. Join in on the parental panic when Blockers available now on Digital HD and then on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand on July 3rd from Universal Home Entertainment.