First Take: Blockers- super Cena once again saves the day

SYNOPSIS:

Three parents try to stop their daughters from having sex on Prom night.

So, it’s time to have that talk put on the big screen once again. Blockers had the potential to feel unique, different and challenging, as well as providing a good amount of comedy. What we got was something that is very unique in terms of its characters, but feels a little weak in laughs due to the different cultures here in the UK.

Kay Cannon directs this one, and it’s obvious why she was picked, she is able to make a nice and tight comedy (as proven with her work on the original Pitch Perfect), and clocking in at 1 hour 42 minutes, she pulls it off nicely. With a script from Brian and Jim Kehoe though, well, the humour is more geared to our American counterparts, but there are still some funny moments (that are totally not safe for this blog), but considering all this, alongside a fresh look at the tropes presented in these films, it still feels predictable. It’s shot decently by Russ. T Overbrook, and the score from Mateo Messina just about does the job.

Luckily the cast are able to make up for this, with Leslie Mann putting in some great work, alongside Ike Barinholtz, and three very likable leads in the form of Gideon Adlon, Kathryn Newton (fresh from appearances in Lady Bird and Three Billboards) and Geraldine Viswanathan- but once again, WWE’s divisive figure steals the show in this film. John Cena kills it as usual, delivering a comedic edge that saves this film from receiving one of my infamous rants. After seeing this film, I can understand why Universal have opted to release this on April 6th (WrestleMania weekend for those in the know) to capitalise on Cena’s popularity- he just about holds this film together.

THE VERDICT

Blockers has really got me torn apart- it has some very well thought out moments, but the writing and setup of some of the gags didn’t translate well to a British audience. Yes, it does present some relationships between the characters differently, but this sort of plot has been seen thousands of times before. Let’s just see how the Americans react to it before we get too crazy.

RATING- 3/5