Blockers (film)

Last updated

Blockers
Blockers (film).png
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Kay Cannon
Written by
  • Brian Kehoe
  • Jim Kehoe
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRuss Alsobrook
Edited by Stacey Schroeder
Music by Mateo Messina
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures [1]
Release dates
  • March 10, 2018 (2018-03-10)(SXSW)
  • April 6, 2018 (2018-04-06)(United States)
Running time
102 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$21 million [2]
Box office$94 million [3]

Blockers is a 2018 American sex comedy film directed by Kay Cannon in her directorial debut, and written by Brian and Jim Kehoe, and starring John Cena, Leslie Mann, and Ike Barinholtz with supporting roles by Kathryn Newton, Geraldine Viswanathan, Gideon Adlon, Graham Phillips, Miles Robbins, Jimmy Bellinger, Colton Dunn, Sarayu Blue, Gary Cole, Gina Gershon, June Diane Raphael, and Hannibal Buress. It tells the story of a trio of parents who try to stop their respective daughters from losing their virginity on prom night. The title of the film is a reference to the act of "cockblocking", with marketing materials displaying a rooster (also known as a cock) above the title.

Contents

The film premiered at South by Southwest on March 10, 2018, [4] and was theatrically released in the United States on April 6, 2018, by Universal Pictures. It grossed $94 million worldwide and received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for its "humor and performances", as well as for "intelligence and empathy" not often found in the genre. [5] [6]

Plot

Single mother Lisa takes her young daughter, Julie, to her first day of kindergarten. She watches as Julie is befriended by two other girls, Kayla and Sam. Kayla's father Mitchell and Sam's father Hunter introduce themselves and the three become close friends after seeing the bond between their children.

Twelve years later, Julie shares with Kayla and Sam that she plans to lose her virginity to her boyfriend Austin on their upcoming prom night. Kayla pledges to do so as well, though on a casual basis with her lab partner, Connor. Sam, a closeted lesbian who is unsure about her feelings, also joins the pact and arranges to attend the prom with the harmless Chad.

Lisa throws a pre-party for the parents and kids. The girls and their dates then head to the prom, texting each other about their sex pact. The three parents hear Julie's laptop and intercept the messages. Hunter deciphers their emoji codes and uncovers their plan. Lisa and Mitchell rush to stop their daughters; Hunter tries to dissuade them from interfering and shares his intuition that Sam is gay, but upon seeing her force herself to kiss Chad, he becomes determined to stop her from doing something she doesn't want to do.

Having been told that the after-party would be at Austin's house, the parents go there but find only Austin's parents Ron and Cathy engaging in sex games. Ron reveals that the after-party is at a lake house but refuses to give the address. The trio realizes that Mitchell's wife Marcie may have it and retrieve the address against her wishes, as she supports Kayla's right to make her own decisions. However, the parents are unable to catch their daughters when the partygoers disperse to avoid the police.

As the group struggles to find their daughters, it becomes clear that each parent has their own motivation: Mitchell is in denial over his daughter growing up, Hunter feels guilty for neglecting Sam during his bitter divorce from her cheating mother, and Lisa is struggling to let go of her only child who secretly plans to leave for UCLA against her wishes; Lisa is confronted with this when Julie angrily states that she's going to UCLA to get away from Lisa's clinginess.

Knowing that Austin and Ron have been texting, the parents return to Ron's house to steal his phone. Encountering the couple playing a blindfolded sex game, Hunter and Mitchell are forced to play along as Lisa steals the phone, which reveals that the girls are at a hotel. There, a drunk Sam goes to bed with Chad but decides she does not want to have sex. Kayla and Connor go to bed, but she also changes her mind and they limit their intimacy to Connor performing oral sex on Kayla.

Mitch finds Kayla with Connor and throws him against the wall, infuriating Kayla. Mitch confesses his struggles with her becoming a woman, his good intentions ultimately making amends with Kayla. Hunter finds Sam and they also share a tender moment, where he reveals that a good night was the best he could give her in return for his neglect. Sam comes out to her father, who is deeply moved at being the first person she told. Lisa sneaks into Julie and Austin's room and, realizing how much they clearly love each other, leaves unnoticed. On her father's advice, Sam comes out to Julie and Kayla, who embrace her and affirm their lifelong friendships. They leave Sam with her crush Angelica who shares a romantic kiss with her. Mitch, Lisa and Hunter acknowledge their own friendships have been strengthened and drink to their daughters' futures.

Three months later, the parents celebrate the departure of Sam, Kayla, Julie and Austin as they depart on a road trip to drop off Austin and Julie at UCLA. As they leave, Lisa starts receiving the girls' group text, filled with plans to use drugs and have unprotected sex. The parents panic until the girls text that it was a prank, and send a final "I love you" to them.

Cast

Production

The film was produced under the working title The Pact, referring to the girls' agreement to lose their virginity. [7] Principal photography on the film began on May 2, 2017, in Atlanta, Georgia. [8] [7] During filming, Ike Barinholtz suffered a neck injury while performing a falling stunt. [9] [10]

Release

Blockers was released by Universal Pictures on April 6, 2018. [1] [3]

Reception

Box office

Blockers grossed $60.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $33.7 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $94 million, against a production budget of $21 million. [3]

In the United States and Canada, Blockers was released alongside A Quiet Place , Chappaquiddick and The Miracle Season , and was projected to gross $16–20 million from 3,379 theaters in its opening weekend. [11] The film made $7.8 million on its first day (including $1.5 million from Thursday night previews). It went on to debut to $20.6 million, finishing third, behind A Quiet Place ($50 million) and Ready Player One ($25.1 million). [12] In its second weekend the film dropped 47.6% to $10.8 million, finishing fourth. [13]

Critical response

On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 84% based on 229 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Blockers puts a gender-swapped spin on the teen sex comedy – one elevated by strong performances, a smartly funny script, and a surprisingly enlightened perspective." [14] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 69 out of 100, based on 46 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [15] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it a 76% overall positive score. [12]

Brian Lowry of CNN.com found that "the movie gets by on sheer energy" and praised director Kay Cannon for creating "some truly blue sequences and sight gags that yield explosive laughs [and] largely compensate for the arid patches, as do the warm/fuzzy exchanges, which smartly play off the idea of raising your children and then trusting them enough to let go." [16] Describing Blockers as "absurd and funny", Amy Nicholson of Uproxx favorably compared screenwriters Brian and Jim Kehoe to American Pie directors Chris and Paul Weitz as "brothers trying to do right by the sexual politics of the time." [17] Joshua Rothkopf of Time Out gave the film four out of five stars, calling it "a wonderfully crude film... in which the overall vibe is sweet" and a "hilarious, parents'-eye view of teenage sexuality." [18] Adam Graham of The Detroit News called the film "highly dubious and not very funny," and stated that the film "awkwardly tries to balance gross-out gags with tender, warm-and-fuzzy moments. It's a tough trick to pull off, and Blockers gets stuffed at every turn." [19] David Sims of The Atlantic stated that the film "works because of the time it invests in its teenaged characters. Each is a delight, particularly the supremely chilled-out Kayla (who decides to lose her virginity largely on a whim) and the more introverted Sam (who knows she's gay but hasn't quite figured out how to tell her friends and family)." [20] Ann Hornaday from The Washington Post wrote: "The underlying values of "Blockers" are refreshingly healthy and affirming, proclaimed not only by Kayla's pointedly levelheaded mom (Sarayu Blue)—in a fiery speech about the double standards and the dubious politics of policing female sexuality—but by the girls themselves." [21]

Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film two out of four stars, giving credit to the cast but saying they were not given much to do: "Despite the best efforts of reliable comedic veterans Leslie Mann and Ike Barinholtz, not to mention a game and always likable John Cena...Blockers becomes less interesting and less funny as the onscreen hijinks grow more outlandish and stupid and demeaning and crotch-oriented." [22] Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com gave the film two-and-a-half stars, saying that it is "the kind of comedy one could stumble upon late at night on HBO and thoroughly enjoy, but it strains under the weight of its tonal inconsistencies in a movie theater." [23]

Accolades

In 2019, the film was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film – Wide Release. Blockers was among 20 of 2018's 100 highest-grossing films awarded The ReFrame Stamp for recognition in "standout, gender-balanced" films, and also one out of four Stamp recipients with a female director. [24]

Music

The single "Love Myself" by Hailee Steinfeld appears twice in the film. In her review of Blockers, Insider writer Kim Renfro wrote, "The anthem carried throughout the movie, Hailee Steinfeld's 'Love Myself', drives the message home: 'I love me, gonna love myself, no I don't need anybody else.'" [25]

Related Research Articles

<i>Not Another Teen Movie</i> 2001 film by Joel Gallen

Not Another Teen Movie is a 2001 American teen parody film directed by Joel Gallen and written by Mike Bender, Adam Jay Epstein, Andrew Jacobson, Phil Beauman, and Buddy Johnson. It features Chyler Leigh, Chris Evans, Jaime Pressly, Eric Christian Olsen, Eric Jungmann, Mia Kirshner, Deon Richmond, Cody McMains, Sam Huntington, Samm Levine, Cerina Vincent, Ron Lester, Randy Quaid, Lacey Chabert, Riley Smith and Samaire Armstrong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boom Chicago</span> Dutch comedy group

Boom Chicago is an international creative group based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, that writes and performs sketch and improvisational comedy at their theater on the Rozengracht.

<i>Valley Girl</i> (1983 film) 1983 film by Martha Coolidge

Valley Girl is a 1983 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Martha Coolidge and written and produced by Wayne Crawford and Andrew Lane. Loosely based on the tragedy Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the film centers on the romance between a valley girl and a city punk. Michelle Meyrink, Elizabeth Daily, Cameron Dye and Michael Bowen appear in supporting roles. Valley Girl was released in the United States on April 29, 1983, to critical and commercial success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ike Barinholtz</span> American actor and comedian (born 1977)

Ike Barinholtz is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his starring roles in the comedy series MADtv (2002–2007), Eastbound & Down (2012), The Mindy Project (2012–2017), Bless the Harts (2019–2021), The Afterparty (2022), and History of the World, Part II (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiernan Shipka</span> American actress (born 1999)

Kiernan Brennan Shipka is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Sally Draper in the AMC drama series Mad Men (2007–2015), and Sabrina Spellman in the Netflix fantasy series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018–2020) and the sixth season of The CW series Riverdale (2021–2022).

Sarayu Rao, also known as Sarayu R. Blue, is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her recurring role as Angela on the Fox sitcom Sons of Tucson, as well as Dr. Sydney Napur on David E. Kelley's Monday Mornings on TNT. She has also guest starred in a number of television series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hannibal Buress</span> American comedian (born 1983)

Hannibal Amir Buress is an American comedian, actor, producer, and writer. He started performing comedy in 2002 while attending Southern Illinois University. He starred on Adult Swim's The Eric Andre Show from 2012 to 2020, and was featured on Comedy Central's Broad City from 2014 to 2019. He is also known for his October 16, 2014 stand-up routine, which brought the sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby to public attention and outcry, for which he was lauded.

<i>Neighbors</i> (2014 film) 2014 American film

Neighbors is a 2014 American bromantic comedy film directed by Nicholas Stoller and written by Andrew J. Cohen and Brendan O'Brien. The film stars Seth Rogen and Zac Efron, with Rose Byrne, Dave Franco, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse in supporting roles. The plot follows a couple who come into conflict with a fraternity that has recently moved in next door, which leads them into an all-out war.

<i>Sisters</i> (2015 film) 2015 comedy film directed by Jason Moore

Sisters is a 2015 American comedy film directed by Jason Moore, written by Paula Pell and is the second collaboration between Tina Fey and Amy Poehler following the film Baby Mama (2008). The rest of the cast consists of Maya Rudolph, Ike Barinholtz, James Brolin, John Cena, John Leguizamo, Bobby Moynihan, and Dianne Wiest.

<i>Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising</i> 2016 American film

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising is a 2016 American comedy film directed by Nicholas Stoller and written by Stoller, Andrew J. Cohen, Brendan O'Brien, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. A sequel to Neighbors (2014), the plot follows the Radners having to outwit a new sorority led by Shelby, living next door to sell their house currently in escrow. Zac Efron, Dave Franco, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jerrod Carmichael, Ike Barinholtz, Carla Gallo, Hannibal Buress, and Lisa Kudrow reprise their roles from the first film; it was Rogen's first live-action sequel. The film premiered on April 26, 2016, in Berlin and was released on May 20, 2016, in the United States, receiving mostly positive reviews and grossed $108 million worldwide.

<i>Snatched</i> (2017 film) 2017 film by Jonathan Levine

Snatched is a 2017 American comedy film directed by Jonathan Levine and written by Katie Dippold. The film stars Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn, with Joan Cusack, Ike Barinholtz, Wanda Sykes, and Christopher Meloni in supporting roles, and follows a mother and daughter who are abducted while on vacation in South America.

<i>Dude</i> (film) 2018 American film

Dude is a 2018 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Olivia Milch and written by Milch and Kendall McKinnon. The film stars Lucy Hale, Kathryn Prescott, Alexandra Shipp, Awkwafina, Austin Butler and Michaela Watkins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louise Mitchell</span> Fictional character from EastEnders

Louise Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, who has been played by four different actors since her on-screen birth on 6 November 2001. Louise has been played by Rachel Cox between 2001 and 2003, Danni Bennatar in 2008, Brittany Papple in 2010, and Tilly Keeper from 2016 to 2020. Keeper's casting was announced on 16 December 2015, and she made her first appearance as Louise on 15 January 2016. The character's departure was announced in December 2019 after Keeper quit the role, with Louise making her last appearance on 24 January 2020.

<i>Eighth Grade</i> (film) 2018 film by Bo Burnham

Eighth Grade is a 2018 American independent coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Bo Burnham in his feature-length directorial debut. It stars Elsie Fisher as Kayla, a teenager attending middle school who struggles with anxiety but strives to gain social acceptance from her peers during their final week of eighth grade. She copes by publishing vlogs as a self-styled motivational guru but spends much of her time obsessing over social media, frustrating her otherwise supportive father Mark, whom she alienates despite his wish to be present in her life as her sole parent.

<i>The Lie</i> (2018 film) 2018 film

The Lie is a 2018 psychological horror film written and directed by Veena Sud. The film is a remake of the 2015 German film We Monsters, and stars Mireille Enos, Peter Sarsgaard and Joey King. Jason Blum serves as a producer under his Blumhouse Television banner.

<i>The Oath</i> (2018 film) 2018 American film

The Oath is a 2018 American black comedy film written and directed by Ike Barinholtz, in his directorial debut. In addition to Barinholtz, the film stars Tiffany Haddish, John Cho, Carrie Brownstein, Billy Magnussen, Meredith Hagner, Jon Barinholtz, Nora Dunn and Chris Ellis, and follows a politically divided family at Thanksgiving after the U.S. government asks all citizens to sign a loyalty pledge.

<i>The Prom</i> (musical) American Broadway musical

The Prom is a musical with music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, and a book by Bob Martin and Beguelin, based on an original concept by Jack Viertel. The musical follows four Broadway actors lamenting their days of fame, as they travel to the conservative town of Edgewater, Indiana, to help a lesbian student banned from bringing her girlfriend to high school prom.

<i>Seth Rogens Hilarity for Charity</i> 2018 American film

Seth Rogen's Hilarity for Charity is a stand-up comedy special to raise awareness for Alzheimer's disease, that premiered on Netflix on April 6, 2018.

<i>Moxie</i> (film) 2021 film by Amy Poehler

Moxie, stylized as MOXiE! is a 2021 American comedy-drama film directed by Amy Poehler. Tamara Chestna and Dylan Meyer adapted the screenplay from the 2017 novel of the same name by Jennifer Mathieu. It stars Hadley Robinson, Alycia Pascual-Peña, Lauren Tsai, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Nico Hiraga, and Poehler. The film focuses on 16-year-old Vivian, who starts a feminist zine to empower the young women in her high school, as they contend with bullying, sexual harassment, and rape. The film was released on March 3, 2021, by Netflix and received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics.

<i>American Pie Presents: Girls Rules</i> 2020 film by Mike Elliott

American Pie Presents: Girls' Rules is a 2020 American sex comedy film directed by Mike Elliott. It is the fifth installment of the American Pie Presents film series, a spin-off of the American Pie franchise and the ninth overall installment. It is the first film in the franchise to not feature Eugene Levy and also the first to contain no nudity. The film serves as a standalone sequel, revolving around Steve Stifler's relative Stephanie and her friends.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Film releases". Variety Insight . Archived from the original on July 28, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  2. ↑ Lang, Brent; Rubin, Rebecca (March 27, 2018). "'Blockers,' 'A Quiet Place' Bet SXSW Buzz Equals Big Box Office". Variety . Archived from the original on April 2, 2018. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 "Blockers (2018)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  4. ↑ McNary, Dave (January 31, 2018). "SXSW Film Festival Lineup Unveiled, John Krasinski's 'A Quiet Place' Set as Opener". Variety. Archived from the original on February 2, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  5. ↑ Giles, Jeff (April 5, 2018). "A Quiet Place and Blockers Are Certified Fresh". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on April 6, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  6. ↑ TV News Desk (April 3, 2018). "Review Roundup: Critics Weigh In On BLOCKERS". BroadwayWorld . Archived from the original on April 6, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  7. 1 2 Hensley, Ellie (March 23, 2017). "Universal's "The Pact" to shoot in Atlanta". Atlanta Business Chronicle . Archived from the original on June 11, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  8. ↑ N'Duka, Amanda (May 2, 2017). "June Diane Raphael, Hannibal Buress & Sarayu Blue Enlist In 'The Pact'". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on May 4, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  9. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (July 26, 2017). "Mindy Project Star Ike Barinholtz Recovering From Broken Neck After Movie Stunt Accident". Variety Magazine. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  10. ↑ Leonard, Elizabeth (July 26, 2017). "The Mindy Project Star Ike Barinholtz Is Recovering from a Broken Neck After 'Scary' Fall During Movie Stunt". People Magazine. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  11. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (April 3, 2018). "'A Quiet Place' Looks to Make Noise at Weekend Box Office". Variety. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  12. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 8, 2018). "'A Quiet Place' Screams To $50M+ Opening; 'Blockers' Breaks Through To $21M+ – Early Sunday Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  13. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 15, 2018). "The Rock Rebounds: 'Rampage' Shushes 'A Quiet Place' With $34M+ No. 1 Opening". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Blockers (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango. Archived from the original on November 28, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Blockers Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  16. ↑ Lowry, Brian (April 8, 2018). "'Blockers' combines heart, raunch in winning sex comedy". CNN . Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  17. ↑ Nicholson, Amy (April 6, 2018). "Like 'American Pie' Before It, The Absurd And Funny 'Blockers' Tries To Do Right By The Sexual Politics Of Its Time". Uproxx . Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  18. ↑ Rothkopf, Joshua (April 5, 2018). "Blockers". Time Out . Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  19. ↑ Graham, Adam (April 6, 2018). "Review: Lame jokes stifle raunchy 'Blockers'". The Detroit News . Archived from the original on April 7, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  20. ↑ Sims, David (April 6, 2018). "Blockers Is an R-Rated Prom-Night Comedy With Heart". The Atlantic . Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  21. ↑ Hornaday, Ann (April 4, 2018). "'Blockers': Amid all the gross-out humor, some moments of inspired lunacy". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on April 9, 2018.
  22. ↑ Roeper, Richard (April 5, 2018). "In teen sex comedy 'Blockers,' the dirtier the antics, the dumber the jokes". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  23. ↑ Tallerico, Brian (April 6, 2018). "Blockers". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  24. ↑ Sun, Rebecca (March 6, 2019). "ReFrame Stamp Awarded to 29 Movies in 2018". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  25. ↑ Renfro, Kim (April 4, 2018). "REVIEW: 'Blockers' is a raunchy, must-see comedy with a rare feminist message". Insider. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.