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Canberra Today 11°/15° | Saturday, March 30, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Review / ‘Blockers’ (M) stinker, stinker, little star!

OF the 15 producers credited with corporate approval to make “Blockers”, only Seth Rogen’s name stands out with any film industry cred.

Rogen’s filmography is a mixed batch, some good, others not so good, all with comedy intentions. But there were 14 other guys when “Blockers” got the nod to proceed so let’s blame them for the disaster that resulted.

The next stage of the production process is writing. Brothers Brian and Jim Kehoe stand accused. “Blockers” is Brian’s fourth feature and Jim’s third.

Bringing the screenplay to life is the director’s job. It’s Kay Cannon’s directorial debut after co-producing a handful of movies and writing the “Pitch Perfect” trilogy.

Why am I boring you with this Movies 101 stuff? Because while producers, writers and director may have intended “Blockers” to offend Mrs Grundy (who deserves to be offended) and deliver a comical message that the conventional social order holds to be parental responsibility, their labours have brought forth a no-brainer.

Julie (Kathryn Newton), Kayla (Geraldine Viswanathan) and Sam (Gideon Adlon) have been besties since first day at kindy. They’re 18 years old. On the morning of prom night, they are getting ready to party. Julie’s mom Lisa (Leslie Mann) finds her enrolment acceptance letter from UCLA. Why does the child she has single-mommed want to go to a university on the far side of the country? Kayla’s parents have separated and her dad is carrying a big guilt load. Sam’s big boofy dad (John Cena) is incapable of thinking for himself.

The plot thickens when the three parents discover that the three daughters intend to lose their virginities at the prom that night. They spend most of the film trying to stop their daughters from something about which girls in late adolescence have every right to make their own decisions.

“Blockers” is touted as comedy. But it’s too single-mindedly stupid for that.

At all cinemas

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Dougal Macdonald

Dougal Macdonald

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