REVIEW: Blockers is a winning teen sex comedy with a twist ... and a trio of panicking parents

REVIEW: Blockers has some can’t-unsee-that sequences that earn the movie its MA15+ rating, but nothing an endearingly game cast cannot ultimately sell to doubters with ease. And it’s very funny.

BLOCKERS (MA15+)

Rating: Three and a half stars (3.5 out of 5)

Director: Kay Cannon (feature debut)

Starring: Kathryn Newton, John Cena, Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz, Gideon Adlon, Geraldine Viswanathan.

One last bid to stop three first times

In the new comedy Blockers, an age-old clash of generations is reactivated in the interests of generating multiple moments of mirth and mayhem.

On one side of this plotting divide stands three partying teens giving in to urges they cannot deny. On the other side, there is a trio of panicking parents in a state of denial they cannot hide.

A scene from Blockers.

For the most part, Blockers succeeds wildly, whipping up huge waves of laughter from a set-up that could have struggled to make any kind of ripple.

Sure, it does have its flat spots. Nevertheless, the feeling a winning zinger might just be about to happen never goes away.

What gives Blockers a consistent ability to amuse is both its refreshing new take on the teen sex comedy, and its obvious accessibility.

The three BFFs (Kathryn Newton, Gideon Adlon, Geraldine Viswanathan) who have made a pact to lose their virginity on prom night are sensible, smart and female.

Throughout movie history, that job has traditionally gone only to males with low IQs and high libidos.

Meanwhile, the three parents (Leslie Mann, John Cena, Ike Barinholtz) who have made it their business to lose their mind, represent just about every adult with a teenage daughter in their family.

The action takes place across one busy evening, after the dutiful daughters have already departed for the prom.

A scene from Blockers.

One of them has left open a messaging app on a home computer. One of their parents knows just enough about the suggestive nature of emoticons to ascertain that the girls are not planning to end the evening with a polite peck on the cheek from their dates.

What follows is a Superbad-ish journey into a night packed with surprises of an alternately seedy, sweet and surreal nature.

A scene from Blockers.

OK, so it ain’t Shakespeare by any stretch. However, when Blockers gets the gags going on a roll, it is as funny as any mainstream comedy released in the past few years.

(As an added bonus, it is also slightly cleverer than its trailer is letting on, too.)

There are some out-there, in-your-face, can’t-unsee-that sequences that do earn the movie its MA15+ rating, but nothing an endearingly game cast cannot ultimately sell to doubters with ease.

The six lead performances are uniformly good, with each player getting at least one signature scene to leave their mark on the picture.

A scene from Blockers.

While John Cena will take a long time to live down the (admittedly hilarious) scene where he “butt-chugs” a beer under extreme duress, the former wrestler’s development as a skilled comic talent continues to come along well.

Cena’s timing and extensive range of sad-or-confused-or-both looks are first-class.

Blockers screens in special advance previews from Friday through Sunday, and opens in wide release on Thursday March 29.