Review of Blockers (2018) by Scott B — 08 Apr 2018

Ultimately, you want to see a comedy to laugh, thus the appraisal of a comedy comes down to whether or not it is funny. I saw this in a sparsely populated theater, and the laughs were similarly few. The scenes from the trailer, and a few R-rated scenes, garnered the most chuckles, but the majority of the film was met with silence.

The three girls in the film are all charming, and the relationship between an absentee father and his gay daughter is heartwarming. Unfortunately, the film never reaches a satisfying mixture of humor and sentimentality.

There aren't many funny setpieces; typically you would expect, in the scripting phase, that several longer scenes with a central gag or conceit would be worked out, and the resultant film would rush from one to the next, stopping for emotional moments.

But the parents trying to find the address to the party mansion, or driving behind the girls' limo while the Fast and Furious franchise is endlessly and laboriously referenced, simply isn't that funny on paper, and on set improv didn't elevate them.

Although the film is at times touching, and is punctuated by good performances, there simply isn't enough creativity on display to sustain the premise.