Seemingly, there’s been one iconic raunchy sex comedy that’s become the iconic film for every generation. There was Animal House, American Pie, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Porky’s, and too a lesser extent, even Superbad.
However, while the majority of these movies have had sex at the forefront of their jokes, they’ve also had one other thing in common – they’ve all been primarily about guys, blatantly reinforcing the ideas of Laura Mulvey who referred to the camera and the way women are reflected as the male gaze.
And, while there have been other comedies and other films which have helped to empower the idea of female sexuality, few of these films have been able to extend the gender boundary with men either not being interested in spending 90 minutes plus watching the films or women having a Ladies Night while ogling over the men in the same way teens did with Phoebe Cates.
Refreshingly, Blockers seemed to be the film to break down this invisible barrier. Given an American Pie-esque theme where three girls are going to lose their virginity on prom night, the movie spends an equal amount of time between the daughters and their parents, who are just as adament about stopping the sex pact as the girls are with completing it.
However, even if the film shows a clear divide between parent and child, the humor rises across gender lines, tending to avoid any of the gross out hilarity that comes with “bro comedies” as well as cheesy jokes that come from “chick flicks” while still maintaining a consistent level of jokes to keep the audience laughing throughout.
As a result, Blockers not only manages to become the raunchy comedy for a new generation, it also manages to become the first real raunchy comedy that doesn’t have a gender specific appeal.
Blockers hit theaters everywhere April 6, 2018.