“Blockers” is a female driven comedy that is officially released today, but it premiered last night. I took the opportunity to check out the new CMX luxury theaters in Old Orchard to catch the film, and they are amazing. I’ve never been in a movie theatre bathroom that didn’t look like a man made out of toilet paper was blown up. The seats were large recliners with pillows that can fold all the way flat. There is a wait staff button, and you can have an actual meal there. That definitely set me up to be in a good mood for this film.

The film itself was surprisingly good. I was expecting a B- comedy, and I ended up pleasantly surprised. It’s so rare to find a comedy movie that makes you actually laugh. The characters weren’t ridiculous cartoon characters; they were actual developed characters thrown into funny situations. The writing wasn’t absolutely horrible, and despite the R rating, there wasn’t an obnoxious amount of cursing. The relationships between the friends, their boyfriends and their parents were surprisingly fleshed out, which is pretty rare for a comedy movie.

The basic plot is that a group of three girls who have been friends since kindergarten create a pact to all lose their virginity on prom night. One wants it to be perfect, with rose petals and candles; one sees it more as a job that she needs to get done before college; and one just wants to share something with her friends. The parents find out about this pact when one of the girls leaves their laptop with iMessage open, and three of the parents vow to get to their daughters before they go though with it. Hilarity ensues.

The different view points are a realistic portrayal of how modern teenage girls think about sex, and each parent has a different reason for stopping their daughter. Not everyone has the exact same motive, which is rare in blockbuster comedies. One parent doesn’t want her daughter to be taken advantage of, one is afraid she’ll ruin her life for a boy and the other doesn’t want his daughter to be pressured into straight sex, since he has suspicions she’s gay.

Each motive prompts a different parent-child talk at the end of the film. Third Act confrontations can be painful to sit through in any movie, especially if it’s poorly written. In this film, the talks sounded like talks I could have with my parents. They were real and weren’t overly dramatic. I might have just been very exhausted when I was watching these scenes, but I definitely cried. I have never cared enough about the characters in a comedy to cry for them, and that is definitely something that makes this film stand out. Belly laughs and actual tears are marks of great comedy.

The 4K cinematography is also really impressive for something that did not need any complex shots. Cinematography itself can play as a joke in a scene. In one particular scene, they mimic the scene from “Jurassic Park” with the water glass, and it adds to the comedy ten-fold.

If you’re planning to see this, do not go with your parents, and be warned, there is a lot of nudity. This film definitely deserves it’s R rating, but it doesn’t overdo it with the f-bombs and nudity, at least not to the point where it got cringe worthy. I definitely recommend this film if you’re looking for a decent progressive comedy to go to with your girlfriends.  I give it a 9.5/10.