Blockers R
When a trio of parents (John Cena, Leslie Mann and Ike Barinholtz) discovers a pact between their three daughters, all of whom plan to lose their virginity on high school prom night, the parents join forces to prevent their girls from making what they view as a terrible mistake. They stalk the girls—sometimes overtly, other times covertly, but always awkwardly—because the parents aren’t nearly as wise, smart or cool as they think they are. Meanwhile, the girls (Kathryn Newton, Gideon Adlon and Geraldine Viswanathan) see themselves as taking charge of their own destinies and declaring their independence. Clearly there’s plenty of gray area to go around—all of it mastered by screenwriters Brian and Jim Kehoe who have a handle on conflicting parental and teen aspirations. Superior chemistry between Cena, Mann and Barinholtz doesn’t hurt, either. (Lisa Miller)
Chappaquiddick PG-13
The movie never made during Ted Kennedy’s lifetime purports to examine his role in events leading to the death of campaign worker Mary Jo Kopechne (Kate Mara). Approaching the facts in a dry, methodical manner, the film depicts old Joe Kennedy (Bruce Dern) protecting his errant youngest son, Ted (Jason Clarke), who never paid the freight for leaving Mary Jo to slowly die during the 10 hours in which Kennedy slept instead of reporting the auto accident. Some remember the Kennedy dynasty nostalgically, but this mysterious incident left an enduring stain. (L.M.)
Foxtrot R
The film by Israeli director Samuel Maoz won the Silver Lion at the Venice International Film Festival. In a highly stylized format more familiar in live theater than in movies, he explores the parental shock of hearing your child has been killed—and then the shock of learning that the news was false—as well as the boredom of army life at a checkpoint guarding nothing. Foxtrot takes a slightly magical-realist take on tensions in contemporary Israel and features striking visuals in many scenes. (David Luhrssen)
The Leisure Seeker R
An elderly couple set off in their rickety RV over the objections of their concerned adult children (Christian McKay and Janel Moloney). Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland portray Ella and John Spencer, who, 50 years into their marriage, confront debilitating health issues. He has dementia, while she suffers from increasingly frequent and crippling headaches. With little to no hope of improvement, they embark on an adventure. Along the way, he forgets who and where they are, leading to heartbreak and danger as she struggles to keep him connected to their past and present. Bringing their captivating skill to this twilight pair, Mirren and Sutherland capitalize on a great premise to make a clunky screenplay watchable. (L.M.)
A Quiet Place PG-13
It’s day 89 of an alien invasion, and a family that resides at an isolated farmhouse in upstate New York remains alive by staying silent. The extraterrestrials hunt noisy humans by sound, but this family includes a deaf daughter, so its members know sign language. They tread barefoot, even while foraging for food in the town’s stores, risking whispers only rarely. From a script directed and co-written by John Krasinski of TVs “The Office,” Krasinski and his real-life wife, Emily Blunt, play the parents, conveying their silent characters’ dread in frightening sequences that make us squirm over their quietly evasive tactics. (L.M.)
