Leslie Mann

For decades the coming-of-age sex comedy has belonged to the guys: Raunchy, horned-up teen boys desperate to lose their V-cards during one crazy night before heading off to college. Though recent years have given rise to more honest and unflinching coming-of-age stories about teen girls (see: Edge of Seventeen, Lady Bird), women haven’t really been served with the same sex-crazed high school comedies. (Maybe because our needs are more complex than those of the budding patriarchy?) But Blockers finally gives young women the teen sex comedy they deserve — one that’s insanely goofy and hilarious without sacrificing its emotional core.

John Cena’s comedic talents are truly a gift to us all. This time he’s putting those skills to use alongside fellow funny people Leslie Mann and Ike Barinholtz in Blockers, in which they play a trio of concerned parents on a mission to stop their teen daughters from completing their prom night sex pact. It probably doesn’t need explaining, but it’s pretty obvious just what these three are attempting to block in the first red band trailer for the upcoming comedy.

It’s been a rough year and at the end of 2016 nothing would be more needed and appreciated by American audiences than a good ol’ comedy. It’s too bad the first trailer for Robert De Niro’s The Comedian isn’t, um, very funny.

As a 35-year-old married father of one with a dog and an apartment in the parkest slopiest part of Park Slope, I recognize that I am not the target audience for How to Be Single. I haven’t been single since March of 2000 when I started dating my wife. I spent my “wild” 20s in New York City hanging out in video stores and karaoke bars. Hell, at our age, I may not even be married to the target audience for How to Be Single at this point. (Don’t tell my wife I said that. Seriously. Please don’t.) But you know what? I liked this movie anyway, enough to acknowledge that someone who is in its target demo will probably enjoy it too.

With the unforgiving cold of the winter months nearly upon us, we may be feeling the impulse to settle down and get cozy with someone who makes us feel warm on the inside. Here to cut through the nesting instinct in our rapidly shortening days is the trailer for How to Be Single, a raunchy new rom-com vehicle for besties Dakota Johnson and Rebel Wilson.

Full disclosure: I missed the last 10 minutes of Vacation. Last night’s press screening started 20 minutes late, then began without any sound, which lead to a 10 minute delay to correct the technical difficulties. With an unbreakable engagement elsewhere, I had to sneak out right before the very last scene. So take this review with as many grains of salt as you’d like. If you think those final minutes might recontextualize everything that came before to transform a generally miserable comedy into a beacon of transcendent hilarity, so be it. Having sat through the previous 90 minutes, I’m of the opinion that nothing short of the long-lost missing footage from Orson Welles’ Magnificent Ambersons could have redeemed this dreadful film.

Just a few weeks back, we learned that Leslie Mann would be headlining her own Judd Apatow-produced comedy — excellent news, as the actress has been one of the highlights of Apatow’s own films for years now. Unfortunately, both Mann and Apatow have abruptly abandoned the project, squashing our hopes for Leslie Mann’s first real leading comedy role…for now, anyway.

The new Vacation may bear the same name as the old Vacation, but it’s actually a sequel, taking place a few decades after the first ill-fated Griswold family trip to Walley World. The first trailer for this new version has arrived and while it has the same title and premise as its predecessor, it bends over backwards to let you know that Ed Helms is the same Rusty Griswold from 32 years ago, all grown up. Can we call this a rebootquel?

Leslie Mann is a national treasure, who has often stolen scenes in her husband’s comedies and been the highlight of a few non-Judd Apatow film, as well. It’s kind of weird that she hasn’t gotten to headline her very own movie yet, though last year’s The Other Woman was about as close as we got. But now Mann will finally have a movie to call her own, courtesy of the guys who brought you The Hangover. Wait, don’t worry — Judd Apatow is producing it, so that’s a good sign.

Well this cast definitely sounds awesome. The upcoming rom-com ‘How to Be Single,’ which already stars the great Alison Brie, has just added a whole bunch of talented actors. Leslie Mann, Dan Stevens, Rebel Wilson, and Dakota Johnson have joined the film, which is based on the novel by Liz Tuccillo, the co-author of ‘He’s Just Not That Into You.’ Honestly, who even cares what this movie is or who it’s about, as long as we get to see something starring all these fantastic faces, right? Maybe.