This speaks to the importance of diversity in film and television production in reframing these debates, in finding fresh perspectives on familiar formulae. Cannon has repeatedly discussed the experience of being the only female writer in a room, and having to articulate that the female characters in a given scene lack any agency or personality. This blankness is not a conscious choice on the part of Cannon's male colleagues, but instead speaks to the limits of their perspectives and the importance of including a wide array of voices in media production. More women and people of colour working behind the camera inevitably leads to more interesting and developed female and minority characters in front of the camera.
Cannon was drafted in as the director on the comedy Blockers. The basic premise of Blockers is stock teen sex comedy, albeit skewing a little older. It is the tale of a bunch of parents who set out to prevent their daughters from losing their virginity on prom night. The movie's logo features a silhouette of a rooster in close proximity to the word Blockers, as if to demonstrate exactly what it is these parents will be blocking. The basic concept of Blockers is rooted in the familiar gender politics of the teenage sex farce, the unspoken assumption that female sexuality is something to be afraid of, and female virginity is something to be protected.
When Cannon joined the project, it was titled Cherries and was the product of an exclusively male group of writers. Reworking the script, Cannon made a conscious effort to beef up the roles of the female characters, to afford the teenage daughters more agency in the narrative, and to actively engage with the warped attitude towards female sexuality. The result is a fascinating and largely sex-positive juvenile comedy. This is a film where a teenage character gives her date affirmative consent before consuming alcohol, and in young women are allowed to be as vulgar and as graphic as their male counterparts have been for decades.
It should be noted that Blockers does all this without compromising on the expectations and demands of a studio comedy aimed squarely at the late teenage (or young adult) market. The film still finds nakedness and voyeurism hilarious, anchoring a number of punchlines in various bodily functions - on objects going into and coming out of places that they were never designed to go. Blockers may be the most feminist comedy ever to include an extended sequence dedicated to the concept of "butt-chugging." As strange as it might sound, and in its own weird way, this is what progress looks like.
The importance of this sort of movement is largely overlooked and underdiscussed.
Most celebrations of progress within the film industry focus on "important" and "prestigious" works. These accounts focus on blockbusters and awards fare. Indeed, the past few years have given champions of diversity a lot to celebrate in these terms. Moonlight pulling a surprise victory over La La Land for the Best Picture Oscar. Jordan Peele becoming the first African American to win the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for writing Get Out. Rachel Morrison became the first female nominee for the Best Cinematography Oscar with Mudbound. Ava DuVernay became the first black woman to helm a $100m film with A Wrinkle in Time. Wonder Woman became the top-grossing live action film directed by a woman. Black Panther became one of the most successful films of all time at the domestic and international box office.
These are all very important milestones, and represent a film industry that gradually opening itself up to a diverse array of perspectives. In that broader context, it makes sense that the somewhat quieter revolution taking place in studio comedy should pass under the radar. However, there is an argument to be made that it is just as important as the more lauded and more high-profile changes taking place.
For example, prestige cinema has embraced LGBTQ perspectives in movies like The Dallas Buyer's Club, Tangerine, Moonlight and Call Me By Your Name. Of course, some of these films are more problematic than others, but they speak to an audience that has been largely underserved by conventional Hollywood cinema to this point. However, these movies can only penetrate so deep into the popular psyche, existing outside the cinematic mainstream and on the relative fringe.
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