By Rachel Molina |Staff Writer|
Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore star together again on the big screen after ten years in their new comedy “Blended,” where the duo are now parents instead of young lovers.
Under the eye of long-time Sandler collaborator, Frank Coraci, director of “The Wedding Singer” and “The Waterboy,” brings together a unique blended cast.
This is the third film installment that Sandler and Barrymore have been in together since “The Wedding Singer” (1998) and “50 First Dates” (2004).
“Blended” centers around Jim (Sandler), a single father who must now raise three girls after losing his wife to cancer and Lauren (Barrymore) whose ex-husband womanizes around town leaving her with two rowdy boys.
Jim and Lauren begin their relationship when they meet on a blind date at Hooters in the hopes of a positive outcome.
Disappointment sets in when one disaster after another occurs and both swear off dating forever.
In a series of unfortunate events, Jim and Lauren bump into each other at the drug store.
Jim is there to buy his eldest daughter tampons while Lauren is trying to find an adult magazine for her son that she is trying to replace.
Both parents struggle to find what they are looking for and help one another, then purchase the others item.
This scene showed great comedic timing between Sandler and Barrymore and had a surprise appearance from “Hi, I’m Tom” that was in “50 First Dates.”
In between bumping into each other, Jim and Lauren struggle to make their kids happy with their lackluster lives.
When fate offers up an extravagant, all paid for vacation to Africa, both stretched-thin parents jump at the opportunity to whisk their children away for a once in a lifetime trip.
As the families arrive in Africa, they both see each other and realize that they took the same trip.
While on the trip, Jim and Lauren begin to bond with the other’s children which involves make-overs, ostrich-riding, and parasailing.
In the midst of the vacation, the undeniable attraction between Sandler and Barrymore takes you back to their earlier films.
It is inevitable that these two will end up together and it takes them longer than anticipated to realize it.
One element that stood out in this film was the shots of Africa that almost stole the show with its undeniable beauty of wild animals and sunsets.
The actors cast as the children were good in their scenes but came off as annoying in others.
I did enjoy this film but felt that it missed its target with its comedic humor which was disappointing.
Most of the comedic scenes were shown in televised commercials which made them less appealing at the theater.
For those who are questioning whether you should see it, I suggest waiting until it comes out on DVD unless you are willing to pay $11 for a ticket.
While this film is a bit cheesy at times, Sandler and Barrymore are still able to shine as a viable romantic duo which is why I gave this film 3 out of 5 paws.
Leave a Reply