BLENDED (2014)

Genre: Comedy/Romance
Director: Frank Coraci
Cast: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Joel McHale, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Kevin Nealon, Jessica Lowe, Terry Crews, Shaquille O’Neal, Dan Patrick, Bella Thorne, Emma Fuhrmann, Alyvia Alyn Lynd, Kyle Red Silverstein, Braxton Beckham
RunTime: 1 hr 57 mins
Rating: PG (Some Sexual References)
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website: http://www.blendedmovie.com/

Opening Day: 5 June 2014

Synopsis: After a disastrous blind date, single parents Lauren (Barrymore) and Jim (Sandler) agree on only one thing: they never want to see each other again. But when they each sign up separately for a fabulous family vacation with their kids, they are all stuck sharing a suite at a luxurious African safari resort for a week.

Movie Review:

If the previous Adam Sandler comedies ‘Jack and Jill’, ‘That’s My Boy’, and ‘Grown Ups 2’ revealed the actor as no more than a child trapped in a man’s suit, then ‘Blended’ shows that the child has grown up pretty fast. Perhaps the best praise we can give to the love-him-or-hate-him comedian about his latest is that it is one of the most affecting rom-coms he’s ever made. Oh sure, the crude laughs are still there, but beneath that silly exterior lies a much more poignant core, one that reaffirms the possibility of second chances at love, marriage and a happy family.

Like many of his previous works, Sandler takes his usual crew to an exotic locale that doubles up as a vacation spot. Whereas ’50 First Dates’ and ‘Just Go With It’ found their inspiration in Hawaii, ‘Blended’ sees Sandler bring his co-star Drew Barrymore and director Frank Coraci to a palatial hotel in South Africa, which provides the backdrop for which Sandler’s widowed dad of three girls and Barrymore’s divorced mother of two boys fall in love. Sandler and Barrymore aren’t alone though - their holiday just happens to be during the resort’s annual ‘familymoon’ event, which is aimed precisely at creating romantic opportunities for grown-ups while keeping their kids occupied.  

Instead of dashing to Africa however, first-time feature screenwriters Ivan Menchell and Clare Sera take a longer than usual time with the setup, but you’ll find the wait well worth it in getting to know each one of the members intimately. On Sandler’s end, there’s teenage Hilary (Bella Thorne) who desperately wishes that she could be more feminine instead of being eternally mistaken for a boy, Espn (Emma Fuhrmann), who believes she can still communicate with her dead mother, and Lou (Alyvia Alyn Lind), who is content being cute and naïve about the world; and on Barrymore’s end, there’s Jake (Braxton Beckham), a 13-year old on the cusp of puberty as well as Tyler (Kyle Red Silverstein), who not only sucks at baseball but suffers from a mild case of attention-deficit disorder.

At the centre of it all are sporting goods manager Jim (Sandler) and professional closet organiser Lauren (Barrymore), whose first encounter with each other is a disastrous blind date at Hooters. Who brings a girl to Hooters for a date, says Lauren out loud, but neither does she leave much of an impression when she spit-coughs a quart of French onion soup all over the table. They meet again randomly at a drugstore, and after a credit card mix-up, find themselves at the same far-flung resort in a different continent halfway around the world. Though it’s no secret that Jim and Lauren will eventually end up together, the journey to that happily-ever-after doesn’t feel at all contrived, thanks to some surprisingly sensitive direction that emphasises the emotional core of the characters.

You’ll find much to empathise with in Jim, who tries to be both father and mother to three girls while dealing with the loss of a beloved wife. No wonder then he finds it difficult to fall in love with Lauren, even when the attraction between them is so palpable. Ditto for Lauren, who is still reeling inside from the loss of a cheating husband and absent father and who struggles to make up excuses each time for him in order to avoid disappointing her two boys. Their attraction comes not just from between each other, but also in how they relate to each other’s kids, and through Hilary’s physical transformation or Espn’s acceptance of her mother’s passing or Tyler’s baseball coaching, the film lets its audience discover just how Jim and Lauren could be the father and mother figure missing in their respective families.

A lot of that has to do with the charm of watching Sandler and Barrymore together. The pair were inherently likeable 16 years ago in ‘The Wedding Singer’, just as appealing three years back in ’50 First Dates’ and once again are immensely engaging here. The fact that it is difficult to imagine another actress in the same role with Sandler speaks volumes of the chemistry between them, not least for the fact that Barrymore brings out a more mature side of Sandler that we hardly see. The rest of the casting is equally inspired - Kevin Nealon and Jessica Lowe make the best of their supporting roles as randy vacationers, while Terry Crews steals the show as the leader of an African Greek chorus who sings his way through every single line.

Still, those looking for the laugh-out-loud moments of Sandler’s earlier films will likely be disappointed. The humour is amusing but never uproarious, and some cutaways like that of two rhinos copulating smack of trying too hard. In its place though are more heartwarming moments than you would expect from a Sandler comedy, which in and of itself is a nice nod to how the stars - as well as their audience - have aged from teenagers to become parents themselves. And yes, ‘Blended’ may certainly not be his funniest movie, but in its blend of humour with heart is winning in its own sweet, even poignant, way.

Movie Rating:

(Three’s the charm - Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore bring humour and heart to this funny yet affecting tale about second chances at love, marriage and a happy family)

Review by Gabriel Chong