Blended
Blended marks the third comedy collaboration between stars Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, following their successful onscreen pairings in the hit romantic comedies 50 First Dates and The Wedding Singer.
Frank Coraci directs this romantic-comedy tale, who also collaborated with Sandler and Barrymore on their previous two movies together. Both those efforts were critically praised and achieved success at the box office. So for both Sandler and Barrymore, re-teaming with Coraci was a palate cleanser, albeit a safe bet too.
Blended focuses on a relatable dynamic. It’s family orientated narrative is pleasant enough for audiences to get on board with, but it’s narrative is nothing more than formulaic. Nothing separates it from anything Sandler or Barrymore have done in the last five years of their respective careers.
Jim is a sports-obsessed father who has raised his three girls within a tomboy framework, whilst Lauren is a control freak who’s two boys receive very little discipline. It’s within this environment that the film gives us it’s most endearing moments. Jim teaching Lauren’s boys to become respectful men and Lauren helping Jim’s daughter’s embrace femininity— build the only sort of foundations their relationship could work from, seeing beyond their own preconceived opinions.
But this is where the film falls down. During many of these endearing scenes we enjoy tender moments that are suddenly disrupted by a crude joke— generally emanating from the mouth of Sandler. Blended is afraid to play emotional straight. It's always trying to remind us it’s a comedy first and foremost, handing us lethargic jokes every time a scene becomes sensitive. This approach will no doubt satisfy Sandler fans, but it holds the film back from spreading it’s wings and possibly becoming something we weren’t expecting.
Blended is a sloppy, lazy and laughter-free reunion of the Wedding Singer cast. It is a lackadaisical tale of a single mother and father who after detesting each other for three quarters of the movie fall madly in love. Neglected character build stunts this films potential as the script always jolted away from a touching encounter. Once again, it is jam packed with tedious Adam Sandler wise cracks that were only slightly funny in the nineties. Blended is a complete waste of time that could've been worth our time.
