Directed By: Frank Coraci (The Wedding Singer, The Waterboy)
Starring: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Kevin Nealon, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Terry Crews
Rating: PG-13 for crude and sexual content, and language
Run Time: 1 hour, 57 minutes
Synopsis: Jim (Sandler) is a widower with 3 girls to raise. Lauren (Barrymore) is a divorcee with two boys to raise. After Jim and Lauren go on a disastrous blind date, they manage to finagle their respective ways to an African "blended family" trip originally planned for Lauren's co-worker and Jim's boss. Hijinx ensue as the two families start to bond.
REVIEW
Sarah: Hello readers!
Last night, Andrew and I were looking for some laughs, some yuks, if you will,
so we checked out this past weekend's new comedy, Blended, starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore!
This is the third movie that the pair have made together and not one that I
would say that we were looking forward to, but nonetheless, here we are with a
review on it. And I have to say it definitely delivered on some cheap
laughs!
What
did you think of it?
Andrew: Oh man, where to
start? Let's preface this by saying we, together, are not big Adam Sandler
fans. I like his stuff more than you do, like The Wedding Singer,
Mr. Deeds and The Waterboy being a few of
his movies that I'll watch anytime I come across them on TV. But as a duo we
actually do have a horrible secret - we actually find Grown Ups funny,
and got some chuckles out of Grown Ups 2. We're not saying
they're good movies per se, but they make us laugh for whatever
reason.
So
after saying all of that, that's what my reaction to Blended is.
It's not a good movie but it hit the spot in regards to making us laugh when we
just wanted some chuckles.
S: Oh heavens no,
it was…not good. But I clearly remember saying before we walked into the
theater that I expected three things: bodily function jokes, topical humor and
over-the-top supporting characters that borderline racist. Yeah, it did not
disappoint. It had all those things and they seemed to be amped up a little
bit. In that respect, at least I knew what I was getting into and I still went
along with it. There is something to be said for predictability when your
looking for something silly to watch!
A: That's fair
enough, and it's a good way of saying that this is just another Adam Sandler
movie like 50 First Dates, Click, the Grown
Ups movies, etc. So like you said, you know what you're getting
into before you get in the theatre.
But I do want to point out some positives in it's favor. First
and foremost, Sandler and Barrymore still play well off one another. They had
good chemistry in The Wedding Singer, good chemistry in 50
First Dates and that chemistry is still alive and well here. In
fact, it's not a stretch to say that Barrymore is the perfect romantic interest
for Sandler in his films because she's not the bombshell kind of actress
Sandler has been using lately (think Selma Hayek and Brooklyn Decker) and
because she's actually a good actress with good comedic abilities. They were
also a very believable pair in this film.
The
African setting was gorgeous, so it was never a bad thing when they cut to
scenic shots of animals running around, and the sets were pretty fantastic. But
sadly this film used Africa as an opportunity to do a visual gag of seeing a
pair of rhinos getting freaky or a giraffe French-kissing the romantic interest
for one of Sandler's characters' daughters.
S: So here's the
thing: I don't know if Sandler and Barrymore necessarily have great chemistry.
I see it more of friends just getting together and making a movie. But I feel
that way about all the costars in Sandler's films. I'll agree with you, though, that the two really seem to have a lot of fun which is important.
I
did really like the Africa scenes, but the majority of the story definitely
happen state-side. It was a cute film but I felt like some of the comedy chops
were wasted. Especially when it came to Wendi McLendon-Covey (Bridesmaids) and Terry Crews (FOX's Brooklyn Nine-Nine).
They were funny, but in more of a stupid kind of way. It was a little
disappointing.
A: I agree with you
that McLendon-Covey and Crews were wasted. They're both supremely funny people
and Crews especially was wasted here as the leader of a pseudo-Greek chorus (or
should I say African chorus?). At least McLendon-Covey was a means to an end
for getting the bulk of the story moving, but this brings me to a point I
wanted to make sure I made.
Blended is a perfect example of how some Sandler movies
could actually be very good movies if you just cut our the
extraneous, sophomoric humor. Cut out the bad jokes about animals having sex,
or the recurring joke of the manager of the African resort mispronouncing
names, or all of Crews' scenes and you'd actually have a touching movie about
two different families coming together, or "blending" if you will.
Sandler's Jim has three daughters that he's having trouble raising
on his own after his wife passes away, while Barrymore's Lauren has two
rambunctious boys who need a solid father figure in their life after their
mother divorces their deadbeat dad (a wasted Joel McHale). Two different but
relatable circumstances and I felt like this movie did a very good job of
portraying the emotional beats. It's all rather straight-forward stuff, but
Sandler, Barrymore and the kid actors do a great job of making you feel for
where they're all coming from. Like that "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"
scene? That's good stuff.
And
Sandler's movies do that from time to time, like Click is
very juvenile at times but always gets to me because of its message and
portrayal of not taking the time you have with loved ones for granted, you
know?
S: You took the words right out of my mouth with that last bit. So let's wrap this up. Overall I think it's a cute premise but felt a little forced. It all seemed a little cliche and
done before. But the cheese was just what the doctor ordered and I appreciated
that.
A: We went in looking
for some laughs and the movie delivered, even if it was pretty uneven. Bottom
line is that if you like Adam Sandler’s movies he’s been putting out since Mr.
Deeds in 2002, you’re probably going to like this one. If you don’t,
you most likely won’t be seeing this to begin with. And that’s okay.
FINAL VERDICT: Netflix it if you like Sandler’s
movies, otherwise skip it
 |
| (Individual Scores - S: 2/5 A: 2.5/5) |
Photo Courtesy: watchplayread.com
No comments:
Post a Comment