You know you’re getting old when the king of comedy from your childhood starts playing roles where he has teenage kids…bit depressing! But at least there’s enough chuckles in this flick to soften the blow.
There’s no denying, Adam Sandler has fallen from his comedic pedestal. Gone are the days of THE WEDDING SINGER and HAPPY GILMORE. But you gotta feel sorry for the guy: He cops a lot of flack when the reality is, he’s not that bad.
BLENDED is an attempt to recapture the magic created by 50 FIRST DATES…which was an attempt to recapture the wonder of THE WEDDING SINGER! It tells of single parents Jim (Sandler) and Lauren (Drew Barrymore) who, after a disastrous blind date, find themselves stuck together at a family resort in Africa.
Whether you feel their time has passed or not, there’s no denying: Barrymore and Sandler make a cute couple (they should just accept their chemistry and make Hollywood babies). Their pre-Africa scenes are comical and cutesy. Dialogue is snappy and funny, with each actor firing off the other.
Sadly, this is followed by a rather awful African spectacle.
Whilst far from an expert when it comes to African culture, I couldn’t help but cringe at the poor representation the country received in the film. Aside from bordering on culturally insensitive, this was also a missed opportunity to add a memorable exotic flair to the flick.
The camera work is some of the worst I’ve seen with boring framing and jarring cutaways. The sloppy editing also effects pace.
In terms of comedy, it’s the embodiment of ‘hit and miss’. There are some genuinely funny moments wedged between utter tripe. But the same could be said for most mainstream comedies.
BLENDED is a cute, albeit a little crappy, rom-com with enough chuckles and ‘warm and fuzzy’ to make for an enjoyable night. It has its flaws, but with Sandler and Barrymore as loveable as ever, I still left the theatre with a smile on my dial… and that’s the point right?
BLENDED: I award it 5 stars.
