Blended
Drew Barrymore brings out the best in Adam Sandler. After the winning chemistry they had in “The Wedding Singer” and “50 First Dates,” it’s not a stretch to make that statement. Unfortunately, Sandler is a little too settled in to his routine of cookie-cutter, PG-13 friendly potty comedy after a decade in which risks were limited (especially after the failure of 2007’s “Reign Over Me”), and box-office success was plentiful (his Razzie-dominating “Jack & Jill,” and the R-rated “That’s My Boy” excepted, at least), to really do anything remotely challenging at this point, even with his best on-screen muse back in the fold. The results are an example of the third time not exactly being the charm.
The film has a simple, goofy premise, although it approaches that premise with a lot of needless complication. The bullet points you need to know are as follows: Barrymore and Sandler go on a blind date at Hooters, which goes horribly; Barrymore has a hard time raising her two sons without a strong father figure (their father, played by Joel McHale– not exactly in peak “Community” form –cheated on Drew, and skirts out of parental responsibility); Sandler just can’t relate to his three daughters (their mother recently passed away, leaving a hole with each daughter); and yet, a twist of fate finds them both taking a vacation to South Africa during Spring Break, finding that the other family is exactly what theirs needs to be whole, even as Happy Madison Production hijinks ensues.
Compared to the likes of “Grown-Ups” and “Just Go With It,” “Blended” is a breath of fresh air from Sandler, even though it trades in the same SNL-alum cameos (this time by Kevin Nealon) and juvenile humor Sandler’s made a fortune with since he became a box-office goldmine. The big reason for that is a story that shows some palpable heart when it comes to the struggles of single parentage, but even bigger is Barrymore’s presence. She turned the corner from her troubled teen years long ago, but even though she doesn’t really push herself out of her comfort zone, she’s honed her skills into a natural timing and easy chemistry with whoever she’s sharing the screen with, and it’s evident in every moment we see with her in “Blended,” regardless of who she has a scene yet. Her best moments are close to the end of the film, which also represents Sandler’s strongest work. It’s too late to save the (mostly) limp humor, but it pulls at the heartstrings at exactly the right moment to leave a positive impression on the viewer. That doesn’t elevate it to the level of their previous collaborations, but it makes me hope it’ll be less than 10 years before their next movie together.
