MOVIE REVIEW: Blended
CRESTA - Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler's latest romantic comedy offering 'Blended' promises a lot, but does it deliver?
REVIEWED BY: Kirsten van Jaarsveld
GENRE: Romantic Comedy
RUNNING TIME: 117 minutes
STARRING: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Wendi McLendon-Covey
DIRECTOR: Frank Coraci
RATING: 5/10
Currently screening at Ster Kinekor theatres.
Jim (Adam Sandler) and Lauren (Drew Barrymore) are single parents. After a horrendous blind date (he takes her to Hooters, a restaurant chain focused on skimpily-clad young women) they vow to never meet again. But fate intervenes, and after several incidental meetings Jim, Lauren and their respective children accidentally find themselves together at Sun City in South Africa on an African get-away.
This is the premise of Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler’s new romantic comedy Blended. It’s the third time the duo team up for a movie following the hits 50 First Dates and the Wedding Singer.
But is the third time the charm?
Honestly, no. While the movie was certainly entertaining, it felt as if the script-writing had let the cast down.
Some of the emotional undertones in Blended promised something beautiful, particularly the initial scenes regarding parent-child relationships. But other parts of the movie were a brand of slap-stick comedy that – while certainly amusing – didn’t gel with its earnest counterpart. The ending was predictable and plot-ends were tied up too hastily to my liking.
It felt as if two very different people had written the script and had simply copy-pasted pieces of it together. Some of the scenes were intriguing and sweet; others bland and expected, and most of the dialogue fell flat.
From a local perspective, it was thrilling to see South African landscapes and even our lethal fast-bowling cricketer Dale Steyn on the big screen in a big Hollywood blockbuster. Many of the scenes were hilarious and Sandler, Barrymore, and the cast of kids and friends supporting them did their job admirably.
VERDICT: I’m on the fence with this movie. I didn’t dislike watching it, but I wished for more – it had the potential to be wonderful. Anyone who wants to relax and have a laugh should go and enjoy it. But don’t expect greatness.
*Thanks to Ster-Kinekor Cresta for making the review possible.
