Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? No.
Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? If you like Adam Sandler & Drew Barrymore.
Secret ending? No.
Running time: 117 minutes (2 hours)
“Blended” is a romantic comedy that sees two single parents, children in tow, stuck on a trip together in Africa. Predictably, they fall in love – but they each have their fair share of hangups to overcome. It stars Adam Sandler (Jim Friedman) and Drew Barrymore (Lauren Reynolds).
As far as romantic comedies go, “Blended” didn’t stray too far off the beaten track, if it even strayed at all. There’s nothing wrong with retreading a familiar tale though, as long as it’s done well. So what was good about it?
More character-based jokes than slapstick
I was expecting a lot more crass humour from an Adam Sandler movie, and was pleasantly surprised to find that many of the jokes came from character interactions. Being a PG film, it couldn’t have had too many off colour jokes – but those that were present were rooted in character motivations instead of being cheap laughs. Glad to see Adam Sandler’s brand of humour maturing!
A heartwarming story
“Blended” was as much as love story as it was a family story, and it’s something that can appeal to all ages. The children of the story ground the romance in family values and kinship, thus presenting a much more realistic, wholesome development of affections between the two lead characters. Their feelings grow for each other not in the usual whirlwind romance way, but in a more subtle and nuanced manner.
But there’s not enough originality in the tale – in fact, contrary to the title, the movie is an odd mix of too much and too little. For example:
There’s not enough humour
It’s a romantic comedy, emphasis on the comedy. As much as I appreciate the better quality of jokes in the story, there simply wasn’t enough humour to qualify it as a comedy! It felt like a lopsided walrus that limped from joke fests to cheery montages to emotional scenes and back to joke fests again.
The story is too predictable
I know it’s not an epic thriller or a murder mystery. But there was virtually no variation on the tale apart from the different set up. Their obstacles came as expected and the resolutions were delivered right on schedule. The set ups were blatantly obvious, and you could see the pay off a mile away. The plot really needed more sophistication.
The plot plods through each part of the story
Especially in the middle of Act Two, the plod slows down to a crawl as it slowly goes into each supporting character’s story and gives them all their time in the sun. Kudos for the character development, but did it have to be so painstakingly tedious?
It felt like a commercial for the African Tourism Board
It was interesting to see all the establishing shots and safari animals at first, but it soon lapsed into a repetitive showcase of Africa’s amazing scenery and charming fauna. There was no letting up! Every ten minutes, we would be loudly reminded that the movie takes place in Africa, what with shots of this ferocious African animal or that splendid African landscape.
Adam Sandler’s lacklustre performance
Although his character, Jim Friedman, was portrayed as a laidback widower, it felt more like he was just a simple slacker. There was no subtext to his acting, no layers to his dialogue, and no energy in his delivery. Drew Barrymore had to carry the movie herself, but there’s only so much you can do to bounce off an unfeeling performance.
“Blended” was a romantic comedy that had not quite enough romance or comedy to qualify as either a romance or a comedy. It’s easy viewing but definitely not a memorable movie by any standards.
“Blended” opens in cinemas 5 June, 2014 (Thursday).
This review was also published on Yahoo Movies Singapore.
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