Movie Review: Blended

Blended is a classic example of the dumbing down of a summer holiday film for families. An Adam Sandler and a Drew Barrymore movie comes with a set of not so great expectations, barring exceptions like 50 First Dates. You know it has to be a romantic comedy and an average one at that. And with a title like Blended it reduces whatever little appeal there is. On both counts, the movie stays pretty much at the expected level. There is more of buffoonery kind of comedy than romance, that too of the sitcom variety. The kind that fits all age groups amongst family audiences, especially in the summer holidays. The premise is common enough in Hollywood. A single mom, Lauren (Barrymore) and a single dad, Jim (Sandler), with a handful of children each, meet on a blind date that gets over in five predictable minutes. Both are extremely conscientious parents. As clichés would have it, he is a widower who fathers and mothers three girls and she, a divorcee who parents two boys. He is the dad who catches his daughter at awkward, embarrassing moments. She is the dutiful mom who carries a grown up boy up the stairs and bangs his head now and then. Obvious growing girl problems involving makeovers and boy problems that tackle baseball misfits, come up. The film starts on a regular note, with the usual bad date discussions and silly insults the lead couple throw at each other. A most convenient cancellation of an exotic and adventurous holiday by a friend lands the couple and their children at the same resort in Africa. Some unconvincing “oh, not you” moments follow as the families are even stuck together in the same room and the same table at meal times. This happens to be a resort where stepfamilies come to ‘blend’ with each other. Forced humour, bad gags involving children, wild ostrich rides, rhinos, ball games and a young woman who jiggles her chest every time she speaks; makes this two hour long film stretch more than ever. Stereotypical African characters who do nothing but sing and dance, does little to make the story any more credible. In a particularly low IQ scene, we see Drew Barrymore parasailing, spotting some giraffes and elephants below and screaming the obvious, “OMG, I can giraffes”. Sadly, despite all her sweetness and charm as a loving mom, she can’t rescue the story much. Not when there is zero romance and non-stop glorifying “99 per cent” parenting life. If romance is what you are looking for, rent a good old DVD. Maybe 50 First Dates or Music and Lyrics. For a few laughs, a couple of sitcoms might be worth your time than Blended. (The writer tries to make peace with her own filmmaking nightmares, of being a scriptwriter, actor and assisting film icons by moonlighting as a film journalist.http://gayatrigauri.blogspot.in)