THIS family-based comedy is lazy film-making. Director Frank Coraci could have, should have, imposed more rigorous control over Ivan Menchell (after a career in TV sitcoms) and Clare Sera’s screenplay. Coraci is also guilty of succumbing to that adage as old as cinema: “When in doubt, show wildlife”.
The film opens with widower Jim (Adam Sandler) father of three girls, on a doomed blind date with Lauren (Drew Barrymore) whose two boys’ father has left her for a trophy partner.
After a convoluted lead up, Jim, Lauren and their broods find themselves at a South African holiday resort (there are grounds for believing that the resort sequences were actually filmed in Buford, South Carolina).
You can, with little difficulty, guess where this will wind up. The kids have a major influence.
Barrymore and a gang of black men, possibly real Africans, performing song and dance numbers at the resort, are the film’s most satisfying elements. Not much value for nearly two hours !
At Dendy, Hoyts and Limelight
The post Review / ‘Blended’ (PG) ** and a half appeared first on Canberra CityNews.