Blended

Michael Cox READ TIME: 2 MIN.

Imagine a prequel to "The Brady Bunch" with a few differences: Mr. Brady is raising three girls. (He just dresses them and treats them like boys.) His to-be-wife raises only two sons, and there is an absentee father in the picture. And the kid who plays Peter is an obsessive masturbator with unusual pornographic interests. There's no maid named Alice, little Cindy Brady frequently uses the word "bagina," and the "one day when the lady met the fellow" is on an exotic African vacation.

It may not be the Bradys, but Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore pair up for the third time in the funny and forgettable, family romantic-comedy "Blended." (This is also the third time Sandler and Shaquille O'Neal have worked together in a film, for those of you who are following Shaq's film career.)

Let's go back to the beginning. Of course, the whole story starts out on a bad blind date.

Jim (Sandler) takes Lauren (Barrymore) to Hooters, drinks her beer while she's in the ladies room and ends up watching the game the whole time.

Things get better, and the relationship begins to mend, when Jim runs into Lauren at the drug store. He is trying to buy his daughter feminine protection and she is trying to buy her son porn. Both parents decide they could use some advice from the opposite sex to make their purchases.

Of course, the next thing you know, the couple runs into each other on a glamorous vacation in Africa. And the whole clan (kids included) is required to share the same hotel room.

If you go into this movie expecting absolutely nothing, this film will deliver. Drew and Adam really do have great chemistry, and depending on your tolerance for inane stereotypes and stupid humor, you may end up laughing a lot.

The special features on the Blu-ray are extensive. There are deleted scenes, a gag reel and several short featurettes, including some fun footage of the kids playing with the animals in Africa and some insight into how they shot some of the special effects.


by Michael Cox

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