Adam Sandler has had a tricky couple of years with many of his movies struggling both critically and commercially - it didn't get much better in 2014, as he reunited with Drew Barrymore for the rather awful Blended. Sandler and Barrymore have proved to be a great comedy pairing in the past, but this time around, they missed that mark.
Blended
We are continuing to countdown the top ten Worst Movies of 2014 and Blended has made it in at number six. Blended saw Frank Coraci return to the director's chair and had worked with Sandler on he likes of Click, The Waterboy and The Wedding Singer over the years - sadly, they did not enjoy the same success this time around.
After a disastrous blind date, single parents Lauren and Jim agree on only one thing: they never want to see each other again. But when they each sign up separately for a fabulous family vacation with their kids, they are all stuck sharing a suite at a luxurious African safari resort for a week.
I have to say, I have never been a big Adam Sandler fan and have always been rather perplexed as to why his movies to do well - they almost always seems to top the U.S. box office - but that bubble seems to have burst with Blended, Grown Ups 2 and That's My Boy in recent years.
The main thing I want when I go and see a comedy movie is laughs, sadly, Blended seems to be void of any comedy whatsoever, not to mention the 'plot' is also a bit suspect. We really have been 'treated' to some terrible Sandler movies in recent years, but this really is the bottom of the barrel - surely, it cannot get any worse than this?
Blended really does lack direction, as it jumps around from moment to moment with random shots of safari animals just dropped in for now real reason. This is supposed to be a family comedy, and yet I found that it really did lack the warmth and tenderness that you so often associate with this genre film.
This was just a movie that really did leave me feeling very cold - not to mention a little bored - as the story struggles to get going and when it finally does, it is a little too clichéd for my liking and you can see where it is going and how the movie is going to end.
There's no denying that there is a great on-screen chemistry between Sandler and Barrymore - it is why they previous movies were successful and why they keep working together - however, the sparks really do struggle to fly this time around. Barrymore has brought out the best of Sandler in the past, but that sadly doesn't happen this time around. The comedy just feels really contrived and it just doesn't work.
Blended is another terribly bland 2014 comedy - of which there have been several over the last twelve months - that treads over very familiar ground without offering anything new. If you haven't seen this movie, I really would give it a miss as this is ninety-one minutes of your life that you will not get back.