Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Blended Blu-ray Movie Review

Terry Crews can only do so much...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown August 30, 2014

Somewhere within Blended is a poignant comedy about single parenting, overcoming loss, dealing with grief, and embracing new love and the promise of new life. Unfortunately, that film is buried deep, deep, deeeeep beneath a mountain of juvenile sex jokes, mean-spirited antics, ill-timed innuendo, tiresome sight gags, and a number of tonally disjointed elements that render otherwise effective dramatic beats inert. And yet there's an even more debilitating issue to contend with. Call it Sandler Malaise. A been-there, watched-that, swore-I'd-never-subject-myself-to-this-again exhaustion that settles in early into the first act and never, ever goes away. Oh, I laughed here and there. Cracked up more than once, if I'm being honest. I really tried to enjoy the ol' Happy Madison gusto, I did. But for every moment that works, there are at least a half-dozen that fall flat or, worse, fall apart completely. There's a great little dramedy in here. I can see it. You'll see it. It isn't that hard to spot. That great little dramedy, though, isn't Blended. The two couldn't be more different.

"This third movie will be totally safe. I swear! What could possibly go wrong?"

In the wake of a disastrous blind date, recently divorced single mom Lauren Reynolds (Drew Barrymore) and widower Jim Friedman (Adam Sandler) can only agree on one thing: they never want to see each other again. But when they separately score tickets for a fabulous family vacation with their kids -- Lauren's two boys, babysitter-obsessed Brendan (Braxton Beckham) and hyperactive Tyler (Kyle Red Silverstein), and Jim's three girls, tomboy teen Hilary (Bella Thorne), eccentric Espn (Emma Fuhrmann) and little Lou (Alyvia Alyn Lind) -- they find themselves stuck sharing a suite at a luxurious African safari resort for a week.

The road to cinematic hell. Good intentions. Lots of paving. You know how it works. Had Blended focused solely on Jim and his struggles to raise three daughters after losing his wife to cancer, with Lauren's role being nothing more than a second chance at love; had it not overplayed its hand with her sons (who really only function as the butt of a series of cruel, often crude jokes) or jettisoned the boys altogether; or had it abandoned its desperate stabs at wild, wacky hijinks and settled for being funny -- sweetly, softly funny -- Sandler and Barrymore's latest pairing might have been their finest. Instead we're treated to brief heartfelt moments and a surprisingly natural assortment of light, natural laughs frequently interrupted and spoiled by brash, irritating bursts of manchild comedy and cheap genre tricks almost always deployed at the expense of the kids. Just one example? How about the most obnoxious. Lauren helps Lou fall asleep by singing a song Jim's wife used to sing... a touching beat that visibly impacts all three girls, as well as Jim... preceded by a twenty-years-too-late bit involving loud urination outside the tent and proceeded by a heeee-larious jump scare. (Sensing the sarcasm I hope.) There are plenty more examples, and you won't only know them when you see them, you'll know them when you feel them hit. It's not pleasant.

The jumbled, oil-and-water result is ironically an awkward blend of two conflicting, ever-competing comedies. The first follows the evolution of a relationship worth rooting for (think The Wedding Singer) and deals with heart-wrenching, all too relevant trials and tribulations, in the vein of Judd Apatow's Funny People. The second is pure Sandler. And not Happy Gilmore, Waterboy, Mr. Deeds Sandler. Jack and Jill, Little Nicky, That's My Boy, Grown Ups 2 Adam Sandler, with a much too syrupy spoonful of sentimentality near film's end. Not by way of his performance per se, which is thankfully reserved and frankly the production's greatest asset. (He and the young actresses who play his daughters are really very good. It's only the script that sometimes fails them.) But by way of the film's jarring weebly, wobbly tone, Lauren's boys and the various colorful characters the reluctant couple encounter on their vacation; some of whom are welcome additions (Terry Crews!), some of whom wear out their welcome almost from the start (Kevin Nealon and Jessica Lowe being at the top of the list).

It doesn't help that the best scenes have already been introduced to the funny bone by Blended's trailers, chief among them Hilary's makeover and the soundtrack-swapping reactions various people have to her new look. Her slow-mo walk to the dinner table still earns a laugh, but it's a stale one. Meanwhile, the film's most unexpected element -- Jim and his daughters' tearjerker of a backstory -- feels too much like an afterthought rather than the crucial crux it's meant to be. I'm sure some of you will find it all positively entertaining. Possibly even side-splitting. Much as I tried to enjoy its hastily assembled framework, though, I couldn't get past how rickety and flimsy the structure was becoming. It isn't long before the whole thing comes crashing down. The reckless, sophomoric comedy spoiled by the drama; the sad, stirring drama spoiled by the comedy.

Blended Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

What is it about bad movies and great AV presentations? Blended's match made in... erm, heaven is only strengthened by its lovely 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation. Colors are warm, rich and vibrant, with striking primaries, beautifully saturated skintones and deep, inky black levels. Crush creeps in here and there, sure, but it's pretty negligible. Contrast and clarity are excellent too. Edges are crisp and clean, without any hint of ringing, and textures are refined and revealing. Better still, I didn't catch sight of any macroblocking, banding, aliasing or other anomaly that might ruin the proceedings. Say what you will about Blended. Its encode delivers.

Blended Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Warner's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track offers more than your average comedy's lossless experience. Though a tad front-heavy early on, the soundfield opens up nicely when Jim and Lauren arrive in Africa, and continues to impress as they ostrich-joust, go on safari, soar through the sky, narrowly avoid being gored by a rhino, and stumble into all manners of trouble at their hotel. LFE output is big and bold, with satisfying weight and presence, particularly as far as the soundtrack is concerned. Rear speaker activity is precise and playful as well, with pinpoint directional effects that enhance slapstick bits with ease and smooth pans that never falter. Dialogue, meanwhile, remains intelligible and perfectly prioritized throughout. No issues or mishaps to report.

Blended Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Safari (HD, 3 minutes): Executive producer Allen Covert, actors Adam Sandler and Terry Crews, and other members of the film crew scout locations in Africa in the first of the disc's short Focus Point-esque featurettes.
• Adam and Drew: Back Together Again (HD, 2 minutes): A much too short mini-mini-featurette that focuses on Sandler and Drew Barrymore's latest big screen team-up and their behind-the-scenes antics.
• Animals (HD, 4 minutes): Sandler his screen daughters cuddle with baby animals and... not-so-baby animals.
• Parasailing (HD, 2 minutes): Taking to the skies with Barrymore.
• Ostriches (HD, 2 minutes): Creating and filming Blended's ostrich rodeo.
• Bella Thorne's Makeover (HD, 2 minutes): De-feminizing Thorne.
• Herlihoops: Basketball Actor (HD, 1 minute): Tim Herlihy tries to sink baskets on the court.
• Dick's Customer Service (HD, 2 minutes): On the Dick's store floor, with Sandler and Shaq.
• Nickens (HD, 2 minutes): Crews sings, dances and shakes his way into Nickens' leather shoes.
• Georgia (HD, 3 minutes): The first day of filming in Gainesville, Georgia.
• Deleted Scenes (HD, 6 minutes): A series of deleted and extended scenes, plus a few alternate takes.
• Gag Reel (HD, 6 minutes): Line flubs and crack-ups.

Blended Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Blended plays matchmaker with two different comedies that never quite gel. One is too immature, the other too serious. So it comes as little surprise when the two of them do little more than fight, argue and stomp away angry, leaving their audience caught in the middle. Individually, each one could be an effective comedy. Together, though, they just don't work, causing more pain and misery than any of us deserve. Warner's Blu-ray release is better thankfully... if you ignore the deceptively slim supplemental package. With an excellent video presentation and equally impressive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, those who manage to enjoy Blended will also have an easier time appreciating its finer AV qualities. I'd recommend renting the movie first, but if you can't get enough Sandler and Barrymore (no matter how fruitless the effort), a blind-buy might not be so risky.