I am not always a fan of Adam Sandler's comedies, but "Blended" was a pleasant surprise. Yes, there are some crude and stupid moments, but overall "Blended" is a sweet family comedy that emphasizes the importance of a mom and dad in a warmly blended family.
Today,couples divorce or lose a beloved spouse and feel they will never love again. This is the set-up for "Blended," which couples these two ideas into one madcap comedy with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore.
I am not always a fan of Adam Sandler's comedies, but "Blended" was a pleasant surprise. Yes, there are some crude and stupid moments, but overall "Blended" is a sweet family comedy that emphasizes the importance of a mom and dad in a warmly blended family.
Today,couples divorce or lose a beloved spouse and feel they will never love again. This is the set-up for "Blended," which couples these two ideas into one madcap comedy with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore.
In fact this comedy marks their third comedy pairing. Previously they starred in "50 Blind Dates" and "The Wedding Singer."
This time Sandler is a widower with three daughters and Barrymore is a divorced mom with two sons. One boy never wants mom to marry again, unless it's with their dad. The younger son is prone to temper tantrums, especially during Little League games where he constantly strikes out.
The film begins as Sandler and Barrymore meet for a blind date at Hooters. It's definitely not love at first sight. In fact the date is a total disaster and they never want to see each other again.
Of course fate intervenes and they meet again on several occasions. Each encounter is equally unpleasant for them. Eventually they both make arrangements, separately without the other's knowledge, to purchase a trip to Africa from a mutual acquaintance who suddenly can't go and needs to sell his tickets for seven or he will lose the purchase price.
When each family arrives at the elegant, upscale African resort they soon discover they will be sharing the same suite of rooms whether they like it or not.
Both Sandler and Barrymore love their kids, so they decide to give their children a great holiday. As a result the two blind daters who can't stand each other discover they have one very important thing in common—their great love for their kids.
"Blended" focuses on the importance of family ties, but does so without ever becoming preachy. As the story develops Sandler provides a father image for Barrymore's two unruly, rambunctious boys and she in turn gives insights on what to wear for his daughters who dress like tomboys in clothes their dad brings home from his job at a major sporting goods store.
In fact Adam loves sports so much he even named his youngest daughter Espn, after the popular sports network. And his late wife loved him so much she let him do it.’
Besides the blending and bonding, viewers get the chance to share in their African vacation as they go parasailing over herds of elephants or encounter rhinos and lions from a truck on safari. The DVD also offers bonus features about baby animals, parasailing and more.
"Blended," from Warner Bros., is rated PG-13 for some crude and sexual content and language.
*
In my youth I was an art major, but I must confess I never heard of Ralph Steadman, a noted cartoonist in the ‘70s,who worked with gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson. ( A crazy thought suggested by my husband, is that where the Muppet Gonzo got his name?)
In fact many people never heard of Ralph Steadman either, so British director Charlie Paul set out to make a documentary about the artist and for a period of 15 years Paul left a camera over Steadman's work area to order torecord the cartoonist at work.
And while many critics consider Steadman a cartoonist, director Paul 's fascinating documentary paints a cinematic portrait of the man as a true artist who chronicled the troubled political times in which he lived with wit and amazing imagery.
In the documentary Johnny Depp also spends quite a bit of time with the artist, watching him at work. They both share a common connection, their working relationship with writer Hunter S. Thompson.
The film sheds light on the tumultuous era of the ‘70s and chronicles the art of Steadman whose work appeared on the cover of "Rolling Stone" and graced many other publications as well.
One of my personal favorite creations, which he paints on screen, is his portrait of his beautiful black lab, Beanie who patently posed for his master.
Also appearing in the documentary are film-maker Terry Gilliam, writer Hunter S. Thompson, Jann Wenner of "Rolling Stone," Johnny Depp and the director Charlie Paul. Bonus features include commentary with the director, Charlie Paul, and producer Lucy Paul, and a Toronto Film Festival Q & A session. From Sony Pictures, rated R for language, some drug content and sexual images.
***
Also available on DVD: "Moms' Night Out," a family comedy starring Sarah Drew, Sean Astin and the mom on TV's "The Middle," Patricia Heaton, is about a group of lady friends who go out for three hours of grown-up talk and a nice dinner.
To do this they leave their kids with the dads. What could go wrong? Plenty. Rated PG.
For vampire fanciers who also like a touch of romance there's "Only Lovers Left Alive," starring Tilda Swinton, Tom Huddleston and John Hurt. Rated R.
