Blended: Barrymore And Sandler Are An All Time Great Romance Spanning 3 Films

Blended is a romantic comedy film directed by Frank Coraci. The plot sees two single parents end up going on holiday together with their kids to Africa. At first the two parents, Jim (Adam Sandler) and Lauren (Drew Barrymore), hate each other and don’t get along, but often as these sort of films go they end up madly in love by the end.

This film is viewed as one of the trash tier Sandler films by a lot of people, but I have to say upon watching it myself I enjoyed it; maybe that says something about my taste. I think this film benefits from being more subdued than Sandler’s normal fare. Yes, you have the cheap poo jokes and what not that are the life blood of Sandler comedy, but you also have this single parent character study where we see that Jim is actually quite a layered person to add on top of those scat jokes. Sandler’s performance here reminded me a bit of his character in Funny People in that he is a tragic character.

On top of this you have the romance between Sandler and Barrymore’s characters, which is incredibly strong. In recent years Sandler has being playing romantic leads by the side of Jenifer Anniston, but his ultimate on-screen romantic pairing will always be Drew Barrymore. The spark that was first shown in The Wedding Singer is still alive and well.

My one complaint would be that Terry Crews character, who is a sort of lounge singer who shows up at inopportune times, becomes tiresome quickly and they beat that joke into the ground.

Overall, a surprisingly sweet, heartfelt film that has a lot of say about grief and raising kids. Benefited immensely by obvious spark between Sandler and Barrymore.

Pros.

Romance

The depth

Some good jokes

Barrymore and Sandler have great chemistry

Cons.

Not all of the jokes land and they keep reusing some of the worse ones

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Just Go With It: Textbook Creepy Sandler

Just Go With It is a romantic comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan. The plot follows Danny (Adam Sandler), a man who pretends to be in a bad marriage to get with girls. One day he meets The One (Brooklyn Decker) and things seem to be going well, but then she finds his old wedding ring and gets cold feet. From there Sandler enlists the help of Katherine (Jennifer Aniston), his assistant, to pretend to be his soon to be ex-wife, in hopes of convincing Palmer (Decker), that she is not in fact a home wrecker.

Yes, the premise is absurd, and it gets to a point where none of it makes even the smallest bit of sense and it is easier to just not think about it. It only gets complicated by more weird and needless plot twists down the line that serve to make the film even harder to follow.

There are also some moments of what I will call from here on out “Sandler textbook creepiness”, where he openly objectifies women and is trying to date a woman half his age. This becomes a recurring joke through out the film that Danny and Palmer aren’t right for each other because they have nothing in common because of their age. It feels icky to think she is supposed to be 23 and he is presumably supposed to be in his 40’s if not older.

However, it is not all bad as there are some good jokes that are genuinely quite funny scattered in throughout that made me laugh. As a comedy film this film does its job and then some. Moreover, the interplay between Aniston and Sandler is also great and the two have a strong repour and a believable on-screen chemistry.

Overall, this is not as bad as a lot of the films Sandler was making around the same time, yes there are aspects that don’t age well and the premise is comically absurd, but if you’re a fan of Sandler you will find it funny and easy enough to watch. Not Sandler’s best, but also not his worst; by a large margin.

Pros.

Funny jokes

Sandler and Aniston have great chemistry

A strong central romance

Cons.

The icky creepiness

The incredibly dumb plot that gets dumber

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Grand Budapest Hotel: Disrepair

The Grand Budapest Hotel is a comedy drama film directed by Wes Anderson. The plot sees the current owner of the titular hotel Mr. Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham), recount the story of how he came to own it, telling how his predecessor (Ralph Fiennes) was accused of a murder he didn’t commit.

I have recently become a Wes Anderson convert, quickly burning my way through his filmography. I love Anderson unique take on cinema and the charmingly eccentric feel of it, however I feel he has hits and misses, this to be would be one of the latter.

Unlike something like Rushmore or The Darjeeling Limited I did not find myself particularly caring for any of the characters, other than the minute-long cameo of Bill Murray, I also found the story to be surprisingly dull. The quirkiness that I have mentioned before is the only thing that saved this film from mediocrity and was the only reason I didn’t turn it off midway through.

I don’t quite know what it was but there is something lacking from this film, something central and critical. It felt all over the place in a lot of different ways and seemed to lack any kind of singular focus outside of just being odd.

Overall, this is the weakest Anderson film that I have seen yet, it lacked engaging characters and that spark that the rest of his films have, very disappointing.

Pros.

The uniqueness

There are a few good memorable moments

Cons.

It is forgettable

The soundtrack is not up to usual Wes Anderson standards

The story and characters failed to engage me

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Zombieland: Words To Live By

Zombieland is a comedy horror film directed by Ruben Fleischer. The film revolves around a rag tag group of survivors in a zombie apocalypse as they try and find something to live for. Little do they know that they have already found a reason to be, in one another.

So, this is one of my favourite comedy horror films of all time, I have seen it a countless number of times and no matter how matter how much watch it, it remains excellent. This was the perfect storm of comedy, heart and peak Jessie Eisenberg.

My one complaint about it would be that it is not a horror film, it is classified as horror comedy, but it leans into the latter far more than the former. It is in no way scary.

Each one of the characters in this film seems so perfectly cast and brought to the screen and the interplay they have with one another is simply magical. The relationship between Eisenberg’s character and Emma Stone’s character is so believable and sweet that you would have to have a heart as cold as ice not to feel anything about it. The same can be said for any number of other character relationships in the film.

Columbus’s (Eisenberg) rules for surviving “Zombieland” are all terrific and will make you laugh, there is also a kernel of good wisdom in there if you look close enough. However, the real standout comedy moment of the film has to be the Bill Murray cameo, which is simply superb.

Overall, this was the perfect storm, lightning in a bottle. A once in a generation comedy horror film that everyone should see. I like to pretend the sequel never happened.

Pros.

The chemistry

All of the actors are on perfect form

The heart

The comedy

Bill freaking Murray

Cons.

It is not a horror film

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Sex Tape: The Clapp Would Be Preferable

Sex Tape is a romantic comedy film directed by Jake Kasdan. The plot follows a couple whose sex life has become quite stale, so in an effort to spice things up they decide to make a sex tape. In what might be the most cliché and uninspired twist of all time, the tape makes its way to the cloud and the couple have to race around town to try and get their family and friends to not look at the video.

So I genuinely believe this film is why Cameron Diaz quietly retired from acting, it is just embarrassing for all involved.

So firstly it is not funny in any way, it is the safest, studio friendly comedy that I have seen in a long time. It is almost afraid to say anything of note or to tell an edgy joke, it is just bland. A lot of the jokes not only fall short, but make you cringe.

Secondly, Both Diaz and Jason Segal, who plays her on-screen husband, don’t seem like they want to be there, and they have as much chemistry as a cat and a dog. I could honestly believe it if someone told me they were forced into it. Though there is no nudity in this film, there is a strange amount of almost or close nudity from Diaz, the reason I mention this is because it is odd isn’t it that her character has these little bits, but Segal’s character never does. It feels very one sided, this is not just a problem with this film, but with the medium in general.

Overall, this is creepy trash that even a cameo from Jack Black can’t save it.

Pros.

The Jack Black cameo

Cons.

The unequal semi nudity

It is too safe

It is cringey

It is dull

1/5

Reviewed by Luke

The To Do list: Exploring Your Body

The To Do List is a romantic comedy film directed by Maggie Carey. The plot sees Brandy (Aubrey Plaza), make a to do list before she goes off to college, the twist however is that the items on the list are sexual in nature as Brandy is quite inexperienced, so she sets out to change that.

This has been in my Netflix queue for quite some time and I finally watched it, and I have to say I am glad I did. I ended up enjoying it way more than I thought I would, and it is easily one of the best films I have seen recently.

I thought the sex positive message of the film was very good and very enlightening for teenage viewers. The idea that sex is a natural thing and nothing to be ashamed off is something that is not said often enough, especially for Women. It is nice to see a new wave of media with a sex positive female focus, other example of my point would be Book Smart, Blockers and Fleabag.

I also thought the film was hilarious and it often had me laughing. I thought Clark Gregg as the overprotective, uncomfortable with sex father was the standout in this regard, his character often had me in stiches, and he paired with Connie Britton’s sex positive mum worked wonders.

Overall, a hilariously good, funny film that I highly recommend everyone watch.

Pros.

Clarke Gregg

Aubrey Plaza

Bill Hader

It has a very good message

It is hilarious

The cameos

Cons.

None

5/5

How To Be A Latin Lover: The 46 Year Old Toy Boy

How To Be A Latin Lover is a romantic comedy film directed by Ken Marino. The plot follows Maximo (Eugenio Derbez), a man who has made a living off seducing and marrying old rich women. One day his wife realises that she wants a new toy boy and chucks him out, then Maximo goes to live with his sister Sara (Selma Hayek), and learns the value of family.

So, before we get into this I want to give this film applause for not being predictable. A lot of the time this sort of film has a very simple structure that it follows, but this one surprised me at several turns. I enjoyed how the film didn’t cave to convention and make Maximo realise the error of his ways by the end of the film. He starts the film as a toy boy and that is how he ends it; his character grows but not hugely. I was pleasantly surprised.

The comedy in this film was spot on for me and it had me laughing a lot, again as I often say humour is subjective, consistently throughout the film. I especially enjoyed Kristen Bell’s peppy cat lady character, I thought she was a scene stealer.

Overall, the best thing about this film is its heart. It is warming to watch and the relationship between Maximo and his sister is quite heart-warming to watch. Also another great supporting role by Rob Lowe.

Pros.

It has a huge heart

It is funny

Rob Lowe is terrific

The relationship between Maximo and his sister is sweet

The film is surprising

Cons.

A little too long, a few pacing issues around the second act

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

What To Expect When You’re Expecting: Expect To Be Bored

What To Expect When You’re Expecting is a romance comedy film directed by Kirk Jones. The plot follows a group of women who all get pregnant around the same time. The film takes a New Year’s Eve or Valentine’s Day approach to storytelling choosing to have each story and character exist separately with minimal crossover with the others.

This is fairly inoffensive stuff; it is just a bunch of vaguely recognisable celebrities pretending to be pregnant and going through the various trials and tribulations surrounding that stage of life. It doesn’t leave much of any kind of impression and is not really memorable afterwards.

The comedy is okay, it made me laugh a handful of times throughout, again comedy is subjective, but this is by no means funny. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, even if I can’t remember any of their names and most of the characters just kind of blend together in my head.

Maybe this film would have had more impact on me if I was a parent myself, having never had a kid I can’t say how realistic it is in that regard, nor can I say whether they sugar-coated it.

Overall it is mindless fluff, fairly generic and unmemorable. Maybe genre diehard will get something out of it, but I didn’t.

Pros.

It has a few funny moments

The cast seem to be having fun

Cons.

It is dull

Its generic

You don’t care about the characters even enough to remember their names

The humour mostly didn’t land

1.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Grown Ups 2: Sandler Needs A New Holiday

Grown Ups 2 is a comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan. The plot sees Sandler and Pals get together again, this time they’re facing off against a group of college frat guys and there is a sub plot about Sandler’s character being conflicted about having a fourth kid.

So, this film has been widely criticised by a lot of people as one of Sandler’s worst films up there with Jack and Jill naturally when I heard this I thought ‘how bad can it be’ and I have to say though it is not offensively bad, it is by no means needed.

So the biggest crime of this film is that it is a sequel that in no way justifies its existence. The drama feels artificial and doesn’t work, the idea of Sandler’s character being upset to have a fourth kid when he already has three doesn’t ring true at all. The conflict with the college kids does not work either, it feels incredibly predicatable and forced.

The humour is less there than it was in the first film, there is still some laughs to be had, but they’re few and far between. This sequel doubles down on the slapstick elements of the first film that didn’t work for me; humour is subjective, however. The best performance in this film is easily Alexander Ludwig, him being David Spades character’s long lost angry son is hilarious.

Overall, there is still some laughs to be had here, but there is no need for this film at all and the whole thing feels forced and inauthentic.

Pros.

Alexander Ludwig

There are still some laughs

Cons.

Doubling down on the slapstick

The drama feels forced

The heart doesn’t land

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Grown Ups: Hanging With The Boys

Grown Ups is a comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan. The plot follows five childhood best friends who reunite after the death of their high school sports coach.

So, yes I know this is a trash comedy, but hey I am a big Adam Sandler fan; if you can’t tell. This is one of the few Sandler flicks that I haven’t seen; so I decided to right that wrong.

I have to say even though I feign a mature persona, there is nothing I like more than a few good poo jokes: I think a lot of people feel the same way.

The humour in this film works for me, it made me laugh several times throughout. I found the free style back and forth comedy to work a lot better than the slapstick, if anything I thought this film relied on the slapstick a bit too much and it often did nothing for me.

My issue with this film is the way it treats the characters that aren’t Sandler and his friends, the jokes to these characters are usually quite mean spirited and in poor taste. However, what really sticks out is the way the film treats women. To say is objectifies them is an understatement. Yes, you can make an argument for the wife doing the same thing to other men, but that is always handled as a joke, when Sandler and co do it, it is creepy and pervy. There is a long sequence of Sandler and co checking out a girl’s arse and it goes on for way to long and soon becomes uncomfortable.

Overall, if you like Sandler and his pals you will probably like this, the humour often worked for me, but it is subjective. The film certainly ages very poorly and feels out of place in the era of Me Too.

Pros.

The humour

It feels like hanging out with your friends

Very easy to watch

Cons.

The slapstick doesn’t work

Some of the jokes feel creepy and predatory

3/5

Reviewed by Luke