Blended - D

Rated PG-13, 117 minutes

Even Barrymore can't save this crappy Sandler vehicle

Another year, another crappy Adam Sandler movie. At least this crappy Sandler movie is unoriginal, overly sentimental and has the grace to feature the lovely Drew Barrymore, who alone saves their new comedy "Blended" from getting a total F. It's also not as wildly, over-the-top crass as "Jack and Jill" or "That's My Boy," though even with Barrymore around he still manages to offend. After a bad blind date, single parents Jim Friedman (Sandler) and Lauren Reynolds (Barrymore) find themselves stuck together at a resort for families, where their attraction grows as their respective children benefit from the burgeoning relationship. The bland, unfunny "Blended" is tame PG-13 Sandler, and while easier to digest, it's still not a pleasant affair and leaves a bad aftertaste, which is mildly surprising, given the other two Sandler/Barrymore efforts are among Sandler's better films, "The Wedding Singer" and "50 First Dates," with the former considered one of his most charming films before he started making offensive, childish films catered for the masses. Directed by "Wedding Singer's" Frank Coraci in hopes of recreating some of that film's magic, this sweet but stupid "Brady Bunch" ripoff is easily the worst Sandler/Barrymore effort and one of Sandler's least embarrassing ones, though neither is saying much. Barrymore is lovely but wasted as Sandler's love interest, and there are long, painful stretches where nothing interesting (i.e. actually funny) really happens, alternating between the dumb and sentimental. Even with Barrymore around "Blended's" woeful, badly acted script still manages to offend in the treatment of women, children, minorities, foreign nationals and basically anything that moves. Sandler alum Terry Crews is energetic and fun to watch but not really funny, and "Bridesmaids" Wendi McLendon-Covey gets the only truly funny lines in a scene she shares with Sandler. "Blended," unlike some other recent Sandler fare, isn't horribly unwatchable, but it isn't necessarily a treat to watch, either. This silly, predictable mess even has some scattered laughs and sweet moments, but mostly it's another one to skip, even though Barrymore still comes out smelling a rose. And for the record, I hope Dick's Sporting Goods was paid a considerable amount of cash for product placement in this embarrassment, which will probably be another hit for the Sandler movie machine.

Wes's Grade: D