“Adam Sandler” – two words that strike fear into this movie critic. Fortunately, here he’s Blended with Drew Barrymore who, having co-starred in The Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates, is back for more – of the same. Adam and Drew play a couple of single parents who, following a disastrous blind date, meet again whilst on a South African holiday with their respective kids in tow. Cue mismatched romantic shenanigans.
There’s no doubting the chemistry between the stars and, if you can overlook the casual sexism (and all the other ‘isms’ that Sandler’s brand of un-PC comedy regularly employs), there’s plenty of schmaltzy fun to be had. Nothing new here, but at least the sentimentality and clichés are embraced with gusto. As soon as you slap eyes on Sandler’s frumpy teenage daughter, you just know to expect the makeover scene where she’s transformed from tomboy to tart. But that’s not the point. This is a movie squarely aimed at the blue-collar family audience. We know Sandler’s a great dad, because he takes his youngest daughter for “Mac and fries.” Sod healthy food, screw political correctness – this is TV’s Modern Family writ large, minus the liberal leanings.
It’s silly. It’s slushy. It’s naughty but nice. It’s Adam and Drew, cute kids, slapstick schtick, broad humour and, the odd “crap” aside, foul-language free. It’s pretty much a modern version of The Brady Bunch – only with gags about bras, masturbation and African wildlife. What’s not to like?
