But when they each sign up separately for a fabulous family vacation with their kids, they are all stuck sharing a suite at a luxurious African safari resort for a week.
“Blended” marks the third collaboration between stars Sandler and Barrymore, following their successful onscreen pairings in the hit romantic comedies “The Wedding Singer” and “50 First Dates.”
“I think Adam and I have always been in sync and really bring out the best in each other,” Barrymore says. “I love working with him. We’re constantly thinking about how to make our characters more personal and genuine and there’s a lot of care that goes into it, but at the same time we can let go and be silly and free together.”
Not surprisingly, their collaboration on “Blended” came about organically, when their hectic work and family schedules finally dovetailed into a lunch date—and, from there, a renewed excitement about working together again. Says Barrymore, “We both felt it was time; let’s get something going. And then, to Adam’s credit, he found us the perfect project—a big, fun comedy with real, touching moments.”
“Blended”not only offered the two stars the chance to recreate their magic on screen but to expand their romantic repertoire as single parents Jim and Lauren, in a scenario that many people can relate to. While struggling to make a living and raise their kids as best they can, looking for love is a more complicated proposition than it once was, involving after-school schedules, babysitters, curfews and tough questions.
Priorities have shifted. No longer a matter of just finding that one special person, it’s now about finding that one special person who will also be good for your children. Very often, it’s the dreams and desires of the adults that are the last item on the list.
“Who doesn’t want to laugh and escape into something that is actually about real life, and family, and love, and the day-to-day things we all go through with our marriages and our kids,” asks Barrymore. “It’s very relevant, and there are some heartfelt, meaningful moments in this movie that will definitely touch you, but make you feel good at the same time.”
Setting the scene of Jim and Lauren’s first meeting, Sandler says, “She’s recently divorced, and my character, Jim, is widowed. They were both married a long time and they’re really not ready to date again, but their friends keep telling them they have to move on. So, somehow they get set up on this blind date and it doesn’t go well. They’re nervous. He says all the wrong things and drinks her beer, and then she ends up choking on her soup and that’s pretty much the high point of the evening.”
“They almost start to get into a rhythm several times but it goes awry each time and that’s so true to life,” adds Barrymore. “How many times have we met someone and maybe liked them, and had things in common, but just couldn’t get it right somehow. And you think, ‘Why does it keep going off the rails with this person?’”
Drew Barrymore has been a favorite of film audiences for almost three decades. She is also enjoying success behind the camera as a producer under her own Flower Films banner, which has produced such hits as “He’s Just Not That Into You,” “Never Been Kissed” and “50 First Dates,” and the actioners “Charlie’s Angels” and “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.” In addition to producing the “Charlie’s Angels” features, Barrymore joined Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu to star in both films, which, together, grossed more than half a billion dollars worldwide. She is currently executive producing the Esquire Network reality series “Knife Fight,” a dynamic live cooking competition, featuring top chefs and celebrity judges, now in its second season.
Barrymore won a 2010 Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award® and earned an Emmy Award nomination for her performance opposite Jessica Lange in HBO’s “Grey Gardens.”
Opening across the Philippines on June 11, “Blended” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.
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