{"id":12662,"date":"2014-05-22T20:46:27","date_gmt":"2014-05-23T02:46:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.flovalleynews.com\/?p=12662"},"modified":"2014-05-22T20:46:27","modified_gmt":"2014-05-23T02:46:27","slug":"blended-family-fun-from-2-always-good-together-actors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/?p=12662","title":{"rendered":"Blended: Family Fun from 2 Always Good Together Actors"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Sandra Olmsted<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

Blended,<\/i> the first of the truly family films for the summer, delightfully deals with the problems of adults raising children on their own, and Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler, together again in this family-friendly comedy with more than a few dramatic undertones, have great chemistry and comic timing.<\/p>\n

Blended<\/i> opens with a disastrous blind date, and like two mini vans passing in the night, Lauren (Barrymore) and Jim (Sandler) continue their lives of quite desperation, thinking the other is a complete loser while the audience soon sees they are a perfect fit. Lauren\u2019s ex-husband, who cheated on her, spends a little time as possible with their sons, Tyler (Kyle Red Silverstein), who is hyperactive and angry, and Brendan (Braxton Beckham), who is suddenly interested in girls. Jim, the manager of a sporting goods store, pushes his three girls, Hilary (Bella Thorne), Lou (Alyvia Alyn Lind), and Espn (Emma Fuhrmann), towards sports and unknowingly dresses them like boys, which is a problem for\u00a0 Hilary, who is fifteen.<\/p>\n

When Lauren\u2019s business partner and best friend, Jen\u00a0 (Wendi McLendon-Covey) refuses to go on a \u201cfamilymoon\u201d with her boyfriend, who happens to be Jim\u2019s boss, and the boyfriend\u2019s five kids, Lauren and Jim luck into the African vacation, but don\u2019t know the other is going until they all arrive. The kids hate each other almost as much as Lauren and Jim do, but they have to share a large hotel suite and tolerate not only each other but a planned vacation aimed at getting blended families to blend better.<\/p>\n

Hilary, who Jim calls Larry, suffers because she wants to please her dad, but also wants to be a girl who is blossoming into a young woman. Espn still talks to her absent mother, and Lou wants Lauren to do mommy things with her. Meanwhile, Brendon hates the thought of his mother having a new man and doesn\u2019t hear the objection that Lauren and Jim repeat about not liking each other. However, Tyler really needs the guidance that Jim provides.<\/p>\n

While Lauren and Jim getting together is as inevitable, Sandler, Barrymore, and company make it a fun ride that the whole family can enjoy because there is something for audiences of many ages although in typical fashion Sandler\u2019s humor is not for the younger or more sensitive.<\/p>\n

In director Frank Coraci\u2019s film and screenwriters Ivan Menchell and Clare Sera\u2019s script, complications result from the characters\u2019 all have deeper needs and desires and all struggling realistically with life.<\/p>\n

The African resort setting adds delightfully to the excitement and unexpected fun that the characters and audience will have; Blende<\/i>d was shot in both Georgia and South Africa, which has a growing film industry.<\/p>\n

While the complications of a woman raising sons and a man raising daughters provides the heart of the comedy and dramatic moments, it is the acting by the large cast that makes the humor work so well. The supporting cast also does an excellent job also in providing quirky and interesting characters who populate Lauren and Jim\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n

Look for some other famous faces, such as Shaquille O’Neal, and a host of African actors and performers, including an chorus that pops up in the most unlikely and inopportune moments. Blended<\/i>, a Warner Bros. release produced by Sandler\u2019s Happy Madison Productions, opens in theaters May 23.\u00a0 Blended<\/i> is rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, and language and runs 117 minutes. Take the whole family! (More of Olmsted\u2019s reviews are available at www.thecinematicskinny.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Sandra Olmsted Blended, the first of the truly family films for the summer, delightfully deals with the problems of adults raising children on their own, and Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler, together again in this family-friendly comedy with more than a few dramatic undertones, have great chemistry and comic timing. Blended opens with a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"","ocean_second_sidebar":"","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"","ocean_custom_header_template":"","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-movie-reviews","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nBlended: Family Fun from 2 Always Good Together Actors - flovalleynews.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/?p=12662\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Blended: Family Fun from 2 Always Good Together Actors - flovalleynews.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Sandra Olmsted Blended, the first of the truly family films for the summer, delightfully deals with the problems of adults raising children on their own, and Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler, together again in this family-friendly comedy with more than a few dramatic undertones, have great chemistry and comic timing. Blended opens with a […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/?p=12662\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"flovalleynews.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-05-23T02:46:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"independentnws\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"independentnws\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/flovalleynews.com\\\/?p=12662#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/flovalleynews.com\\\/?p=12662\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"independentnws\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/flovalleynews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7bede6d4517a6be3345b47415b09cebd\"},\"headline\":\"Blended: Family Fun from 2 Always Good Together Actors\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-05-23T02:46:27+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/flovalleynews.com\\\/?p=12662\"},\"wordCount\":603,\"commentCount\":0,\"articleSection\":[\"Movie Reviews\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/flovalleynews.com\\\/?p=12662#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/flovalleynews.com\\\/?p=12662\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/flovalleynews.com\\\/?p=12662\",\"name\":\"Blended: Family Fun from 2 Always Good Together Actors - flovalleynews.com\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/flovalleynews.com\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2014-05-23T02:46:27+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/flovalleynews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7bede6d4517a6be3345b47415b09cebd\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/flovalleynews.com\\\/?p=12662#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/flovalleynews.com\\\/?p=12662\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/flovalleynews.com\\\/?p=12662#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/flovalleynews.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Blended: Family Fun from 2 Always Good Together Actors\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/flovalleynews.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/flovalleynews.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"flovalleynews.com\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/flovalleynews.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/flovalleynews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7bede6d4517a6be3345b47415b09cebd\",\"name\":\"independentnws\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f76505b4d7bc95b432faea9b79d00a6abc40ba8a96aef3a5fbd567ecb14b19a0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f76505b4d7bc95b432faea9b79d00a6abc40ba8a96aef3a5fbd567ecb14b19a0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f76505b4d7bc95b432faea9b79d00a6abc40ba8a96aef3a5fbd567ecb14b19a0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"independentnws\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/flovalleynews.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Blended: Family Fun from 2 Always Good Together Actors - flovalleynews.com","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/?p=12662","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Blended: Family Fun from 2 Always Good Together Actors - flovalleynews.com","og_description":"By Sandra Olmsted Blended, the first of the truly family films for the summer, delightfully deals with the problems of adults raising children on their own, and Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler, together again in this family-friendly comedy with more than a few dramatic undertones, have great chemistry and comic timing. Blended opens with a […]","og_url":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/?p=12662","og_site_name":"flovalleynews.com","article_published_time":"2014-05-23T02:46:27+00:00","author":"independentnws","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"independentnws","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/?p=12662#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/?p=12662"},"author":{"name":"independentnws","@id":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7bede6d4517a6be3345b47415b09cebd"},"headline":"Blended: Family Fun from 2 Always Good Together Actors","datePublished":"2014-05-23T02:46:27+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/?p=12662"},"wordCount":603,"commentCount":0,"articleSection":["Movie Reviews"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/?p=12662#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/?p=12662","url":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/?p=12662","name":"Blended: Family Fun from 2 Always Good Together Actors - flovalleynews.com","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2014-05-23T02:46:27+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7bede6d4517a6be3345b47415b09cebd"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/?p=12662#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/?p=12662"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/?p=12662#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Blended: Family Fun from 2 Always Good Together Actors"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/","name":"flovalleynews.com","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7bede6d4517a6be3345b47415b09cebd","name":"independentnws","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f76505b4d7bc95b432faea9b79d00a6abc40ba8a96aef3a5fbd567ecb14b19a0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f76505b4d7bc95b432faea9b79d00a6abc40ba8a96aef3a5fbd567ecb14b19a0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f76505b4d7bc95b432faea9b79d00a6abc40ba8a96aef3a5fbd567ecb14b19a0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"independentnws"},"url":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/?author=1"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12662"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12662\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}