Love Blends Well the Second Time Around with Adam Sandler

            Superstar funnyman Adam Sandler plays Jim, a loving but overwhelmed widower doing his misguided best to raise three daughters, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ new comedy “Blended.”  Drew Barrymore also stars as Lauren, an over-protective, recently divorced mother of tween boys who’s thrown into an unexpected African adventure with Jim.

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.”

“Drew and I really do like each other and have tremendous respect for each other,” says Sandler, before citing what he believes may be the real secret of their success as a movie couple: “We also have zero attraction to one another.  Drew has seen me shirtless and has just walked away, laughing.”
“Hey, I’ve seen you shirtless and I’m still here, so what does that tell you?,” she counters.
“I think Adam and I have always been in sync and really bring out the best in each other,” Barrymore continues.  “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.”
Sandler, who also served as a producer on “Blended,” sent Barrymore the script.  “I said, ‘I think I have a good one.  I love it, and would you take a look at this, Drewsky?’” he recalls.  “She loved it, too.  And the next thing I knew, we were heading for Africa.”

            Sandler has enjoyed phenomenal success as an actor, writer, producer and musician. Sandler's films have grossed over $3 billion worldwide. Most recently, he starred in the comedy “Grown Ups 2,” and lent his voice to the lead role of Dracula in “Hotel Transylvania,” which his production company, Happy Madison, also produced.  He is currently in production on “Hotel Transylvania 2”; and just completed filming on “The Cobbler,” for Thomas McCarthy, and “Men, Women & Children,” for Jason Reitman.
            Sandler recently starred in “Jack and Jill,” with Katie Holmes, and “Just Go With It,” with Jennifer Aniston.  His previous films include “Grown Ups,” “Bedtime Stories,” “You Don't Mess with the Zohan,” and “I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry.”
            Sandler’s films also include “Reign Over Me,” for director Mike Binder, “Click,” with Kate Beckinsale, and “The Longest Yard,” with Chris Rock and Burt Reynolds.  He also starred in James L. Brooks’ “Spanglish”; “Anger Management,” with Jack Nicholson; and Paul Thomas Anderson's “Punch-Drunk Love,” for which he received a Golden Globe nomination.
            Opening across the Philippines on June 11, “Blended” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.

Drew Barrymore on taking chances in "Blended"

DREW BARRYMORE TAKES A CHANCE AT LOVE AGAIN IN “BLENDED”

In Warner Bros. Pictures' new comedy “Blended,” Drew Barrymore stars as single mother who, after a disastrous blind date with single dad Jim (Adam Sandler) agree on only one thing: they never want to see each other again.

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.

Frank Coraci back to directing "Blended"

“WEDDING SINGER” DIRECTOR FRANK CORACI BACK WITH “BLENDED”

Frank Coraci, director of Warner Bros. Pictures' new comedy “Blended,” knows the undeniable onscreen chemistry between Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore well, having watched it develop while directing the pair in “The Wedding Singer.”

“They clicked immediately,” he recounts. “We were all very young and having a great time and I think so much of what worked on that movie came from how easily the two of them played off each other and could joke around and make each other laugh. On ‘Blended,’ they were better than ever. It’s their familiarity and comfort with each other that makes them comedically fearless. And because of their mutual respect and affection for one another, no matter how far they push their feisty banter, there is always an undertone of sweetness that comes through.”

“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.

The timing for Sandler and Barrymore was ideal, Coraci notes. “What’s different about the two of them this time, which was really appropriate for the story, is that, like their characters, Drew and Adam are both parents now, with all these added responsibilities. Whereas those earlier movies were more about first love and just starting out, this is about two people who never lost that capacity for fun and romance but have also experienced more of life, and they definitely brought that wisdom and perspective to the roles.”

Screenwriters Ivan Menchell and Clare Sera took the essence of that idea and instead of securing the relationship first and then trying to rally the offspring, took a different approach. “We thought it could be more interesting for two people to have a disastrous blind date and then be forced together with their kids to share a family vacation,” says Menchell. On top of that, “They take over this package from someone else, with all the things those other people had put into play, whether a romantic dinner or what the kids were going to do, so these two are now living someone else’s dream, which is their nightmare.”

Additionally, says Sera, “We wanted to have a place where they would be confined and couldn’t leave, so, once they both committed to the package, there was no way out.”

Placing the story in such an exotic and expansive setting also goes a long way toward dragging Jim and Lauren out of their daily routines and comfort zones—as well as, maybe, their assumptions about each other—and toward a rush of experiences they couldn’t have imagined having, let alone enjoying, weeks ago. Even if it’s because they have no choice.

“In some ways,” Coraci suggests, “Dating with kids isn’t essentially that much different than dating without kids. Either way, it often starts with the most important element of all: a sense of humor.”

Opening across the Philippines on June 11, “Blended” is a Warner Bros. Pictures presentation of a Gulfstream Pictures/Happy Madison Production and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.

Reunited and "Blended" after 10 years

SANDLER, BARRYMORE “BLENDED” AGAIN AFTER TEN YEARS

Nearly ten years after Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore’s second hugely successful romantic comedy, “50 First Dates,” the two reunite on the big screen with Warner Bros. Pictures new romantic comedy “Blended.”

Written by Ivan Menchell & Clare Sera, “Blended” tells the story of Lauren (Barrymore), an over-protective, recently divorced mother of tween boys thrown into an unexpected African adventure with Jim (Sandler), a loving but overwhelmed widower doing his misguided best to raise three daughters.

The screenplay came to Sandler courtesy of producer Mike Karz, who slipped the script to the actor after a weekend camping trip with their kids. “I saw him playing with his daughter during one of the camping activities,” Karz recalls, “and it just hit me: Adam reminds me of Jim. Like Jim, Adam is such a loving and caring father. His family is the most important thing in his life and he would do anything for his kids.”

“A big part of why Jim and Lauren fall in love is their ability to see what great parents they are to their kids and to each other’s kids,” says director Frank Coraci. “That’s what sets this movie apart. They don’t fall in love over the typical romantic comedy clichés. They fall in love over how devoted they are to their kids.”

As Barrymore sees it, “Jim and Lauren are just trying to do the best they can for their kids. When they’re forced to spend time together in this exotic place, they begin to discover how great life can be when you meet someone who is a like-minded parent and shares the same core values.”

Coraci believes the timing of Sandler and Barrymore’s reunion couldn’t be better. “The Wedding Singer was a very pure, un-jaded first love kind of movie that we made when we were younger and more naïve,” he muses. “Now that Adam and Drew have kids, and he’s become an amazing dad and she’s become an amazing mother, they really understand what it is to love your kids unconditionally and be a great parent, and the sacrifices that have to sometimes be made. So their experience was really appropriate for `Blended.' They haven’t lost their ability to have fun and poke fun at each other, but they definitely brought that new wisdom to their roles.”

“Blended” also stars Joel McHale (NBC’s “Community”) as Lauren’s ex-husband, Mark, and Wendi McLendon-Covey (“Bridesmaids”) as her best friend, Jen; Kevin Nealon (“Weeds”) and Jessica Lowe (funnyordie’s “RobotDown”) as an overly romantic couple also vacationing at the resort; and Terry Crews (“The Expendables 2”) as the resort’s singing host.

Opening across the Philippines on June 11, “Blended” is a Warner Bros. Pictures presentation of a Gulfstream Pictures/Happy Madison Production and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.

"Blended" Rolls Out Wacky Teaser Posters

“BLENDED” ROLLS OUT WACKY TEASER POSTERS

The teaser posters for Warner Bros. Pictures' new romantic comedy “Blended” starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore are now out. The humor-filled one-sheets individually feature Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore in acts of wackiness. His has the tagline “Single Dad, No Clue” while hers “Single Mom, Flying Solo.”

“Blended” marks the third comedy collaboration between Sandler and Barrymore, following their successful onscreen pairings in the hit romantic comedies “50 First Dates” and “The Wedding Singer.”
In the film, after a disastrous blind date, single parents Lauren (Barrymore) and Jim (Sandler) agree on only one thing: they never want to see each other again. 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” also stars Joel McHale (NBC’s “Community”) as Lauren’s ex-husband, Mark, and Wendi McLendon-Covey (“Bridesmaids”) as her best friend, Jen; Kevin Nealon (“Weeds”) and Jessica Lowe (funnyordie’s “RobotDown”) as an overly romantic couple also vacationing at the resort; and Terry Crews (“The Expendables 2”) as the resort’s singing host.

Opening across the Philippines on June 11, 2014, “Blended” is a Warner Bros. Pictures presentation of a Gulfstream Pictures/Happy Madison Production and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.