NEW TRAILER GETS “BLENDED” FOR ROMANTIC COMEDY

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“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.

Wedding Singer Director reunites with Sandler and Barrymore in Blended

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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.

SANDLER, BARRYMORE “BLENDED” AGAIN AFTER TEN YEARS

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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.”

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

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.

BELLA THORNE PLAYS SANDLER'S DAUGHTER IN “BLENDED”

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Teen actress Bella Thorne, star of the hit Disney Channel original series “Shake It Up,” crosses over to the big screen in Warner Bros. Pictures' new comedy “Blended” where she plays the eldest daughter of Adam Sandler's character.

Photo courtesy of Happy Madison Productions

Thorne stars as Hilary, a 15-year-old who is clearly emerging as a beautiful young woman, despite having a dad who calls her Larry, dresses her like a boy, and encourages her to protein-load at the buffet.

As Thorne explains, “Hilary is a tomboy but that doesn’t mean she isn’t a girl too. She’s a little shy and self-conscious and just wants to jump out of her skin sometimes. Her hair is kind of a curly, frizzy bowl and she’s always in track suits, which doesn’t help.”

In “Blended,” single parents Lauren (Drew Barrymore) and Jim (Sandler) agree on only one thing after a disastrous blind date: 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.

As the two families settle into their safari holiday, it’s Hilary who reaches across the aisle first, enlisting Lauren’s help in the style department while trying to catch the attention of her new crush – fellow teen vacationer Jake, played by Zak Henri. In the process, she makes a transformation that is at once amazing and perfectly natural, bringing out some of her more feminine qualities while not compromising any of the strengths and skills that could conceivably earn her a basketball scholarship.

The young actress shares that she has a lot in common with Hilary. “Even though I’m wearing pink right now, I am very much a tomboy,” Thorne says. “I really like to just eat chicken wings and slurp Ramen. I have the stains all over my shirt to prove it. And I think that every girl would feel for this character because there are a lot of times when you’re wanting to get out of your own skin, and she just wants to be noticed. She just wants this boy to notice that she’s a girl and he doesn’t. [Laughs] And it’s the worst.

“Also, I think she’s looking for a new mother figure and she gets put in this position with her father because she really is like his best buddy, like his little guy friend that he’s just chilling on the couch with.”

“Bella was brilliant,” director Frank Coraci attests. “Here’s a young woman who is known for being stylish and beautiful on red carpets and in magazines, and she has to shed her make-up, have bad hair and wear horribly fitting outfits. But she committed to it completely. She’s funny, she’s engaging, and she can dance, and, fortunately, she gets to showcase all of that in this movie.”

When asked what was the transition like for her from television to film, Thorne reveals “The only thing I miss about TV is that the people you work with see you every day. They see you in your worst mood and your best mood, so sometimes they’re really much closer to you than even your best friends. And when you work on a film, you get so close to your cast and your crew. And then three months later, you have to leave them and you wonder if you’re ever going to see them again, which is a little depressing. So that sucks.”

Bella Thorne sky-rocketed to fame with her tween/teen fans playing aspiring dancer Cece Jonesin “Shake It Up” which originally premiered with 6.2 million viewers.

Most recently, she wrapped production on the feature films “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” “Big Sky,” opposite Kyra Sedgwick,” and “Home Invasion.” She also signed a three book deal with Random House titled Autumn Falls, with the first book scheduled for late 2014, and was recently named the new Candie’s girl, following in the footsteps of Britney Spears, Carly Rae Jepsen, Vanessa Hudgens and Lea Michele.

The triple threat also recently expanded her talent in the music arena with her first solo single, “TTYLXOX,” which was included on the “Shake It Up” soundtrack and not only made the Billboard 100 but has sold over 300,000 copies to date. She has been topping the charts at Radio Disney with “Bubblegum Boy,” and collaborated with IM5 on the single “Can’t Stay Away.”

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.