After a bad blind date, a man and woman find themselves stuck together at a resort for families, where their attraction grows as their respective kids benefit from the burgeoning relationship.
The Review at a Glance:
(max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
85
Details:
Studio and Year: Warner - 2014
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Feature running time: 117 minutes
Genre: Comedy
Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 1.85:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, English/French/Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Starring: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Kevin Nealon, Terry Crews, Wendy McLendon-Covey, Bella Thorne
Directed by: Frank Coraci
Music by: Rupert Gregson-Williams
Written by: Ivan Menchell & Clare Sera
Region Code: A,B,C
Blu-ray Disc release Date: August 26, 2014
"Even in nature, there are blended families"
My Take:
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 marks the third comedy film collaboration between Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. Drew Barrymore is a favorite of mine and while I don't mind Adam Sandler, his comedies of late have simply been flat, unfunny, and repetitively uninspired. The trailer for this film didn’t inspire much hope of something worth seeing and unfortunately that is exactly the case. At just under two hours in duration there simply isn’t anywhere near enough story to support such a runtime. The entire first act, which is geared toward setting up the incompatibility/angst between Lauren and Jim, is one insipid and nonsensical site gag after another. That leads into act two which is set up on a ridiculous ploy that inadvertently lands both Lauren and Jim (along with their children) on the same African family vacation.
At this point the storyline takes the more conventional approach by attempting to ply the audience with romance, silly slapstick and a few heartwarming moments that while not terrible can’t stay afloat. The final act takes a step backward reverting to overt levels of campiness, schmaltz and one note humor. It’s a shame because I really like the past Sandler/Barrymore pairings and hoped that Blended would offer a glimmer of likeability. I find her to be charming and I feel that their comedic chemistry is on display here however that isn’t enough to make this anymore than a forgettable and wasted effort.
Parental Guide:
The rating is for crude and sexual content, and language.
AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100/EXCELLENT = 83-91/GOOD = 74-82/AVERAGE = 65-73/BELOW AVERAGE = under 65
**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**
Audio: 80
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
- Dynamics:
- Low frequency effects:
- Surround Sound presentation:
- Clarity/Detail:
- Dialogue Reproduction:
- Low frequency extension * (non-rated element): NA
Video: 90
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
- Resolution/Clarity:
- Black Level/Shadow Detail:
- Color Reproduction:
- Fleshtones:
- Compression:
Blended comes to Blu-ray Disc from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 25 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 3 Mbps.
This is a high quality video presentation that seems a perfect match for the source material. Colors are deeply saturated with eye pleasing vitality and delineated depth. Images are resolute, with stable sharpness, crisp detail and appreciable subtle refinement. Certain scenes appear better resolved than others although I suspect this is related to the photography. Contrast is dynamic without being overpowering and blacks are respectable in depth with discernible detail visible in low lighting and shadows. I didn’t see any signs of video related artifacts and thought that in general video quality was excellent.
The lossless soundtrack competently renders the elements present in the recording. Dialogue is well intonated with crystal clarity and good room penetration. The presentation delivers an open soundstage across the front with definitive channel separation and good dynamic range. Surround use is limited to spatial cues and occasional panning effects that enhances dimension. There aren’t any sub bass frequencies contained in the mix however the subwoofer is used to provide low bass emphasis that extends the low range content associated with the soundtrack’s elements.
Bonus Features:
- (HD) Safari – 3 minute featurette
- (HD) Animals – 3 minute featurette
- (HD) Parasailing – 2 minute featurette
- (HD) Ostriches – 2 minute featurette
- (HD) Dick’s customer service – 2 minute featurette
- (HD) Herlihoops: Basketball actor
- (HD) Adam & Drew: Back together again – 2 minute featurette
- (HD) Bella Thorne’s make over – 2 minute featurette
- (HD) Nickens
- (HD) Gag reel – 6 minutes
- (HD) Deleted scenes – 6 minutes
- (HD) Georgia – 2 minute featurette
- Bonus DVD
- Ultraviolet Digital Copy
Final Thoughts:
Blended is a poorly conceived and unfunny romantic comedy that effectively wastes the potential in the pairing of co-stars Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. It comes to Blu-ray from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment featuring excellent high definition video, crystal clear lossless sound and a bland assortment of supplements that look behind the scenes at the production. Blended is best left on the shelf or for those who are curious, wait and catch it on cable TV.
Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS4910 3D Ready 1080p High Definition Front Projector
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Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16x9 Screen
Carada Masquerade Horizontal Masking System
Marantz AV8801 11.2 Channel Audio/Video Processor
Sherbourn Technologies - 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier
B&K Reference 200.7 Series 2 Seven Channel Amplifier
Oppo BDP-103D Universal Disc/3D capable Blu-ray Player (With Darbee video processing)
Panasonic DMP-BDT310 3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control
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Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package