Common Sense Media Review
By Sandie Angulo Chen
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Predictable Sandler-Barrymore comedy has lots of sex jokes.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Blended
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 12 parent reviews
Based on 59 kid reviews
Kids say this movie is a funny but often inappropriate romantic comedy featuring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, filled with sexual innuendos and jokes that may not be suitable for younger audiences. While many reviewers enjoyed the humor and messages about family and love, they also warned about the mature content, suggesting it is best watched with older teens or adult supervision.
- humor and heart
- mature content
- parental guidance
- family themes
- mixed reviews
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
BLENDED starts with a disastrous blind date at Hooters between divorced single mom Lauren (Drew Barrymore) and widower dad Jim (Adam Sandler). After bumping into each other two more times, they both hear news that changes their lives: Lauren's best friend, Jen (Wendi McLendon-Covey), has broken up with Jim's boss, Dick (Dan Patrick), leaving an all-inclusive spring break vacation to South Africa up for grabs. Both Jim and Lauren pay for half the trip without knowing that the other will be there. At the resort, Jim and his three daughters and Lauren and her tween and teen sons realize that it's a special week for blended family honeymoons, and they'll have to spend the entire trip together. As the week marches on, both of them help each other with their kids and discover that they have more in common than they initially thought.
Is It Any Good?
This is the kind of predictable comedy where all the funniest bits are in the trailer, and the supporting characters are funnier than the leads. The always hilarious Terry Crews (who uses his muscular body for a unique brand of physical comedy) is the best part of Blended as the resort's colorfully dressed singer. Kevin Nealon and his character's trophy wife, played by Jessica Lowe, are mildly amusing as the resort's resident sexed-up newlyweds. The five kids—including Bella Thorne's Hilary—may each make you laugh once as they inhabit varying stereotypes: the gorgeous girl in a unisex haircut and track suit, the adorable youngest girl, the daredevil boy, and his mid-puberty older brother with a thing for the babysitter. Additionally, the film has all the Sandler trademarks: sexual innuendo, rude comments about women's appearances, and awkward depictions of White main characters mingling with non-White locals.
Sandler and Barrymore clearly enjoy working together, but the comedic chemistry they shared in their previous collaborations isn't nearly as charming this time around. They're occasionally "cute" as opposites who attract, but most of the movie is so forgettable, predictable (a few jokes seemed directly cribbed from Modern Family), and broad in terms of the humor (so many masturbation jokes!), that this just isn't the magical reunion that The Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates fans hoped to see.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about who the target audience is for Blended. Do you think it's families or just adults? How can you tell? Is it an appropriate choice for watching as a family with younger kids and teens?
The movie's sexual humor has plenty of jokes about masturbation. Is the movie stereotypical about teen boys? What about on other subjects?
This is the third time Sandler and Barrymore have made a movie together. How does this one compare to the others?
Movie Details
- In theaters : May 23, 2014
- On DVD or streaming : August 26, 2014
- Cast : Adam Sandler , Drew Barrymore , Bella Thorne
- Director : Frank Coraci
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Bisexual Movie Actor(s) , Pansexual Movie Actor(s) , Latino Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Warner Bros.
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Animals ( Wild Animals )
- Run time : 117 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : crude and sexual content, and language
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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