Blended
2014 · Directed by Frank Coraci
Original language: English
- comedy
- romance
The story
Recently divorced mom Lauren and widowed dad Jim let their friends push them into a blind date, which goes disastrously wrong. Unsurprisingly, neither wants to see the other ever again. However, fate intervenes when both Jim and Lauren, unbeknownst to each other, purchase one-half of the same vacation package at a South African resort for families, during spring break. They and their children are forced to share the same romantic suite and participate in a slew of family activities together.
What it’s like
Bright, sun-saturated resort colour: pool blues, safari ochres, and the flat, hazy glare of South African midday, with the film's wide landscape shots giving way to close, easy two-shots in warm interiors. The camera stays comfortably conventional, with steady medium framings and broad establishing views of wildlife and savanna that make the setting feel like a postcard. The score is bouncy and light, the sort of pop-orchestral comedy cue that signals a holiday, and the humour lands in pratfalls, zip-lines and mishaps rather than anything sharp. Vibe: sunny, chaotic, good-natured. It suits a lazy weekend afternoon, a family movie night, or a comfort watch when you want something silly and warm to play in the background. Pacing is brisk and episodic, moving from one activity to the next, and the emotional register stays broadly sentimental: two wary, grieving parents slowly softening toward each other while their kids grow closer too. Intensity is mild: slapstick falls, a few tense animal encounters and some crude jokes, with no real gore and only brief, non-graphic romance. It is for people who want a cheerful, undemanding romcom with a family-holiday backdrop.
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