Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan battled volcanoes, early-era Internet dating, and West Coast insomnia. Julia Roberts and Richard Gere overcame severe cases of vertigo and gamophobia. Woody Allen and Diane Keaton endured New York heartbreak, long-term cryostasis, and the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte. And now, tacking a new foray onto a résumé that includes memory loss and ’80s hair, we have Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. The Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates headliners might be reteaming for a new romantic comedy, originally titled Blended, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
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There’s something comforting about recurring rom-com couples, in seeing two people take up together in a bout of wacky, amorous high jinks, knowing before even sitting down in the theater that the onscreen chemistry will be ripe for the picking. The ’98 film The Wedding Singer was Sandler’s first crowd pleaser not steeped primarily in scatological humor, proving him adept at soft-spoken charm opposite a newly back-on-track Barrymore. The two reteamed for the far less stellar 50 First Dates six years later, not exactly recharging the heart-throbbery of “I Wanna Grow Old with You,” but not diminishing the appeal of the duo so much as to cast out all hope for any potential further pairings. Let’s just hope this next one doesn’t end with a message that trivializes the difficulties of permanent brain damage.
In fact, the developing film — with which Sandler is officially signed and Barrymore is top choice for female lead — will place the central characters at a family resort with one another and their respective children (from previous marriages) shortly after a first date that didn’t quite go so well.
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Although Sandler rose to prominence on his special brand of juvenile humor, the now 46-year-old actor seems to fare better with roles of sincerity. Sandler’s greatest achievements of the last decade and change were Punch Drunk Love (unquestionably), Funny People (more polarizing, but we stand by it), and Spanglish (oh come on — it’s pretty good!). While he continues to churn out Jack & Jills and That’s My Boys, we can hope that this new potential reunuion with Barrymore will mark a return to the form of the first time we saw Sandler break out of his shackles of stupidity.
But for those who are still into Sandler silliness, The Ridiculous 6 is also on the way, so… don’t you worry, either.
Follow Michael Arbeiter on Twitter @MichaelArbeiter.
[Photo Credit: New Line Cinema]
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