It’s been ten years since Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore fictionally fell in love in a movie. While Blended might not be the best movie to come from this dream pairing, it still holds a special place in my heart. Since then, both actors have gone on to have prolific professional and personal lives and have remained close friends.
It’s been a minute since fans have seen Barrymore on screen (her last feature film role was in 2020), but she’s remained active in the industry, hosting her daytime talk show. Sandler has also kept busy acting, writing, and producing a variety of projects in recent years, including a sequel to Happy Gilmore, which fans are concerned about but Barrymore herself is rooting for.
As the romantic comedy genre enters a resurgence with Anyone But You, now feels like the perfect time for this powerhouse comedy duo to get together and fictionally fall in love again. Perhaps even a sequel!
A non-actor might think it’s weird for two friends to consistently play love interests for movies, but Sandler and Barrymore have never expressed it being anything but a wonderful experience. Maybe it’s their close relationship that makes their on-screen chemistry so real and relatable.
Though the two had very different career beginnings — with Barrymore getting her start as a child actress, while Sandler found his comedy voice on Saturday Night Live — their paths crossed for the first time in 1998 when they were cast opposite each other in The Wedding Singer.
Six years later, the duo reunited to create one of the best romantic comedies of all time, 50 First Dates. Ten years later, they came together again in Blended. Older and more established this time around, with families of their own, the movie spoke to those real-world changes. Sandler plays a widowed dad, while Barrymore plays a recently divorced mother who finds themselves sharing the same vacation package to South Africa after a failed blind date.
Personally, 50 First Dates is the gold standard when it comes to these two, but Blended has its own sense of magic. It is a true enemies-to-lovers type of movie; the chemistry between them is palatable even at the beginning when they want nothing to do with each other. However, it’s each of their characters’ abilities to step in and help each other’s kids out that always has me wiping away tears by the time the credits roll.
It’s Time These Remind Audiences How Great They Are On Screen Together
With Blended celebrating its ten-year anniversary and the recent demand for modern rom-coms, now is the perfect time for these two to remind audiences why they’re a powerhouse couple in the genre. I can’t imagine it would be a hard sell since their partnership always leads to success — plus, they both have production companies, so they could cut out the middleman altogether. All that’s really missing is the perfect story; thankfully, I have a few ideas.
I may not be the biggest fan of sequels, especially in the romantic comedy space, but I would love to catch up with Robbie and Julia from The Wedding Singer. Perhaps, they’re in a marriage rut and struggling to get along as they help one of their children plan their own wedding. I can totally see Robbie picking up a microphone again and dedicating “Grow Old With You” to Julia all over again at said wedding. An ending like that would definitely make us cry, and definitely Barrymore who admitted she bawled when rewatching the classic.
It could be time for a meta sort of romantic comedy where Sandler and Barrymore play actors who frequently work together and are friends off-screen. Maybe the recent movie has them playing love interests for the first time and it sparks something inside one of them leading to some drama that all ends with a magical kiss at the end.
Since Sandler usually plays the down-on-his-luck type in his movies with Barrymore, it could also be fun to switch the script. After all, we know the talk show host can play a nerd well; just look at her iconic role in Never Been Kissed.
If I’m being honest, the plot doesn’t even matter that much to me as long as I get to see these two fall in love on screen again.
While Sandler is gearing up for the Happy Gilmore sequel and Barrymore is being with her hosting duties, it could be some time before we see these two reunited, but I’m not giving up hope. In the meantime, you can revisit their iconic chemistry and celebrate the anniversary of Blended by streaming the movie with an active Netflix subscription.