Sandy Kenyon reviews new romantic comedy "Blended"

NEW YORK (WABC) -- At his best Adam Sandler proves he is a gifted actor: capable of making us cry as well as laugh - and Drew Barrymore has a way of bringing out the best in him. All of which makes the failure of their new movie all the more disappointing.

Their chemistry is so good it's a shame to waste it in a movie as bad as "Blended"- a romantic comedy where stretching for laughs kills any affection we might have felt for Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore.

He's lost his wife to cancer & her estranged husband is a loser- but their blind date is a disaster.

Through a series of misfortunes that would never happen in life but seem to occur all the time in lame movies like this one. 'Lauren' and her boys end-up on vacation in South Africa with Jim and his girls.

What's very wrong is how Africa and its rich culture & heritage get played for cheap laughs here.

The two stars capture some of the chemistry they displayed in "the wedding singer" and "blended" is directed by the same guy and some of the charm so evident in the earlier hit is found again here- but it is usually undercut by stupid jokes and sight gags.

Sandler is noticeably less raunchy than has been his habit the past few years but that doesn't make "Blended" any more appealing.

The kids are really talented in this movie-and in a scene with one of his daughters where Sandler as her dad is recalling his late wife-there's a hint of what a good actor he could be if only he could stop making stupid movies like this one.