A single dad and a single mom end up on an African vacation together with their families, and end up falling in love despite a rocky first start. Jim is a widowed sporting goods salesman with three daughters and is set-up on a blind date with Lauren. Lauren is a divorced single mom of two boys. Their date in Hooters is a disaster, Jim is uninterested and inconsiderate, while Lauren is a little abrasive for Jim's taste. Both find ways to bail out of the date early. The two run into each other again at a store, and end up switching their credit cards. Jim goes to Lauren's to retrieve his card and finds Lauren there with her best friend Jen who is giving up her African trip. Jen gives Lauren and her kids the trip, while Jim rings up Dick, his boss and Lauren's husband requesting if he can buy the trip from him, not knowing that Jen already promised it to Lauren.
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In a sprawling African resort, the two come face to face to find out that they were booked in one room. Their package is a blended vacation, meaning having activities that have them socializing with other families. They meet a comedic, PDA-wild couple and their son from Canada, as well as an over-enthusiastic African performer named Nickens. As the two families are forced to endure each other's company, Lauren bonds with Jim's daughters who each have their own issues, the eldest, is an awkward tomboy, the second has conversations with her dead mom, while the last one is rowdy. Lauren helps the eldest get a make-over to attract the teenage son of the Canadian couple in the group, she also gets the second daughter to open up about her mom. Meanwhile, Jim breaks through to Lauren's sons, one being overtly disapproving of his mom ever dating and the other, who is bad at sports, gets a little man to man bonding that he severely needs because of an absentee father. Jim shows the boys a good time and takes them ostrich riding.
After a para-driving mishap that leaves them sore, the two go on a couples massage and start to get to know each other. One night at dinner, Lauren shows up decked out and attractive, and Jim is smitten. They almost kiss but are apprehensive to go to the next level. They go back to the States not acting on each others feelings.
When Jim finally gets the courage to tell Lauren how he feels, he runs into her ex who gives him the impression that he and Lauren are back together.
Later at a baseball game of Lauren's son, Jim and his girls arrive and root for him, and he performs really well. Jim finally tells Lauren how he feels and they confess their feelings for each other.
Best part of story, including ending:
Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler have a natural chemistry, having worked in previous films together. They can pull off the love-hate relationship angle easily, and the African setting was also a nice touch.
Best scene in story:
I like when Hillary walks into dinner all made-up and beautiful and different soundtracks play up her entrance.
Opinion about the main character:
If Jim is such a great guy, I don't get why he can botch that first date of theirs, it's like he's a total jerk that night and then in Africa, he's all fatherly and sweet.
