Return to rom-com

Drew Barrymore has been one of Hollywood's queens of romantic comedy for more than a decade now, having starred in more than 10 of them.

The 39-year-old, who took a short hiatus for motherhood, is back in the genre, scoring a hat-trick with Adam Sandler in Blended, which opens here tomorrow.

The actors first had amazing success in 1998's The Wedding Singer, and reunited six years later with 50 First Dates.

In Blended, Barrymore and Sandler play single parents who, after a disastrous blind date, inexplicably end up together on a vacation with their children at a South African resort.

Sandler may have the honour of being Barrymore's most frequent co-star, but how does the 47-year-old comedian stack up against her former rom-com partners?

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ADAM SANDLER

He was, once upon a time, rather appealing, thanks to the characters he played.

For instance, he was sweet and adorable in The Wedding Singer, which was further enhanced by his chemistry with bubbly Barrymore.

But it is obvious he has finally started to lose his charm, with his last few movies failing to achieve the box-office highs that one would associate with a Sandler comedy.

That's My Boy (2012), which cost US$70 million, only grossed US$37 million domestically.

Even though fans are getting tired of Sandler, it doesn't look like he's planning to step up his game.

He blatantly told US TV host Jimmy Kimmel that his movies are essentially just paid vacations since 50 First Dates.

Verdict: 4/10

With such a complacent, lazy attitude, why should we continue to part with our money for his movies?

JUSTIN LONG

This 36-year-old is the polar opposite of Sandler. Here is one hard-working actor who just never seems to catch a leading man break.

Long, who teamed up with Barrymore for Going The Distance (2010), is not short on talent, having shown he can do comedy, action, romance and even horror.

Unfortunately, Going The Distance took in only US$18 million in the US and ended up being one of Barrymore's worst-performing flicks.

While Long may not have great commercial results to brag about - his biggest US haul where he was in a lead role was Drag Me To Hell (2009) with US$42 million - he's not one to shy away from smaller independent films just to keep on working.

Verdict: 6/10

He may always be the best man and never the groom, but we're still placing our bets on this dark horse who has great potential.

JIMMY FALLON

The stand-up comic's first rom-com lead role opposite Barrymore in Fever Pitch (2005) was a decent hit, thanks to his charm and wit.

His film career is not much to shout about, but when Fallon, 39, switched gears to become a TV host, that is when his popularity started to climb.

It helps that he is easy on the eyes, which is always an advantage.

Securing his own talk show, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, in 2009 was the turning point of his career, and paved the way to the coveted spot as the anchor of The Tonight Show.

Verdict: 8/10

We may miss Fallon's humour on the big screen, but thankfully he is on the gogglebox every weeknight.

HUGH GRANT

He was once Hollywood's go-to guy for rom-coms, but the years haven't been kind to the former British heart-throb.

His last rom-com, 2009's Did You Hear About the Morgans? (US$30 million), did not achieve the high of 2007's Music And Lyrics (US$51 million), where he sizzled opposite Barrymore.

Grant, 53, is taking it slow career-wise, only appearing in the sci-fi ensemble film Cloud Atlas in 2012.

After a rather eventful love life (he has since fathered three children with two girlfriends), he is returning to the rom-com genre later this year with The Rewrite.

Verdict: 5/10

Grant has lost his magic touch since the heydays of Notting Hill and Love Actually. Can he rekindle the rom-com flame? Only time will tell.