There are movies that come out and you already know what you are getting yourself in to. Adam Sandler comedies are like that (except for Funny People, maybe). Don’t get me wrong. I have enjoyed several of his comedies like Big Daddy, Mr. Deeds, Happy Gilmore, and 50 First Dates. But in Grown Ups, Sandler and the rest of the cast are growing up themselves. They are getting more mature. It is the inevitable.
Sandler is joined by David Spade, Rob Schneider, Chris Rock, and Kevin James. Basically his SNL pals and then James. They all have their character traits with Sandler being the most normal. He plays a big-time Hollywood agent who has the model-like wife and two spoiled sons. Spade plays the bachelor who will never commit. Schneider plays a peace-loving hippie who only has eyes for older women—much older.
James plays “the fat guy” who pretends he is more successful than he really is, and his son still breast-feeds at four years-old. And Rock is a stay-at-home dad who cooks and cleans while his wife goes off and makes the money for the family. And all of these guys used to play on the same championship basketball team and have not seen each other in over 30 years. But tragedy brings them back together when their basketball coach passes away. This leads to a reunion at a lake house where they celebrated three decades ago, and things pick up right where they left off.
Grown Ups does not really have a story or a plot. It is really a bunch of friends getting back together to have some fun and learn some things about themselves and their families. The most climactic parts of the movie are a rematch between the team they beat for the championship (most of them are out of shape and too old) and the water park.
But what makes this movie really enjoyable is the family element. Sandler and the gang remember when they were kids and what they used to do for fun. Times have changed and so has growing up. Grown Ups is full of one-liners and slap-stick comedy. Some will make you laugh, but others, you have heard before. It is funnier than I thought and everyone is just having a good time.
The only part that is disappointing is that the women in the movie do not do much at all. Salma Hayek plays Sandler’s wife, and she has the best role out of all of the women. Maria Bello plays James’ wife and, in every scene, she is breast-feeding. Maya Rudolph plays Rock’s wife, but I do not even remember if she had more than five lines in the whole movie. These are talented actresses that could be funny if allowed, but only the men get to be that in this movie.
Grown Ups is fun and a good movie to see in the summer time. It takes you back to when things were simple and makes you pay attention to what is really important in life: friends and family. And no matter how much Adam Sandler and his friends act like they will never grow up, they are doing just that. It was going to happen one day.
“Nature Boy” Brandon Vick is the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and star of Brandon’s Box Office In Your Mouth. Follow him on Twitter@SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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