In Theaters: Grown Ups

Last week, I went to see Grown Ups because I had seen the billboards of young Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, etc. and had been completely enchanted! I read the reviews and knew that it was supposed to be bad, but with such comics sharing the lead...how could it be that bad?! This is me eating crow because the critics were right. It wasn't that the movie was bad bad it's just that I expected more comedy out of these comedians.

The movie opens with the five best friends winning their elementary school basketball game. It then flashes forward 30+ years to their coach's funeral where they all come together once again. Though they have kept in touch, they are clearly no longer close. Adam Sandler is an agent who is married to a designer and has two boys who are beyond obnoxious. Chris Rock is married to Maya Rudolph and is a stay at home dad though most of his troubles come from his cantankerous mother-in-law. Kevin James is married and has two annoying children one of whom is 4 years old and still breast feeding. Rob Schneider has had 5 failed marriages and tumultuous relationship with his three daughters. For his 6th marriage, he has chosen Gloria who is 30 years older than him and the butt end of many jokes. Lastly, is David Spade who is the stereotypical aging bachelor chasing tail that is arguably too young for him. After the funeral, Sandler tells his old buddies that he has rented the coach's old lake house for the week and everyone decides to stay as well. Their first night, the boys (& co.) bump into their old elementary school rivals who challenge them to a final game. In the meantime, the friends catch up and make fun of each other's lives.

This would sound like a nice summer flick where you watch actual old buddies (on and off screen) catch up in a big lake house. Being that all of them, with the exception of James, were friends from SNL, I thought that there would be a lot more chemistry between them. Even James starred in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry alongside Sandler with some backup from other SNL alums. Yet, it felt like everyone was reading off their lines and the camaraderie was packaged (and past the expiration date). Simply put, there was something lacking. It could have been that the plot was nothing special, or even just nothing. The big clincher was whether the men would beat their old rivals from ELEMENTARY school! Personally, I don't even remember much of elementary school besides eating paste and making necklaces out of macaroni.  I thought that the diverse, and problematic, family situations would bring either legitimate drama or some good laughs to the screen. I was wrong on both counts! I have never sat through a less funny movie. Oh, I chuckled a couple of times, but Scarlett O'Hara gave me more laughs than this crew of top rate comedians. In the end, nothing was really resolved in anyone's lives. Some of the quirks in each family were straightened out, but there was little growth.

Overall, I was disappointed. Though I am not an avid Sandler/Team SNL fan to begin with, I was enchanted by the prospect of old friends coming together to exchange jokes and stories. None of that can really be found here. If you're looking for drama set in the Summer, try Beaches. If you want comedy set in the summer, watch Dawson's Creek.

-DLP