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Grown Ups
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Grown Ups
Meandering, scattershot comedy, of interest mainly to devoted Adam Sandler fans, in which co-writer Sandler and director Dennis Dugan set out to tell the tale of five friends (Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade and Rob Schneider, along with Sandler), all once members of a championship private-school basketball team, who reunite with their families at a New England lake cabin after their coach dies, but this weak entry mostly offers up stale riffs and physical comedy in lieu of a strong story. Some mild sexual and scatological humor, including a running gag about a 4-year-old boy who still breastfeeds, brief rear nudity, fleeting crude and crass language, a few instances of innuendo. A-III -- adults. (PG-13) 2010
Grown Ups (Full Review)
"Grown Ups" (Columbia) answers this unsettling question: What happens when you combine a "mature" Adam Sandler comedy with elements of "The Big Chill" and "On Golden Pond?"
You get buttoned-down raunch and a truckload of sap.
"Grown Ups" offers a meandering plot featuring eight former cast members of "Saturday Night Live"; four crotch hits and about as many flatulence jokes; a strange running gag about a 4-year-old boy who still breastfeeds; a peek at David Spade's bare backside; and expertly staged physical comedy which relieves some of the stalest dialogue ever to blight a movie script.
Sandler, who co-wrote with Fred Wolf, and director Dennis Dugan start out to tell the tale of five friends, all once members of a private-school basketball team that won a title in 1978, reuniting after their coach dies. Their Fourth of July weekend at a New England lake cabin provides some nice lessons about the positive effects of real-life activities and human interaction on their video-game-sated children, but is mostly a showcase for the various comic styles of the principals.
Sandler plays Hollywood agent Lenny Fedler, married to fashion designer Roxanne (Salma Hayek Pinault); Kevin James is Eric Lamonsoff, who brags of his prosperous life but isn't what he appears to be; Chris Rock is Kurt McKenzie, a subdued househusband to hard-charging spouse Deanne (Maya Rudolph); Spade is perpetually partying bachelor Marcus Higgins; and Rob Schneider is Rob Hilliard, a bewigged holistic healer paired with his third wife, the much older but enduringly lusty Gloria (Joyce Van Patten).
The bulk of the film consists of casual banter and insults among the men, much of it seemingly improvised and consisting of quick riffs on Schneider's eternally odd appearance and sex life, and his unusually attractive older daughters. The women -- with the exception of Gloria, who gets to deliver the big "lesson" about the stages of life -- might as well be cardboard cutouts.
All the characters try, in their own clumsy ways, to be the best people they can be, the children all turn out much improved for their rustic escapades, and there aren't enough objectionable elements to make this unacceptable for mature adolescents. But most teens are unlikely to want to see this weak entry, anyway. The prime audience would appear to be devoted fans of Sandler, determined to remain au courant with his entire ... uh ... oeuvre.
These movies have been evaluated for artistic merit and moral suitability by the media reviewing division of Catholic News Service. The reviews include the CNS rating, the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and a brief synopsis of the movie.
The classifications are as follows:
A-I -- general patronage;
A-II -- adults and adolescents;
A-III -- adults;
L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. L replaces the previous classification, A-IV.
O -- morally offensive.
Note: Some movies previously were designated A-IV. Older films with this classification should be regarded as classified L.