Review: Grown Ups

If real life pals Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, David Spade, Kevin James, and Rob Schneider went on a weekend retreat at a cabin in the woods, captured their adventures on video tape, and brought their home movies back to share with you the viewer, it might look a little like Grown Ups–a harmless all star comedy about a pack of life long pals who are brought back together after the death of a high school mentor. Translation; its quite likely that this cast of comic veterans probably had more fun making this movie than some viewers will have watching it.

Sandler is quite understated here and this is considerably stronger than his worst efforts (see Little Nicky and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry) but its also a far cry from his funniest (see Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison), his most charming (see The Wedding Singer), and most eccentric (Punch-Drunk Love) work. While I certainly laughed aloud a handful of times during this movie, I’d be hard pressed to recall many of those moments. I’m all for improvisational comedy (I love Anchorman), but Grown Ups lacks anything resembling structure and the shortage of memorable payoffs trump the gags that do work. Add to that a silly, heart tugging monologue in the final act–one that the film doesn’t even come close to earning–and you have a flick that will probably make a ton of money, but one that is just a step above mediocrity. On a completely irrelevant note, bonus points are awarded for the inclusion of Salma Hayek and Maria Bello, two of the most gorgeous women in Hollywood.

–– Adam Mast, Zboneman.com

Grade: C