Review - Matt Mungle

   

Stop me if you have heard this. Five very funny guys walk on to a movie set. They verbally joust with each other for about 90 minutes and then go home. Get it? In the new comedy from writer actor Adam Sandler the comedy is all about what it means to be Grown Ups and the importance of friendship, family and staying a little young at heart. It is delivered by guys who are always at home in this genre. That is the saving grace for this flick.

When their little league basketball coach passes away, five grown men and their families schedule a reunion over 4th of July weekend to reconnect and relive childhood memories. Each one brings a certain quirkiness to the mix and they soon find themselves laughing with and at each other as they share life, both past and present. There is very little depth to the film but it does have a very sweet spirit about it that if nothing else shows the endless bond those early friendships can hold.

Grown Ups has many laugh out loud moments; most of which come from the rapid fire delivery of the cast. You can’t put that many seasoned funny men together without a little comic magic happening. Chris Rock and David Spade are masters at the one line jabs and sarcastic pokes at human shortcomings. Kevin James and Adam Sandler balance that with a delivery that is slow paced, genuine and endearing; but with underlying hilarity. Rob Schneider even manages to hold his own due mainly to the eccentric character he is allowed to play. He is the only one really with a character to play and the others are there mainly for standup style filler.

It is rated PG-13 for crude material including suggestive references, language and some male rear nudity. Most of the jokes and material are sophomoric and fall more on crude than offensive. I certainly think parents would cringe if seated with their under 12 year old. In essence this film is made for adults because they are the ones who will get the humor and understand the message. It is about grown men trying to relive some good days together in the midst of a hurried lifestyle. Most under the age of 16 would be bored to tears anyway so why bother taking them?

This film is perfect though for those who have followed the career of these comic pros. They work so well together and the onscreen chemistry makes you wonder if they are not solid friends off set as well. Granted the script is out of balance and most of the time you are not sure if the movie is trying to be serious or just mindless. It tries too hard to be both which doesn’t help it at all as a solid picture. But if it is just laughs you want with very little regard for the overall point then this is not a bad place to find them. It gets 3.5 out of 5 dehydrated bananas.