Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Salma Hayek, Mario Bello, Maya Rudolph
Director: Dennis Dugan (You Don’s Mess with the Zohan, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry)
Running Time: 1 hr 42 min
Release Date: June 25, 2010
Budget: $80 million
Critics’ Thumbs Up: 22%
“…pleasant, genial, good-hearted…” Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-TimesBlake
“Dumb, lazy, obvious and largely pointless.” Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic
Though its got some laugh-out-loud funny moments, this comedy pales in comparison to Sandler staples like Big Daddy and Happy Gilmore. In Grown Ups, Sandler is one of five middle-aged guys coming to terms with their lives in the wake of their childhood basketball coach’s death (Blake Clark). The movie’s problem is that it hinges itself onto the stereotypical premise of living life to the fullest and it doesn’t bother fleshing out an actual story. Instead, Grown Ups is a series of vignettes that consist so much of pratfalls and lame one-liners that it just seems like a platform for these prominent comedians to indulgently perform their stand-up acts.
