Everybody should go out and see Grown Ups while it’s still in theaters, but be careful of who you sit next to. With that out of the way, let’s get into just how hilarious Grown Ups really is.
The plot for the movie is that the five main stars (Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Kevin James, David Spade, Rob Schneider) are all childhood friends who played on the school basketball team together. They were also very fond of their Coach, who praised them when they won a major game, and gave them some life lessons. Sadly Coach dies, and all of the friends who have gone their separate ways get a phone call, informing them of his passing.
Adam Sandler’s character is a big shot in Hollywood as an Agent. He has three children, lives in a palatial home, and is married to a top fashion designer, portrayed by the gorgeous Salma Hayek. Chris Rock is a stay-at-home father who spends his days cleaning, cooking, and trying to keep his pregnant wife, Maya Rudolph, happy along with their two children and highly opinionated Mother In-Law. Kevin James is also married, to Maria Bello, with two children, and while we don’t get too much of a back story in the beginning, we do as the movie goes on. David Spade is unmarried, no children, and is living the life of an irresponsible lush – a character he does very well. Rob Schneiders character was one of my favorites. He was this little oompa loompa hippie who had a wife who’s old enough to be my grandmother, and his flopping hairpiece provided many laughs. Oddly enough he ends up having a couple of hot daughters, but that isn’t until much later in the film.
The writers did a good job of letting us know just who each character is, and we were able to get a good feel for their personalities. It’s very obvious that the guys all get along, and you can easily tell that they had a blast making the movie together, so watching them interact is very natural, and it makes for a great film. There were times though, where I thought the movie was about to end, but it kept on going, and while some people in the theater were complaining on when it was going to end, I never once thought that.
Some of my favorite moments were when the guys started to laugh at Rob’s performance at Coach’s funeral, arrow roulette, the dog with the turkey barks, Spade getting sloshed and put in the closet, and almost the entire section where they go to the water park. If you are still skeptical about seeing this movie, hear me out…especially if you’re a Salma Hayek fan.
At the water park, she wears a pretty hot bathing suit, but towards the end is the good stuff. Fans of Dogma will remember her (NSFW!!!) stripper scene where she donned a school girl outfit with pigtails. In Grown Ups we are treated to her running in slow-motion, wearing this tight, semi-revealing cheerleader costume, and she is rockin’ the pigtails again! Yeeaaaah baby! I loved seeing Colin Quinn in the flick, even though his character was a bit of a dick (oh, I rhymed!), and Steve Buscemi was pretty funny too, but wow is he incredibly pale, and getting old too! It’s been years since I’ve seen Tim Meadows in anything, and although it was brief, it was better than nothing.
If you are a fan of Sandler’s movies, then you will love Grown Ups. It is a light-hearted film that focuses on family, how people from our childhood can impact the rest of our lives, and friendships. I’d recommend it to anybody who needs a laugh, or for the simple fact that it’s a great movie. Grown Ups is definitely a title I’d like to get once it comes out on DVD, but don’t bother waiting through the credits hoping for deleted scenes or anything like that. There is nothing there.
– Me
