Review: Grown-Ups

     Adam Sandler seems like a nice guy. He appears to care deeply about family and is probably one of the better fathers in Hollywood. Whenever I have seen him interviewed on a television show, he is extremely reserved, but I bet once you get to know him, he probably makes a great buddy too. The problem is in comedy, nice people rarely make good movies. Most comedians are angry, bitter people, but this is the reason they notice things about people that most us only contemplate somewhere in the far reaches of our minds. Comedians obsess over the imperfections of human beings, and when they point them out, even if we don't focus in on people's flaws as much as comedians do, we recognize these flaws when we hear them and are able to appreciate the humor. In Adam Sandler's newest comedy "Grown-Ups", you will see almost nothing remotely close to the humor I just described (or even anything close to real human beings for that matter).

     The premise of the film is five old childhood chums (played by the all-star cast of Sandler, Chris Rock, David Spade, Kevin James, and Rob Schneider) get back together when their old basketball coach dies. There lives have all gone in different directions, but they all come back to their original home somewhere in New England to pay respect to their old mentor at his funeral. Trying to make the occasion more than downer, they all bring their families along for a weekend (or maybe more, I don't remember for sure) vacation at a cabin in the New England forest.

    That's the set-up of the movie, but it is really just an excuse for two things: drastic sentimentality and jokes about bodily functions. I am definitely not against sentimental films (as any Frank Capra fan must legally say), but the sentimentality is extremely forced and comes off as unnatural. I think that all these actors are friends in real life, but unfortunately none of this chemistry makes it onto the screen. The film is also suppose to be a comedy, but it's attempts at humor are so bad, that children will probably be the main people able to appreciate the humor. Peeing in a pool and a farting grandma are just two examples of this film's idea of humor, and I feel that's all I need to say about this film as a comedy (I will let you decide on whether this is your style of humor or not). The only joke in this movie that generated actual laughter was Sandler's dismay at his sons techno-obsessed, spoiled lifestyle. Sandler's character is a big-time Hollywood agent, so his kids are used to high-end Hollywood living, and some of their lines and Sandler's embarrassment over them produce the few chuckles this movie provided.

     Adam Sandler has had an incredibly successful career, and before his fans label me as one of his snooty critics, I am actually a Sandler fan. I think he is a pretty good actor, both in terms of comedy, and drama. In the latter category, he gave an excellent performance in Paul Thomas Anderson's "Punch-Drunk Love" and also did very good in last years shamefully underrated and under-appreciated dramedy "Funny People". As a comedian, which is what he has built his fame on, Sandler starred in two classic comedies in his first two efforts, "Billy Madison" and "Happy Gilmore". Since these movies though, while there have been a few decent exceptions, his films have progressively marched towards a weird mix of serious sentimentality and his wacky sense of humor. The reason why his first two films work so well is that they are so over-the-top silly, so loony, so stupid (in a good way), that you can't help but love the full-out zeal with which Sandler embraces the silliness. As he has gotten older, I'm sure he looks back on these films as a younger, dumber version of himself, but the fun and simplicity of these films are much superior to the sentimental hogwash he now makes and I wish he would go back to his crazy old ways.

     "Grown-Ups" is one of the worse films I have seen this year, and is definitely the culmination of the recent trend of bad Sandler films. I hope Sandler can turn it around sometime, because he seems like a cool guy and I would love to be able to back on-board the Sandler fan club, but considering the money "Grown-Ups" made, I doubt he will be changing anytime soon.

Rating: 4/10

Christopher Lominac