Sean McBride
The Port Arthur News
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Say what you like about Adam Sandler's comedic abilities, but there's no denying that the guy knows how to surround himself with some very funny friends. Perhaps that's why his latest film is so filled with potential; it features a cast that includes Sandler, Chris Rock, David Spade, Kevin James, Rob Schneider, Maya Rudolph, Maria Bello and Salma Hayek. I can only imagine how much fun it must have been to have been working on that set.
So the question becomes one of asking how could so many funny and talented performers have created a film that features so few genuine laughs? It's almost as if Sandler told the screenwriter not to worry about polishing up the screenplay, with the promise that the cast would improvise most of the jokes while shooting. But then he forgot to tell the cast to crack wise, and the end result is a film that falls flat on its face.
The story centers on a group of school chums, now grown, who reunite at a lake house one weekend to mourn the passing of their old basketball coach. It's actually a bittersweet set up, pregnant with the possibility of the comedians riffing on what it means to grow up and put away their childhood concerns. The title would seem to suggest that growing up would be the focus of the film's humor, but no. It is an Adam Sandler film, after all, so we get 'lots of slapstick pratfalls, scatological jokes and awkward situations.
“Awkward” is the key word there. Making an audience uneasy is not the same thing as making them laugh.
Ultimately, “Grown Ups” is a film that's all about wasted potential. A good set up and a gifted cast are left to flounder in a film lacking a strong point of view. All of the main comics are trying to find their new place in Hollywood as they mellow into middle age. They don't find the answers in “Grown Ups,” a big disappointment because these talented grownups should have learned to make a better film by now.
Movie reviews by Sean, “The Movie Guy,” are published bi-weekly in “The Port Arthur News” and weekly on KFDM-TV. Sean welcomes your comments via email at smcbride@kbcitv.com.
