Grown Ups: Movie Review

"Nothing happened. And I love that" is a line said by Roxanne Chase-Feder (played by Salma Hayek). She has it half right. Nothing happened. But boy did I hate it. This film, written by Adam Sandler & Fred Wolf is a movie about nothing where nothing happens.  Now you might smile and think about the Seinfeld episode where the idea of a show about nothing was pitched; well it differs from that on the fact that the poorly written and directed Grown Ups carries absolutely none of the charm that Seinfeld did.  The Dennis Dugan directed film reunites a slew of funny men who mostly got to know each other through their work on Saturday Night Live. Adam Sandler, David Spade, Chris Rock, and Rob Schneider are joined by the only reason I wanted to see this film, Kevin James to try and provide a laugh a minute comedy; however, this movie ends up being a laugh an hour comedy, and it's only an hour and twenty minutes long.

The five main characters played basketball in elementary school and each have gone on to live separate and completely different lives. Reunited by the death of their basketball coach the group get together with their families for  the Fourth of July weekend at a cottage where the funeral is held. That is the end of the plot, and we're only 10 minutes into the film. The remaining 70 minutes is obviously a lot of fun for the cast and crew who got to goof around with each other but tediously boring for the audience as the 'educated' humour that Adam Sandler is pitching our way is mainly filled with fart jokes, pie-in-the-face jokes and midget jokes. All of which tire after the first one... unfortunately the audience is in for 50 of each. While the film is only 80 minutes in length it feels closer to 120 because of how slow it is and because nothing is actually happening.

Now don't get me wrong, if you like watching people get hit in the nuts, or if you like calling short people midgets, or if you like jokes about old ladies having sex with younger men than this movie is for you. If you like fart jokes, and watching men slap other men, and like making fun of older men who pee a lot than this movie is for you. BUT if you like actual intelligent humour, if you hate hack humour, if you want a plot when you watch a movie than for the love of God skip this film.

Adam Sandler hasn't been good in a film since Happy Gilmore and Rob Schneider's claim to fame is as Deuce Bigelow.  I can't even think of a film where David Spade was a lead. Chris Rock has a lot of hits and Kevin James is always funny in my opinion, but even those two fail us throughout the span of Grown Ups.   I was hoping for something great from Dennis Dugan who has brought us many of Sandler's films including Happy Gilmore, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry and You Don't Mess With the Zohan but I think he was having just as much fun as the cast was and didn't really care about making a film. 

I highly recommend that you skip this film. Not only was it not funny but it was dreadfully boring. Just when you think it can't get worse, it gets worse... I couldn't watch this movie without groaning at every hack of a joke and sighing every time a joke within the film is re-hashed.

1 out of 5 stars.