Grown Ups

If it involves Ben Stiller, I avoid it like the plague. If it involves Adam Sandler, I am not sure. The variety of matter of fact slapstick comedy gets to my nerves more often than note. Its typically way way way over the top with loads of ridiculously gross stuff thrown in as garnish. Stuff which would make the normal person thrown up. But stuff which the Adam Sandler fan would typically enjoy. In that context, Grown Ups has severely exceeded expectations. The quantity of slapstick and gross garnish has been reduced drastically. And I really mean drastically and there is a refreshing focus on a message. One thing I must credit Sandler and most of his movies with is that none of them are without a message or a central theme which invariably touches the heart. The combination of Denis Dugan and Adam Sandler have given us 4 movies to date including Grown Ups. All of them have been quite decent.

Bobby Buzzer Ferdinando (Blake Clarke) coaches a junior high team to the school championship in 1978. In his post match speech, he not only commends the five of them for a superlative performance but also encourages them to live life in the same manner as they played the final game. Thirty years down the lane, our 5 heroes have grown into very successful and some very not so successful people. Lenny Feder (Adam Sandler) is a big Hollywood agent married to Roxanne Chase (Salma Hayek) and has 3 exceptionally spoilt children who believe in texting their Chinese maid Rita (Di Quon) to get them their ice tea. Eric Lamonsoff (Kevin James) is the co-owner of a furniture store, is married to Sally (Maria Bello) and has a daughter. Kurt McKenzie (Chris Rock) is a house husband to Deanne (Maya Rudolph) and stays with his 2 kids and Maya’s obnoxious mother (Ebony Jo Ann). Rob Hillard (Rob Schneider) is a full blown hippy who, after 3 failed marriages, is now with Gloria (Joyce Van Patten), a woman old enough to be his mother. Bringing up the full circle is every single womanizer, Marcus Higgins (David Spade).

A not so good twist of fate gets them back to New England. Coach Buzzer has kicked the bucket. The five friends with family in town get together for the funeral and some time together on the 4th July weekend where Feder has booked them all into the Lake House where they spent their days growing up. Lenny, however cannot stay the entire weekend since Roxanne has to go to Milan for fashion week with kids and maid in tow – a fact which the rest of the gang is unaware of. After they pay their respects to the coach, all of them move to the lake house.

Grown Ups takes a close look at the kind of lives that we live and encourages us to make changes – before its too late. We have children these days who on a bright, beautiful, sunny day prefer to kill their time in front of a Television or playing mindless video games that involve killing people on a beach coz its considered very cool. We build up facades of our life that we want people to perceive us as. Unfortunately we extend this to even those who are closest to us – those to whom it would not matter at all as to what we are. Very rarely will we find ourselves really being honest not only to ourselves but also to our loved ones – very petty lies, but lies nevertheless. It very clearly seems that we have forgotten how to have a good time. As I said earlier, yet another Adam Sandler movie that’s slapstick but has a strong message

Grown Ups is a clean and extremely funny movie. Its would be worth taking the kids out as well. Parental Guidance (PG) is however advisable. Very enjoyable fare positively. I give it 5 on 10.