GROWN UPS 2 – The Review

So we’re just about at the Summer midpoint and we’ve gotten three big studio comedies. First out was HANGOVER III which sputtered and crashed soon after its May opening. Then there was the delightful surprise THIS IS THE END which turned out to be a pretty smart satire of disaster flicks and spoiled movie stars. Very recently movie fans have been falling out of their seats at the inspired teaming of Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy in THE HEAT (it should be in the box office top ten through the end of this month). But these are all rated R. Where’s the more family friendly PG-13 comedies? Who’s that sneaking into the multiplex? Why it’s Mr. Adam Sandler, still stinging from last year’s foray into the R-rated Apatow territory, the vile THAT’S MY BOY (the first film that go no stars from me). And he’s brought several members of his posse ( the “Sand clan”, “Adam’s angels”?) with him in this flick about families that’s also his first sequel. GROWN UPS 2 is the follow-up to 2010’s hit GROWN UPS (which I did not see). Can Sandler get back the fans that stayed away from his previous raunch-fest?

It’s the last day of school and nearly the start of Summer for Lenny Feder’s three kids. They’ve all recently moved back to his East Coast home town from the West Coast (his pals call him “Hollywood”) and are living in a lovely, palatial home. All’s going smoothly till Lenny’s gorgeous wife Roxanne (Salma Hayak) suggests that the family expand. Lenny’s still close to his three best pals from childhood. Eric (Kevin James), owner of a big auto parts store, tries to hide his afternoon activities from his gorgeous wife (hmm, see a trend?) Sally (Maria Bello). Seems that Eric loves having lunch and watching TV soaps with his widowed mother (Georgia Engel). All’s well with  cable TV installer Kurt (Chris Rock) and his three kids, but it looks like his wife Deanne (Maya Rudolph) has forgotten their twentieth anniversary. Swingin’ single guy Marcus (David Spade), owner of the town go-kart track, may have the toughest Summer. The teenage son he didn’t know he had, the hulking, surly, switchblade-toting Braden (Alexander Ludwig), is  spending his vacation with him. Over the course of this long day, the guys help the kids with different problems (bullies, crushes), re-connect with other school pals, face off against some frat boys, and throw a big “start of Summer” 1980’s-themed blow-out at stately Feder manor.

In researching this film I had forgotten that SNL vet Rob Schnieder was part of the pack in the 2010 film, but he’s nowhere to be found here! Not even a mention of his character! How odd because the film is bursting at the seams with ex-cast members from Saturday Night Live. A car wash scene even involves several current cast members like Taran Killam and Bobby Moynihan. I wonder if this might hold the record for most SNLers in one flick! Plus there are lots of sports figures (broadcasters and athletes) headed by Shaquille O’Neal as a towering cop (his size is most of the jokes). And there’s past Sandler movie vets like Steve Buscemi and Nick Swardson who seems to be game for any gross-out humiliation that might amuse the first string cast members (don’t know how to end a scene, just cut to Nick being abused). As for those first-stringers, they seem to be doing lazy riffs on their TV and stand-up personas. James is big and wimpy. Spade’s tiny, laid-back, and horny. Rock’s tossing out one-liners, while we know he’s better than this weak formulaic script. At least Sandler’s character is an average Joe so we’re not subjected to another grating, braying voice as in THAT’S MY BOY or LITTLE NICKY. As for the women, they’re given little to do beside give an understanding smile to their mate and oogle hot fitness instructor Oliver Hudson. The very funny Rudolph is criminally underused as is Cheri Oteri as Lenny’s ex-grade school crush in a subplot that dwindles away. Speaking of subplots, the college frat boy clash may be the worst, as the film screeches to a halt for the obnoxious preening of Twilight hunk Taylor Lautner and Milo Ventimiglia and their brethren. Director Dennis Dugan just tries to make sure he has his camera trained on the endless slapstick cruelty (love them groin injuries), wild 80’s outfits (no one had any problems finding these vintage duds!) and to cut away to a cute shot of one of the toddlers to pump up yet another joke that falls flat. This isn’t as aggressively, offensively awful as THAT’S MY BOY (and it’s nearly 20 minutes shorter), but this film supposedly about grown ups revels in low-class juvenile behavior. Hey it’s almost a celebration, but I’ll save my celebrating for the time that these talented actors (some of them really are!) put out a film that’s unpredictable and worthy of their talents.

1.5 Out of 5