Five lifelong friends and their families, teen angst, human frailty, sacrifice & togetherness, occasional passing of gas by Grand Ma, and even the coolest multi-guy method to ogle women without them noticing (shift…shift…shift!) – Grown Ups, opening this weekend in multiplexes, has something for the entire family, from 8 to 80. Mom’s, Dad’s, teens, pre-teens, 20’s, 30’s and even a wee 6 year old can embrace and enjoy this film. Leave it to Adam Sandler (who co-wrote and co-produced the film) to release such a wildly funny and empathetic series of characters that reflect our times, our harried lives, our offspring and even our inner child.

The film opens in 1978 (and looks every bit of it. Hats off to the films’ production designer, the 70’s look and feel is incredibly vivid and remarkably accurate down to their clothing). Five friends seal the win of the big championship basketball game and are lauded by their coach for delivering what becomes the only championship during his 30 year tenure as faculty in the small town. When their coach passes away, the town plans a remembrance over the 4th of July holiday weekend which brings the all-star team back to town. Lenny (Adam Sandler – Anger Management), Kurt (Chris Rock – New Jack City), Eric (Kevin James – TV’s King Of Queens), Rob (Rob Schneider – Deuce Bigalow), and Marcus (David Spade – Tommy Boy), who are now 40 plus, return with families and complications of their own in tow.

The heart of this film is its’ concept of family and the barrage of one-liners and pithy comebacks. Even after 30 years apart, when the team regroups, they launch into a consistent onslaught of insults and ball busting. The insult concept becomes so pervasive that it doesn’t seem at all odd when the wives begin to exhibit the same behavior. Their respective families are each a story within themselves. From Rob’s twisted mating tastes in women who are 20-30 years his senior, to Eric’s emasculated behavior with his wife due to his son’s breast feeding reliance at the age of 4, these families are dealing with some pretty atypical issues. At times you think about how unrealistic these families are, but the laughs and method in which they deal with their problems consume your interest all the same.

The film overall is an enjoyable ride with consistent laughs throughout, you will not be disappointed by the humor factor. It has the added bonus of bringing together a host of Saturday Night Live alumni whose careers have been all but extinct. Tim Meadows, Colin Quinn, Maya Rudolph and others join this hysterical cast to keep the laughter and family camaraderie going. I take issue with the constant usage of David salmSpade as the aging ‘thinks he’s super cool’ loner. It seems every role he portrays, both on film and television, have him typecast in this manner. I also found myself asking why Sandler’s character Lenny who hails from the New England region, seems to be either the most educated man in the region, or one of the area’s most avid sports fans. As the weekend plays out, his clothing becomes advertising for practically every school and team in the area; Boston Red Sox, Harvard University, University of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont Hockey, University of Connecticut and so on. His wife Roxanne (Salma Hayek – From Dusk Til Dawn) is a world famous fashion designer on her way to Milan before getting derailed into the New England area. She seems awkwardly out of place in this backwoods vacation and her sudden turn as a concerned and doting mother are one of the areas that stretches believability. She and her husband are both multi-millionaires that travel with a nanny for their children. When the opportunity presents itself to be real-world parents they transform from spoiled rich to having the attitudes and concerns of a middle-class family. Don’t look to deep into the makeup of these families and you’ll walk away from this film in stitches it’s got something for the whole family.

“Grown Ups” is rated PG-13 for crude material including suggestive references, language, and some male rear nudity.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

While promoting Death at a Funeral, comedian Chris Rock revealed that he will be penning High and Low,  a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 detective thriller.

Although the project was originally commissioned by Martin Scorsese in 1999, the remake is now being helmed by Mike Nichols, whose previous films include Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Graduate, and Charlie Wilson’s War.

The plot synopsis for the original reads (from IMDB):

At a crucial point in his business life, executive Gondo learns that his son has been kidnapped and that the ransom demanded is near the amount Gondo has raised for a critical business deal. Gondo is prepared to pay the ransom – that is, until he learns that the kidnappers have mistakenly abducted not Gondo’s son, but the child of Gondo’s chauffeur. Now Gondo must decide whether the other man’s child is equally worth saving.

Rock replaces David Mamet in a very interesting twist in the development of this movie. I’m a little baffled, but maybe he’s been hiding an urge to really write a great screenplay. He has written before, but mostly comedies, naturally. Will Rock bring some comedic flair to this Japanese classic?

I’m gonna get Biblical and quote Solomon “there is nothing new under the sun” and there isn’t but why does Hollywood feel they have to give their take on everything? I see film as an art form and as an artist I think that sometimes someone else got it right, their representation of a thought or idea says it best. Hollywood on the other hand sees someone elses work turn popular and decides they need to get in on the action. There are two remakes due out very soon and not long after their originals were rolling in cinemas.

Just three short years ago Frank Oz (the capable director of such recent classics as The Muppets Take Manhattan, Little Shop of Horrors, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, What About Bob? and Bowfinger) released Death at a Funeral a British dark comedy starring some recognizable names- Peter Dinklage and Alan Tudyk alongside a mostly British cast. Death turned out to be a hit, well maybe not a hit but they made money on what was a small indie film in limited release. I suspect that most of the film’s success came from the fact that for the price of admission you got to enjoy a pitch perfect British dark comedy directed by a Hollywood veteran that introduced you to a few new faces on the screen.

Now three years later Hollywood has Easy-Baked you a remake starring a Who’s Who cast including Chris Rock, Danny Glover, Tracy Morgan, Martin Lawrence, Luke Wilson and Peter Dinklage. Yes the same Peter Dinklage in the same role he played three years ago. Directing this time around you’ve got Neil LaBute, who? You know he directed Lakeview Terrace starring Samuel L. Jackson and The Wicker Man (2006 remake) starring Nicolas Cage that Neil LaBute. Honestly I’m not sure who should be more offended, the cast of the original Death or Tyler Perry, one look at the trailer of the new Death at a Funeral and you’ll be left asking where Madea is (I think she’s still in jail). Hollywood is trying to squeeze every dollar it can out of your movie going pockets- don’t let them!

The second remake I’d like to question is that of the 2008′s Swedish vampire suspense thriller Let The Right One In with the Hollywood remake titled Let Me In. Easily the best vampire movie of the decade Let The Right One In needs no remake, sure it was subtitled in English but who’s complaining? In fact I think the lack of spoken English and the success of the film are evidence of just how well made the movie really was. The images told the whole story, isn’t that what all movie makers should strive for? I think so.

Whatever you do, whether you see the remakes or not, watch these two wonderful original foreign films and share your experience, hopefully your appreciation for them with us!

Actor/Comedian/Producer Chris Rock has seen a decent amount of success in the past few years, thanks largely to the well-received TV show Everybody Hates Chris.

The show is based on Rock’s life growing up, focused on his family and the goings-on in their working-class neighborhood. In his newest project, Rock won’t be straying too far from that plot.

Rock is currently in the works to obtain the English-language remake rights of the French comedy La premiere etoile (The First Star). The film was a hit in France, bringing in almost $14 million to be the 10th highest grossing French film last year.

The story follows “a black family who leave their working-class hood to take to the ski slopes.” The snobbish upper-crusts of the resort see this as a terrible affront to their social norms, and hilarity ensues.

Given the content he’s worked with on Everybody Hates Chris, this is a film that seems like it will be right up Rock’s alley. He will serve as both producer of the movie, and writer of the screenplay.

Chris Rock was recently received a Writers Guild of America nomination for his documentary Good Hair, which will be released on DVD in February. He can also be seen in Death at a Funeral in April, and in Grown Ups in June.

Columbia has moved Michel Gondry’s upcoming adaptation of TV’s The Green Hornet back two weeks to accommodate Denni Dugan’s comedy, Grown Ups. Green Hornet will be moving from June 25, 2010 to July 9, 2010 while Grown Ups moves from March 12th to a spiffy new June 15th date.
Columbia is hoping to rake in some cash before the third entry in the tween vampire series, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, drops in to swoon suburban goth girls.
The Green Hornet stars Seth Rogen as newspaper publisher Britt Reid. When not working to save his daily from the evil of the economy, he puts on a green mask and saves damsels.

Fuzzy face.

Dugan’s Grown Ups stars the fabo cast of Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider and the lovely Ms. Salma Hayek. The story is about five best friends from high school who reunite 30 years later on a Fourth of July weekend.

Dugan has also directed Big Daddy and Happy Gilmore.

Thanks to ERC via /Film