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: ★★★☆☆ 

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