by Andrew Cai

Created on: April 07, 2011

Movie Review: Grown Ups

Writers: Adam Sandler and Fred Wolf

Director: Dennis Dugan

Genre: Comedy

Release Date: July 25, 2010

MPAA Rating: PG13.

Run time: 1 hour 42 minutes

Cast: Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Adam Sandler, and Rob Schneider      

This heartwarming and hilarious film starts with the championship game where five best buddies, Lenny, Marcus, Rob, Eric, Kurt, and their dynamic coach pull through to win a fantastic last second shot by Lenny.  After an emotional speech by the coach, the story fast forwards to 30 years later.  Lenny is a successful Hollywood agent with a wife and two kids. Marcus is single with an alcoholic problem. Rob has three daughters that he rarely speaks to and is terrible at relationships but seems to have found the one. Eric is overweight, jobless, and has a wife and kids. Kurt is a stay at home dad who lives with his wife, mother-in-law, and two kids.  After not seeing much of each other for the past thirty years, these five best friends finally reunite at the funeral of their beloved coach.  They go on to spend an unforgettable weekend at a house by the lake where they used to spend their childhood at.  With each man with his own personal troubles, these five friends must heal relationships between their friends, family, and ultimately, with themselves.  Spending time with each other and in the great outdoors just might turn bad to good as each of the friends learn something new about themselves.

Although categorized as a comedy, this story is not all pointless laughs.  The story is rich with an interesting plot that utilizes comedy to enhance the movie.  With an all-star cast, Grown-ups studies how people can change when their life is steered off the beaten path.  Ultimately at the end, each friends learns a lesson that we as viewers can also relate too, like how family is sometimes more important than work and how nothing can be taken for granted.  Told from the viewpoint of each friend, Grown-ups is definitely a phenomenal movie that shows how sometimes the kid in you will always be there despite the pressures of adulthood.

Personally, I think Grown-ups was definitely a worthwhile movie, despite several bad reviews this movie received.  Either the critics didn’t see the movie as I did or they just didn’t really appreciate the movie’s messages; either way, I definitely recommend renting this film, whether it’s for the laughs or for the messages.

    

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