Though some of his earliest films have earned a rightful place in the comedy movie Hall of Fame, most of Adam Sandler’s recent offerings have been hit-or-miss. For instance, few would argue against ranking Happy Gilmore or Billy Madison as comedy classics, but the same can’t be said for Bedtime Stories, Funny People, or You Don’t Mess with the Zohan (good lord, that one was shockingly bad and offensive). I have to admit that I was intrigued with the pairing of this particular cast; each has found success in an individual movie career, and a majority of the cast has worked together in the past (Rock, Schneider, Spade, and Sandler, all joined the cast of Saturday Night Live during the 1990-1991 season). Needless to say, there was potential for significant comedy in Grown Ups.
In retrospect, I must say that Grown Ups was better than expected, but at the same time, it really didn’t live up to its potential. The quality of the jokes was really 50-50; that is, there were some scenes that were downright hysterical, while at times the cast kept running around trying to bring life to a joke that simply wasn’t funny. The true appeal of Grown Ups comes from the surprisingly strong level of heart in the film…watching Adam Sandler play “Dad” was actually a nice way to reflect his comedic progression over the years. He’s no longer just that same screwball who used to deface miniature golf courses (“You’re gonna die CLOWN!”); his characters have reached a new level of maturity. The film takes a little while to get off the grown, but Adam Sandler fans should be pleased with this latest offering.
