(Thirty years later, the boys of summer are still the boys of summer. Only a little older and some of them, well, a lot fatter...)
CAST: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, David Spade, Salma Hayek, Maria Bello, Maya Rudolph.
DIRECTOR: Dennis Dugan
WARNING: SPOILERS and inappropriate breast-feeding right up ahead…
There are some movies that are better than their trailers and posters make them out to be. GROWN UPS is such a movie. However, if you were to go by the marketing campaign, you’d think you were in store for OLD SCHOOL, PART 2 or PORKY’S 7. Now, to be sure, GROWN UPS does have more than its share of crude humor. But underneath the aging-big-little-boys exterior is a tender undercurrent about enjoying life and treasuring family - which is unusual for an Adam Sandler and co. comedy. Unfortunately, the ironic fact of the matter is that the studio probably had no choice but to market GROWN UPS as yet another variation on the type of crude comedy that Adam Sandler and co. do very well. Those people drawn to the theatres by the ads and unwilling to accept anything else are going to be disappointed, because GROWN UPS is much more than your average crude comedy.
The film opens at basketball game in 1978, where we quickly meet our five main characters as children: Lenny Feder (Adam Sandler), Mitch Higgins (David Spade), Eric Lamonsoff (Kevin James), Chris Mckenzie (Chris Rock), and Rob Hilliard (Rob Schneider). After a triumphant finish, the team retires to an opulent lakeside retreat to celebrate. There, Coach Ferdinando gives a warm toast to the fivesome for winning the school’s first championship, thus far, and tells them to “always stick together.”
Flash forward 30-plus years later, and we find that Lenny is now a very successful Hollywood agent with three kids of his own. Lenny has remained as down-to-earth and kindly as he was as a kid. Unfortunately, with the exception of his sweet-natured daughter who obviously took after him, his children have turned into walking arguments for birth control and sterilization. Glued to their PS3s, laughing at the mere suggestion of playing Chutes and Ladders, and demanding nothing less than Godiva chocolate milk, Lenny’s two sons are dead-on examples of celebrity brats. It’s a testament to Lenny’s good character that he doesn’t give them the deluxe knuckle sandwich that their diet is so deficient in.
Eric is also suffering from Bratty Child Syndrome, as triggered by his and his wife’s (Maria Bello) reluctance to say “no” to their kids. Even to their 4-year-old son’s requests to breast-feed. Yes, you read that right - mom still breast-feeds the little creep after four years of being alive on this earth. Call me crazy, but I’m thinking that encouraging behavior in your child that will likely lead to him becoming a teenager who will wake mom up in the middle of the night to suck on her tits is just, well, wrong. And to make matters worse, Eric’s daughter is a generally unpleasant little tyke who does what she wants when she wants and is an all-around pill, owing no doubt to the fact that, at the tender age of 8, she’s already as fat as her dad. And since he is played by Kevin James, you know that's no laughing matter. Well, actually, maybe it is.
Continuing the trend of offspring that don’t know the meaning of respect, Chris is now a henpecked Mr. Mom who cooks pumpkin zitti for his 3 kids while his pregnant-with-the-fourth-puppy wife (Maya Rudolph) slaves all day as the bread-winner. Not only do the kids hate his cooking, but Chris also has to put up with his mother-in-law, for whom emasculating him with insults is like an Olympic sport. And let's just say she’s got no contenders for the Gold medal. Rounding out the “where are they now?” updates for the fivesome are Rob and Mitch who, respectively, are now a wacky guru with an Elvis pompadour that Elvis himself would be embarrassed about, and a walking poster boy for white trash with a quip for every occasion.
At any rate, news of the death of Coach Ferdinando reach all five of them, and before you can say “The Big Chill” the “Ferdinando Five” converge on the funeral with their families in tow. After the weekend, the group heads to the same lakeside home that they celebrated their championship game 30-plus years ago, rented by Lenny in yet another act of kindness. The rest of the film covers the bonding of the fivesome as their ties to one another are revived, tested, and re-affirmed. It also tackles the calming effect of the lakeside retreat on some of the their career-driven wives and technology-obsessed children. It all climaxes in a rematch of that fateful game from long ago, against the rival local team who have, shall we say, not exactly grown up to become Donald Trump. Yet, even the outcome of this match takes on a touching and surprising turn as Lenny makes a crucial decision that cements his inherent decency - a decision that proves winning isn’t everything, and sometimes you can win by letting go of the prize. Pretty unexpected stuff for those expecting a sub-Farrelly/Apatow outing.
BUT, SERIOUSLY: Lest anyone think that they’ve stumbled upon ON GOLDEN POND 2 or THE BIG CHILL LITE, let me assure you that this is a pretty fucking funny and raunchy film. The highlights are the aforementioned breast-feeding sessions, an eventful visit to a water park by the clans, and basically any time David Spade is in frame. Make no mistake, though: the actors playing the “Ferdinand Fivesome” are all outstanding. Adam Sandler plays the straight man (you know what I mean) of the group and graciously lets his co-stars take center stage, while still holding his own where needed. David Spade turns in a smart and droll turn as Mitch, giving the character brains and wit that may not have been there on paper. Chris Rock is perfect as the put-upon husband who finally grows some balls. Kevin James is his usual pleasantly light self as the mild-mannered Eric. And Rob Schneider is hilarious as the group’s “Drama King.” The funniest bit is him singing “Ave Maria” at the Coach’s funeral - while his four friends sit in the audience laying bets at to what over-the-top theatrics he’s going to pull. Needless to say, those who bet against him are quickly separated from their cash.
In the end, the reason GROWN UPS succeeds in my book (or, rather, my blog) is due to the strong comedic chemistry between the five stars. They riff off one another real well, and give the impression of the banter between real friends. Some of the delivery is so natural and potent, that you have to wonder how much of it was improv. Also, the movie delivers a simple message that is all the more surprising because it comes in the guise of a seemingly shallow and innocuous vehicle: friends and family are everything, and should always stick together. Coach Ferdinando would be proud.
Bottom line: GROWN UPS is more grown-up that most people give it credit for.
