Post by StevePulaski on Jun 29, 2010 22:09:37 GMT -5
Rating: ★★
Happy Madison's Grown Ups is a movie that has an ensemble cast and it seems to drain out all the fun that makes each member unique and funny. Adam Sandler was never my favorite Comedic actor, Id have to say Billy Madison was always my favorite film with him. David Spade was great in so many things that Ive seen him in. Tommy Boy, Black Sheep, and Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star are some of his best works. Rob Schneider is another one I never found funny and usually just atrocious in films. Kevin James was enjoyable in Paul Blart: Mall Cop, but never much else. Chris Rock was excellent in Death at a Funeral and a couple of other films, but his true talent was always stand up comedy. All cast members (except Kevin James) were part of SNL in the 90s and even Norm MacDonald (cameo in the film) had a spot in SNL too. So the film cant be all bad.
The plot involves Sandler, Spade, Schneider, Rock, and James all being a part of a school basketball team younger who had a winning season which marked the first time the coach ever had a winning team. When the coach died the whole team was reunited with each other and Adam Sandler gets them and their wives to stay at an old cabin/campground coach took them after they won. They try to get their "tech-savy" kids off of the couch and out in the woods but they fail as they run into all kinds of problems. Typical slapstick formula, recycled since The Three Stooges age.
Grown Ups is a movie that is just a movie you see once, and thirtysomething years later look at it on HBO and say "oh yeah, this is so forgotten" and just watch it for the hell of it. One time is enough to watch this. Most of this movie is taken over by some cute and funny one-liners that are forgettable eventually. Salma Hayak was great in the film along with Maria Bello who was in The Cooler I reviewed early in the Spring this year. I think she should stick to Dramatic Gambling films has this one she depends on the "breastfeeding at age four" joke way too much.
Another thing this film has are decent cameos that do about as much justice as a crappy TV movie. Steve Buscemi and Norm MacDonald are used in the film, but both of them bone in their performances, and they could really careless if they do anything funny or not. This seems like a film that the cast probably had a lot of laughs making, but to the audience it's just like "ok?". I bet the "Behind the Scenes" clips of this film are the most enjoyable because in a Comedy film, the characters arent supposed to know they're in a Comedy film. The Hangover, Clerks, and License to Drive the characters take on these situations in a decent matter, this they seem like they know their in a slapstick movie and do the slapstick thing and laugh at their own mistakes when really no one is laughing.
Aside from some bad jokes, the film has it's points, but all in all, Im sure each actor in this film did something better in their career (Adam Sandler - Billy Madison, David Spade - Black Sheep, Chris Rock - Death at a Funeral, Rob Schneider - Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Kevin James - Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Salma Hayak - Fools Rush In, Maria Bello - The Cooler, and Steve Buscemi - Everything else he's done).
Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Salma Hayak, Maria Bello, Steve Buscemi, and Norm MacDonald. Directed by: Dennis Dugan.
Happy Madison's Grown Ups is a movie that has an ensemble cast and it seems to drain out all the fun that makes each member unique and funny. Adam Sandler was never my favorite Comedic actor, Id have to say Billy Madison was always my favorite film with him. David Spade was great in so many things that Ive seen him in. Tommy Boy, Black Sheep, and Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star are some of his best works. Rob Schneider is another one I never found funny and usually just atrocious in films. Kevin James was enjoyable in Paul Blart: Mall Cop, but never much else. Chris Rock was excellent in Death at a Funeral and a couple of other films, but his true talent was always stand up comedy. All cast members (except Kevin James) were part of SNL in the 90s and even Norm MacDonald (cameo in the film) had a spot in SNL too. So the film cant be all bad.
The plot involves Sandler, Spade, Schneider, Rock, and James all being a part of a school basketball team younger who had a winning season which marked the first time the coach ever had a winning team. When the coach died the whole team was reunited with each other and Adam Sandler gets them and their wives to stay at an old cabin/campground coach took them after they won. They try to get their "tech-savy" kids off of the couch and out in the woods but they fail as they run into all kinds of problems. Typical slapstick formula, recycled since The Three Stooges age.
Grown Ups is a movie that is just a movie you see once, and thirtysomething years later look at it on HBO and say "oh yeah, this is so forgotten" and just watch it for the hell of it. One time is enough to watch this. Most of this movie is taken over by some cute and funny one-liners that are forgettable eventually. Salma Hayak was great in the film along with Maria Bello who was in The Cooler I reviewed early in the Spring this year. I think she should stick to Dramatic Gambling films has this one she depends on the "breastfeeding at age four" joke way too much.
Another thing this film has are decent cameos that do about as much justice as a crappy TV movie. Steve Buscemi and Norm MacDonald are used in the film, but both of them bone in their performances, and they could really careless if they do anything funny or not. This seems like a film that the cast probably had a lot of laughs making, but to the audience it's just like "ok?". I bet the "Behind the Scenes" clips of this film are the most enjoyable because in a Comedy film, the characters arent supposed to know they're in a Comedy film. The Hangover, Clerks, and License to Drive the characters take on these situations in a decent matter, this they seem like they know their in a slapstick movie and do the slapstick thing and laugh at their own mistakes when really no one is laughing.
Aside from some bad jokes, the film has it's points, but all in all, Im sure each actor in this film did something better in their career (Adam Sandler - Billy Madison, David Spade - Black Sheep, Chris Rock - Death at a Funeral, Rob Schneider - Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Kevin James - Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Salma Hayak - Fools Rush In, Maria Bello - The Cooler, and Steve Buscemi - Everything else he's done).
Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Salma Hayak, Maria Bello, Steve Buscemi, and Norm MacDonald. Directed by: Dennis Dugan.