Grown Ups

[helen]

Grown Ups opened on June 25, 2010.

[tutusue]

Re: Grown Ups

Did you see it?

[scrivener]

Re: Grown Ups

People who know what I like in a film will recognize immediately one thing that I did admire about this picture. There are scenes where the five childhood buddies (or sometimes four of them as they talk about another) are sitting around talking. Joking, insulting, clowning, remembering. There's an easy rhythm here, a natural flow, and the conversations move quickly, easily, and believably from potty humor to sobriety and back. I heard Chris Rock say in an interview that these guys (I'm not sure about James, but he did name the others) are his best friends, and there's nothing he enjoys more than just hanging out with them. It's evident here. It's not perfect, and there are movies that do a better job of it, but I like the effort because that's what I really want to see in a movie.

I have to admit I mostly enjoyed the movie. I liked the premise and I sorta liked the main characters. I did not like the female characters (despite one of them being played by Salma Hayek), I didn't like the kids very much, and I didn't care for most of the plot, even though I thought it was very well-intentioned. The problem is that Sandler, who co-wrote this, doesn't let the story just happen. He forces obvious and silly plot elements in order to hammer home his point, rather than trust his characters and actors to let the story speak for itself. I don't think I'm spoiling anything when I say that one of the final scenes involves all the characters in one place, opening up, admitting their faults, summarizing what they've learned and how they're going to be better, and finally getting into a group hug.

I'm giving it 4/10 (IMDb rating) even though I probably enjoyed it more than most 4s.
45/100 (Criticker rating)