Grown Ups 2 hasn’t Grown Up
Tarzan here, from the middle of the Pacific Ocean. At least once a week, I venture out of the tree house to spend an evening with the MMC (Male Movie Crew) and this week we took in Grown Ups 2, the new Adam Sandler flick.
I say . . . Grown Ups 2 was funny, but not as funny as the first installment. This one is more over the top and gimmicky for the cheap laugh, but it has a great supporting cast. Taylor Lautner and his gang are classic funny, and Shaquille Oneal is money. I missed Rob Sneider in this one. As a wrestling fan, the addition of Stone Cold Steve Austin was super cool. All in all, I was entertained, but I’m not sure it couldn’t have waited until it was a matinee or on pay per view. I give it 7 of 10 vines.
Addition July 20, 2013 . .
So Jane here, from the middle of the Pacific Ocean, after Tarzan decided to take me for a viewing of Grown Ups 2. Here’s what I can say that is positive: It was hilarious in a typical Adam Sandler overgrown adolescent boy sort of way. I found myself laughing out loud and entertained by the schtick.
The harsh reality though is that the movie and the story go absolutely nowhere. There isn’t an identifiable plot to follow and there isn’t any real conflict to resolve aside from the contrived “fight” with frat boys. The movie just seems to meander with the crew from joke to joke and while I was entertained, I walked out of the theater feeling as though my brain had fed on cotton candy. There were so many ways in which the movie could have hit the mark (a focus on the relationship with the kids, depth on the idea of aging and fatherhood, the idea of what the next phase of marriage brings), but the writing didn’t tie it together, felt convoluted, and tried to do too much with no real dilemma to build on. The movie came across as a patronizing way to make some money off of fans who will go to see a Sandler movie because it’s a Sandler movie. I give it 4 of 10 vines.
