Movie Review: Grown Ups

I see a lot of movies and thought why not share my thoughts on them with you. Movie of the day: Grown Ups. The $13 price is a little hefty when you can wait to see it on DVD in a few months for less than half the price, but I've realized that a lot of times it's worth it to see a movie before you end up hearing everyone's opinions about it. And it gave me something to do. I actually enjoyed this movie more than I expected. I've noticed recently that most comedies are just so unrealistic that some of the bits that are supposed to be funny end up bugging me because I think "that wouldn't happen" - i.e. when Stu in The Hangover goes into the bathroom with a tiger to hand feed him a steak. Really? I know that the whole movie was basically like this and it was still funny, but what I liked about Grown Ups is that they didn't create unrealistic situations and just stuck to good old fashion comedic bantering and relate-able moments from the writer's/actor's own experiences.

The all-star cast included Adam Sandler, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Kevin James and Chris Rock, plus Selma Hayek, Maria Bello and Maya Rudolph as the less publicized female supporters. Each one hilarious in their own way and when put together have a great chemistry that worked for this movie. The premise is that the guy's are all "grown up" and their elementary school basketball coach dies so they all get together for the funeral followed by a weekend at the lake house they use to enjoy when they were younger. I felt a little nostalgic for my own childhood while watching this movie, especially now that I am "grown up" as well. The movie plays on the fact that nowadays kids don't understand the concept of turning off the TV to enjoy physical activities, and can be extremely spoiled. I thought this was a great premise and hope it hits home for parents and kids today. I recommend seeing it, or at least rent it. And then go outside and play... It's summertime!