Adam Sandler, will he ever grow up?

Grown Ups - Dennis Dugan

Happy Madison, Adam Sandler’s production company has been releasing Sandler’s films for the past twelve years from the very beginning successful phase of Sandler’s career with the release of The Waterboy and The Wedding Singer, two of the best performances from him and you look at the list of films that have been released and you realise that Sandler has produced a great film on that level in a long time. Now with the latest cinema release of Grown Ups, can Sandler match that quality standard from the 90’s, with a mix of humour and teaching life lessons? Sadly, no, it’s quite the opposite; you almost begin to wonder if he really cares anymore. Sure, Little Nicky was funny and Click had moments of true emotion but let’s look at the rest of the shit that has been made and has been continually funded: The Animal, Mr. Deeds, The Hot Chick, Anger Management, 50 First Dates, The Longest Yard, The Benchwarmers, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, You Don’t Mess With The Zohan, The House Bunny, Bedtime Stories and Paul Blart: Mall Cop. I think that stellar line up speaks for itself and it just shows that the kinds of films that Happy Madison produces uses the same actors and the same jokes, and it’s been old for the past ten years, trying to rekindle the kind of humour they used to have. I really would love to see it move in a different direction, like Sandler’s performance in Funny People, it brought back the notion that he is funny and he can act.

So moving onto the screaming heap of shit that is Grown Ups, i never expected it to be a great watch, and sure i had a few laughs but the laughs were more strained through grinding teeth watching a couple of great comedic actors just waste their talent. The film has Chris Rock, who is one of the best stand-up comedians of our generation and he is fucking awful, he seems to be only there for name sake and the amount of lines he was given were shocking. Sure the other three leads are just friends of Sandler who have used his success to fund their own with Kevin James, James Spade and Rob Schneider, holding on for dear life of their careers. The film follows five best friends who go on a vacation together, cue hilarity and mishaps and learning about their different lives and how special they are. It’s bullshit that will anger you. It’s so disappointing in mostly every category but really threw me off was that there was no danger, no suspense, no evil force against them, it was just, look at us, we are amazing, we have great lives, we have loads of money, none of them are in any serious, realistic human danger.

2/10

Simon Childs