MOVIE REVIEW - Grown Ups

You know, it's nice to be pleasantly surprised once in a while when you go to the movies. And the new Adam Sandler piece, Grown Ups is OK.

Before I go on, let's try to keep this a bit tempered. I'm not going to go tripping over myself, gushing about this new summer comedy but this could have been a lot of things. And terrible is one of them, but it's not.

Grown Ups has a huge modern day cast. Sandler, Kevin James, Rob Schnieder, David Spade, Chris Rock, Selma Hayak, Maria Bello, and Maya Rudolph. All of these people have done good work in the past, and all have driven their share of bombs straight into the ground. The general feeling was that this summer comedy was going to be too tempting not to really play the crude, and rude card. And it does get played a few times, but GU's is far more tame that I was ready for.

It's the story of a 30 year reunion of 5 middle school friends who haven't really been together since the won the CYO basketball title in 1978. They are all grown up now, married and many have kids. They have all taken different paths in life. They end up staying the weekend in a rented beach house with all of their families as well. There they discover that their own kids know nothing about the joys of the childhood they knew as kids. And the generation gap is wide.

OK, that is about as deep as this movie gets, and Grown Ups has it's problems. This movie is very awkward at times in it's editing and flow. There appears to be much improvising from our male stars, and some of it really works and some falls flat. Some gags are just worn to death and that is troublesome at times. Trouble here too is that it seems there's not enough movie to go around. Story is thin and predictable, but that was to be expected.

Not to be expected was the fact that there would be a story at all. To it's credit, it's not a bunch of skits sewn together and called a movie. There are some crude moments and some junior high humor, but for the most part it steers clear of a path it could have easily taken. And a few years ago with this bunch would have taken. Funny? At times. But this is not designed to be hilarious. It is designed to be entertaining. Is it? At times.

I can't say this movie really works, but it doesn't fail. I think some summer flicks get a bit of a pass because of the intended audience and why we go to the movies in the first place this time of the year. To laugh, or to be taken away to some place that makes us feel good. This movie will not be as funny in three years on TNT, but on a summer night when you're looking for a good time? maybe

Grown Ups. You will laugh at times, and that's what we ask of summer movies.