In 1978, five 12-year-olds win a CYO basketball championship. Thirty years later, they gather with their families for their coach's funeral and a weekend at a house on a lake where they used to party. By now, each is a grownup with problems and challenges: Marcus is alone and drinks too much. Rob, with three daughters he rarely sees, is always deeply in love until he turns on his next ex-wife. Eric is overweight and out of work. Kurt is a househusband, henpecked by wife and mother-in-law. Lenny is a successful Hollywood agent married to a fashion designer; their kids take privilege for granted. Can the outdoors help these grownups rediscover connections or is this chaos in the making? Written by

Plot Synopsis:
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In 1978, five friends win their junior high basketball championship. During the celebration, their coach "Buzzer" (Blake Clark) encourages them to live their lives in a similar way to how they played the game.

30 years later, the five friends have since separated. Lenny Feder (Adam Sandler) is a high powered Hollywood talent agent who is married to Roxanne (Salma Hayek), a fashion designer. Together, they have two sons, Greg and Keith, and one daughter Becky, all of whom have become spoiled, much to Lenny's annoyance. Eric Lamonsoff (Kevin James) is now a co-owner of a lawn furniture company (but he says he is just to impress his friends) who is married to Sally (Maria Bello). Together, they have one daughter, Donna and one son Bean, who still breastfeeds despite being four years old, much to Eric's chagrin. Kurt McKenzie (Chris Rock) is a stay at home father who is married to Deanne (Maya Rudolph), the primary breadwinner of the family. Together, they have a son, Andre, and a daughter, Charlotte, while Deanne is pregnant with a third child, and her mother, Ronzoni, lives with them as well. All of them harass Kurt for not being more useful. Rob Hilliard (Rob Schneider) is a thrice divorced pacifist vegan married to Gloria (Joyce Van Patten), who is 30 years older than him. Marcus Higgins (David Spade) has become a single womanizer.

When they learn that their coach has died, they all return to New England with their families for the funeral. Lenny rents the lake house for the 4th of July weekend for his friends to stay at, but Lenny can't stay for the whole weekend because Roxanne has a fashion show in Milan. While at the lake house, Lenny is annoyed that their kids would rather play video games than spend time outdoors, so he and the others force their kids to spend more time outside while at the house.

At a local restaurant, Lenny runs into his old nemesis Dickie Bailey (Colin Quinn), who works as a cook there. Dickie is still upset at Lenny because he allegedly had his foot out of bounds when he made the long-ago game winning shot and challenges him and his friends to a rematch, but Lenny declines, declaring it a waste of time. During dinner, the group discusses spreading the coache's ashes in the morning, but Lenny says he can't be there because of Roxanne's fashion show. Roxanne angrily storms off because Lenny painted her negatively. She allows him to spread the ashes, but demands they leave early the following morning.

In the morning, the five guys row out to an island to spread the ashes. When Rob is spreading the ashes, he breaks down and tells the guys that he screwed up his previous marriages and that he's nervous about meeting his daughters who are coming. When they get back to the house, they finally meet Rob's daughters, two of them, Jasmine and Amber, who seem too gorgeous to be Rob's, and one, Bridget, who very closely resembles him. To calm his nerves, the five guys play a game called "Arrow Roulette", in which an arrow is shot up into the air and the last person who runs away wins. Rob wins, but the arrow lands in his foot.

That evening, when Roxanne is packing, Becky's tooth falls out, but Roxanne is too busy to notice and she tells her that she'll put a dollar under her pillow later. When Becky asks why she would do it instead of the Tooth Fairy, Roxanne tells Lenny that she's worried that she ruined Becky's childhood. When Lenny hears his kids supposedly talking on their cellphones, he comes into their bedroom to find them actually talking on "cup phones" with the other kids. Happy that the kids are starting to have the same kind of fun he did at their age, he asks everyone to install cup phones around the house. Roxanne then tells Becky through the cup phone the truth about the Tooth Fairy.

In the morning while packing the car, Roxanne sees all the kids having fun down by the lake and decides that they can't leave the lake house. Happy with his wife's new attitude, Lenny decides they should head to a waterpark for a day. There, Bean learns to drink milk out of a carton, while Marcus flirts constantly with Jasmine and Amber, much to Rob's dismay. The group run into Dickie again, this time with one of his friends Wiley (Steve Buscemi), who ends up in the hospital after a zip line accident.

Back out the house, Deanne becomes suspicious of Kurt when she sees him spending time with Rita, Lenny's nanny. That evening, the adults spend time together drinking and dancing, while reminiscing about their pasts. In the morning, Rob suspects that Marcus had sex with either Jasmine or Amber or both of them and confronts him. Jasmine and Amber assure him that he didn't and Marcus assures him that he never would. Roxanne then confronts Lenny about the fact that he canceled their Milan plane reservations before the funeral behind her back. Lenny claims that he felt their time at the lake house was necessary because their kids were becoming too spoiled, but was unsure if Roxanne would go along with it. He tells her he won't lie to her again. Deanne confronts Kurt about supposedly flirting with Rita. Kurt assures her that he wasn't flirting with her, but he enjoyed having an actual conversation with her because he doesn't feel like he gets that with Deanne. Deanne offers to take him out on more dates. Eric then admits to the group that he isn't co-owner of a lawn furniture company and that he was laid off two months ago. He just didn't want everyone to think of him as a failure. Lenny resolves to offer Eric an investment opportunity. Gloria then tells everyone that despite their recent hostility, she senses love between everyone.

The group then head off to a 4th of July barbecue, where they are once again challenged by Dickie and his friends to a rematch of the basketball game. Wiley, in a massive body cast, had escaped intensive care to watch. Rob suggests that their coach would want them to take the challenge and despite everyone's being out of shape and Rob's injury, they agree to a game. The game is close, but most of the players get too tired to continue, leaving only Lenny and Dickie on the court. They bring out their sons to continue playing. When Lenny has the chance to make the game winning shot, he deliberately misses and allows Dickie to win, giving him a sense of victory. Lenny and the others take the loss in stride.

While watching the fireworks, a drunken Marcus decides to play another game of Arrow Roulette, causing everyone to run away, except for Wiley, who can't move, and the arrow lands in his foot and he passes out as the movie ends.

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Frank van 't Veer from Netherlands
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There is nothing wrong about this film... there is nothing right about it either. It's just another Adam Sandler feel-good movie, and if you like these (I certainly do), you will like this movie too. If you hate them for a lack of plot or the shallowness of the jokes, you won't. I just know I laughed a numerous amount of times, and I felt good after having watched it.

And no, I'm not a stupid guy; I like a good plot, good acting, directing and well-thought-of puns as does the next guy. But there are times when you feel like watching a complicated drama, and there are times when you feel like watching a no-brainer.

This is definitely a no-brainer, which will make you feel good from time to time. That's why Adam Sandler makes these movies, and that's why they keep doing so well.

They will make you feel good :)

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captainflab from United States
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If you prefer two words, I can think of any number of things to say. Since I am bored, I will give you a full review.

If you had told me the premise of Grown Ups maybe a year ago, I would have been stoked... "Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Rob Schneider, David Spade and Chris Rock, hanging out in a lake house, cracking wise at each other for two hours? Sign me up! Whats the plot? Wait that IS the plot? You mean they just hang out and insult each other? OK OK, still somewhat excited, it will be R rated right? No? Hmm."

That would have been my reaction a year ago. However, I first heard about this film recently, so I fortunately didn't have any time to build my expectations for it above "first day of school" levels of dread. Even so, I was disappointed. Grown Ups is a horrible thing that has been unleashed on the movie-going world.

I guess maybe I'm not giving this film any credit. There is a plot; seems the five aforementioned stars used to play Middle School basketball together. The coach of their championship team dies, and THAT'S why they all get together at the lake house. Sorry if its hard to follow but if so then maybe you will like this movie.

What follows is an odd collection of tender family moments interspersed with fart jokes, nut shots, and fat people (Kevin James) or short people (Rob Schneider) getting hurt. Oh and did I mention the barrage of one-liners? Basically, the entire script is one big wry joke after another. I guess the writers realized nothing they could come up with was particularly funny, so they should go for quantity over quality. There are also several running gags (the not-yet-weaned four year old, the dog barking a lot, Kevin James is fat, etc. etc. ad nauseum). This might have worked, if even 25% of the jokes were actually funny.

sample of actual dialogue: (wayward basketball knocks beer out of woman's hand) Woman: Hey! You spilled my beer! Husband: Why does everything have to be about you? Woman: Why do you have to be such a DICK? hahahahaha! funny right? no? anyone?

Problem is I laughed maybe three times, and I'm being generous here, throughout the whole movie. The phrase "one-joke-premise", used disparagingly for many films, would be an accolade for Grown Ups. Oh and lets talk about casting; I appreciate the filmmaker's decision to help make up for their lack of skill by putting as much eye candy on screen as possible (Rob Schneider's daughters especially). But am I really supposed to believe Kevin James is married to Maria Bello? I didn't believe it with Leah Remini in King of Queens, I'm not going to buy it now. And Sandler with Salma Hayek? That one was only plausible because they made his character filthy rich.

I could probably rant about this film for a few more paragraphs, but I digress. You get the point by now I hope.

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mmalone-14 from United States
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This movie is terrible. What a poor excuse with all of the talent involved. I am so glad that Adam Sandler and his friends had fun making this piece of garbage. Next time include a paying audience in on the joke. It would have been nice if one joke (were there any?) would have worked. Did I mention that not one joke worked? Adam Sandler claims that he co-wrote this mess, but we all know there was never a script. Adam just called up his SNL drinking buddies and said, "Hey, Let's take a vacation and film it for $80 million and charge people for it". Adam Sandler plays just a lazier version of himself. There is nothing he does in his movie that is amusing, but he did manage to crack himself up in nearly every scene. So at least he has that going for him. (I know that Adam's character stepped on the line and that is why he grew up to be a jerk.) I don't think anyone told Chris Rock that they were filming a movie until after it was completed. He looks befuddled in every scene. It is a shame that he is so bad in this trash when he was so good in Death At A Funeral. His acting in this movie is the real kiss of death. Kevin James has never ever been funny and so I expected nothing from him and he delivered a grand slam. Kevin spends almost half the movie inside a KFC box. That is how embarrassed he was. Dennis Dugan did a lazy job of directing(?) this "woodland waste". It's like he just set the camera down and let these 5 men try to act around it. I bet he spent most of his time trying to convince the stars how funny each scene was. He should be Razzy nominated. I will skip to the end of the movie because nothing really ever happened. Out of nowhere comes not even half-baked melodrama with each couple overcoming some stupid problem. Each issue is brought up and resolved within 5 minutes and then never mentioned again! Why bother even brining it up in the first place because no one cares in the slightest. The final basketball showdown is filmed as if the entire crew fell asleep. I've seen more tension in a Dora the Explorer episode. Sandler's final lesion is worthless and really doesn't make much sense when you think about everything that has happened before it. Sandler's family was due for a loss and the evil guy was due for a win. What??? The evil guy was a jerk to everyone in the movie. And besides how do you know he was due for a win you haven't been in town for a long time. You know nothing about his life. How in the world does that insignificant game change that much? No one in the audience is buying that ending Sandler. No one. The women characters in the movie do nothing of note, are interchangeable and look as bored as they audience watching these 5 idiots try and make the lamest stuff funny. I won't mention the women by name to spare them of unfair blame. And last but certainly not least (or very least) is the acting duo (?) of Spade and Schneider. They are so bad that they make the acting in Troll 2 look Oscar worthy. Both should have to give up their SAG cards for this. I want to vomit just thinking of their acting again. They are worse then amateurs. I think both of them must be hiding a dark secret of Sandlers; otherwise why are they here. I have an idea for Adam Sandler's next movie. Please call it "Train Wreck". This way when it is released no one will be surprised when it sucks.

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Sandcooler from Belgium
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Some might disagree, but I'd say Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, Chris Rock, David Spade and Kevin James is actually a pretty good main cast for a comedy. But that's also pretty much what makes the movie so frustrating, because absolutely nothing is done with them. Not only are the jokes weak and almost maddeningly predictable, the actors don't even get an actual story to work with. You can literally just erase main characters from this movie and it wouldn't affect the proceedings at all. Honestly, what does Chris Rock get to do in this movie? Can't remember a single one of his lines, really. The movie never really works up to a point, the characters have no goals, they just exist and you sit there and accept it. I really wish I could say something nice about this movie but seriously, even Steve Buscemi is bad in it. A bad Steve Buscemi. How do you do that? Very tiresome, witless comedy.

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Amy Adler from Toledo, Ohio
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Lenny (Adam Sandler) and his pals Eric (Kevin James), Kurt (Chris Rock), Marcus (David Spade), and Rob (Rob Schneider) once played on a junior champion basketball team, winning at the buzzer. Their beloved coach took them to a swanky eatery to celebrate, when they were kids, and told them to live their lives meaningfully before the "final" buzzer sounded. But, now, as adults, the quintet may have forgotten his words. In Lenny's household, the two sons play video games and text the nanny for refreshments all day long while his wife (Salma Hayek) works on her fashion designs. Lenny, a top agent, is living the good life but can't get his kids to go outside, not even his lovely daughter. Word arrives that coach has died and, although Lenny and family were to travel to Milan, they postpone the trip by one day to attend the funeral. Meeting up with his former friends, Lenny finds that their lives are off-track, too. Eric has gained weight and has 2 bratty children, Kurt has become a house husband, Marcus drinks too much and chases skirt while Rob is married to a considerably older woman, his fourth go around. Changing plans, Lenny rents a huge loghouse to let everyone linger a few days together, ceremoniously scatter the coach's ashes and re-connect, children, too. From hikes to swims to "paper cup phones", this crowd is discovering what is important, right? It would be impossible not to laugh at the good moments of this film, which seems like a long improvisation by these experts of comedy. There are some great lines and funny situations, certainly. No, its probably not the most memorable film of the year but if a feel-good experience is needed, this one should fit the bill. The cast is stellar, with all of the major actors doing fine and funny work. For the most part, too, they seem to work as an ensemble, passing around the catch phrases nearly equally. This viewer, however, wished that Rock had had a few more lines but he certainly makes the most of what he was handed. Hayek, Maria Bello, Maya Rudolph, and Joyce Van Patten, as the leading ladies, support the men nicely. The scenery, from the lovely wooded home to the riverfront, is a joy and the costumes, camera-work, script and direction are above average as well. Yes, some of the humor is not appropriate for younger children so parents need to be cautious. Nevertheless, if you like Sandler, James, Rock, etc and/or you would welcome a chance to laugh with your loved ones, ante up and go see this flick soon.

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actionlad from United States
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What do you get when you put Sandler, Schneider, Rock and Spade in a "comedy?" The makings of a pretty good film! Sprinkle in a little Kevin James and Selma Hayek and you might have a bona fide hit on your hands. Why then, does a film like this go so awry? Why did every joke miss? Why was every character completely unlikable. There wasn't a redeeming quality to any of the characters from the start of the film and the kids that some of the characters had spawned were even worse. All around, its such a dumb film that I was actually angry with myself for sticking to it and then wasting almost two hours waiting for it to get better.

When they finally introduce antagonists into the movie (almost an hour in), it's like Sandler and friends decided it as an afterthought.

For the purpose of full disclosure, I am a big fan of Adam Sandler and the rest of this bunch from movies like Happy Gilmore to I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, but this POS was sooooo bad. What the hell happened to you in making this movie, Mr. Sandler? The ending of this movie reminded me of the worst SNL skits that never really ended, they just had the audience applaud at the end of the sketch. What a waste!

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joshwinkler87 from North Carolina
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In all honesty I didn't have any high expectations for this film. I only went to see it because me and my girlfriend got into a fight and kicked me out of the house for a few hours. I had already seen Toy Story 3 and noticed today that "Grown Ups" would be starting in 30 minutes. I said to myself, "What The Heck. It couldn't be any worse than the trailer of it suggested." I was wrong. Dead wrong.

The plot in itself is about as thin as you can get. I don't want to get into trouble on IMDb for posting spoilers but there is really nothing to spoil about this movie because there really is no plot to it. It's really nothing more than just a bunch of random 'jokes' thrown together for a few cheap laughs. What can you expect out of an Adam Sandler film but at least "Happy Gilmore", "Billy Madison", "Click" and "Big Daddy" were tolerable. This film on the other hand is not.

I will spoil one thing for you however. There is an obese black woman who is the mother of Chris Rock in this film. We get a nice little shot of bunion and callused feet as well as her habit of farting randomly. There are some jokes that rather fall flat such as jokes about homosexuality and so-called 'male bonding' and the film seems to insult today's 'tech savy' video game and texting children. Plenty of morbid dark humor (such as making jokes at a funeral and spilling someone's cremated ashes into a bucket of KFC.) There's also quite a bit of slapstick (being shot in the foot with an arrow) and toilet humor (Peeing in swimming pools.) Basically if you have an IQ of less than 45 and/or you find jokes similar to the ones in movies like "Big Momma's House" and "Are We There Yet?", "Grown Ups" is the perfect film for you. But if you want more intelligent humor, I suggest staying away from this one.

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ticklegear from United States
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I am fan of Adam Sandler and Chris Rock (comedian, not actor). I've watched all of Sandler's movies but lately his movies just aren't as funny to me. It's either cuz I'm growing up or there's a serious lack of quality control in his films.

I got the impression that the script was written in a weekend and then shot without testing the jokes.

There were LOTS of jokes but many felt forced or just went over my head. The family moments were forced and felt awkward to even watch. I cringed and felt bad for the actors.

I think the circle of friends have what it takes to make a great comedy, but I think they'll need to work harder. I know they can do better cuz there were a few Kodak moments in there - classic Sandler humor.

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robinvangelder from Germany
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Usually i am a big fan of Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and most of all Kevin James. I was actually somewhat excited to watch this movie. How ever when i walked out with my friends, i was telling them, it might be one of the worst movies i ever saw. The humor is shallow and it is a pathetic attempt for laughs. Most jokes were so predictable that they lost all sense of humor about them. The directing was appalling. The story was boring. I pray that there is no Grown Ups 2. Another factor that is irritating is Adam Sandler and his pals. after the many funny movies they made it becomes repetitave and you ask yourself why cant there be a different cast for once?

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GodsPrototype from United Kingdom
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This is a harsh review but exactly how I feel a few hours after watching it - unhappy and depressed! I looked at the front cover of the DVD in tesco, it looked fun, was £3 and promised lots with some of the best comedy actors in the business, I was excited to see it, I love Sandler, Buscemi, Rock, James and Schneider...then...

...Two hours later... I was wondering whether to hang myself or convince myself that times have changed and this is what comedy is now. This film is without a doubt one of the unfunniest funny films ever.

There can be no real spoilers for there is no real plot - that's okay though, some films without plot are some of the best ever made - but this is just badly written and it's one of those films where every scene you're watching: you're thinking to yourself "Well, my Nan could have made that scene funnier" (by writing it, not starring in it!) I've turned away from Hollywood before and if this is the new future of comedy then count me and millions of others out.

Is this the final nail in the coffin of the career of Adam Sandler? Maybe! But when 'Men in Black 3' is funnier than the latest Sandler film then you know that something has gone terribly wrong. This has actually been £3 wasted and I've never said that about a film before.

If you want a film to make you go "huh, that was kinda comical" three or four times in a tedious two hour sitting then this is it, if you want to have a good laugh and feel good about yourself after - head off elsewhere!

basketball|coach|daughter|outdoors|lake|hollywood agent|fashion designer|overweight|househusband|funeral|fourth of july|budweiser|beer drinking|voyeurism|voyeur|bikini|scantily clad female|cleavage|blonde|father daughter love|bossy mother in law|milf|scattering cremated ashes|older woman younger man marriage|young woman|cheerleader uniform|asian woman|canadian|tooth fairy|bestiality|overprotective father|latina|foot injury|2010s|21st century|year 1978|1970s|20th century|urban myth|older woman|foot|basketball match|basketball team|playing|chutes and ladders|roulette|arrow|children|breast pump|breast milk|injured bird|swing|falling from height|house by a lake|pregnancy|jealousy|short shorts|theme park|water slide|overweight child|body cast|skipping stones|cell phone|texting|spoiled child|convertible|nanny|husband wife relationship|father son relationship|alcoholic|toast|buzzer|shot|rematch|basketball tournament|basketball game|blown cover|box office hit|breast feeding|male bonding|flatulence|fat woman|athlete's foot|public urination|urinating in a swimming pool|reunion|independence day|actor shares first name with character|

AKAs Titles:


Certifications:
Argentina:Atp / Australia:PG / Australia:M (blu-ray) / Canada:G (Quebec) (theatrical rating) / France:U / Germany:o.Al. / Ireland:12A / Malaysia:PG-13 / Netherlands:6 / Norway:A / Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) / Portugal:M/12 / Singapore:PG / South Korea:15 / Sweden:Btl / Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) / Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) / UK:12A / USA:PG-13 (certificate #45790)