** out of (****)
"Grown Ups" is that typical summer comedy that couldn't be more predictable, more formulaic, or more unoriginal then it is. It also has that by-the-numbers pattern of raunchy humor, thrown in with some childish jokes, and then the inevitable "feel good" vibe. In "Grown Up's" defense, that's actually a complement. It isn't as awful as one would expect because it's so cliché that it possibly cannot be a disappointment. However, it is still far away from being a good movie because of how familiar it seems.
"Grown Ups" revolves around a bunch of buddies that reunite when they find out that their basketball coach has passed away. Now these men have grown up and decide to venture out on a nice vacation and stay at a cabin.
Yep, that pretty much sums up the plot. It can't get more paper-thin then that right? It's kind of hard to nitpick this movie and to compile a list of positives because for everything that's bad about this movie it's good, and everything that's good about this movie, it's bad. Although, I'll give it my best shot. For a redeeming quality, the movie is pretty entertaining. Your mind won't wander throughout and it's not nearly half as bad as most would expect. Moreover, the performances aren't too shabby either. And actually, the characters are pretty likable, but still are pretty two-dimensional. Moreover, this movie does have its moments. I'm not saying it's humorous, but it sure does have some slightly funny times.
Now onto the negatives. I thought that movie had wasted potential. The more mature jokes had a lot more depth and the pay-off was very good. The more childish humor had no substance and just came off very dry. Sadly, the route the movie mostly took was the childish aspect and the formulaic stereotypical jokes. *sigh*. Moreover, I thought the dialog was just awful. I mean, who speaks like that? So nonsensical. Furthermore, I thought the whole movie was pointless. I mean if you have a by-the-numbers plot, typical performances, and a been-there-done-that tone, then what's the point of making a movie? When making a movie it should be at least twenty five percent different then what audiences have seen or else they're paying to see the same mediocrity over and over again.
Overall, "Grown Ups" could possibly win the award for the most cliché Hollywood film of the century, although, surprisingly, that's sort of a complement. Grown Ups knows its formulaic and very dry, but they just want to give the audience a fun outing, which they do, but then what's the point? This is the type of film you watch on a rainy Saturday night with nothing possibly better to do or no other film you want on Redbox is available, yet this one is. This movie can have its moments and is not entirely bad, but it's just so formulaic and "been- there-done-that" that it's not even funny. Save your hard earned cash on another movie or just attend a matinée. Paying full price for a type of movie like this is just wasting your time and money.
