Grown Ups (2010)

Grown Ups has a funeral, a lake house, a water park and a basketball grudge match, and none of it adds up to a story. Mostly it’s Sandler, Rock, Spade, Schneider and Kevin James roasting each other on a dock while their families wait for something to happen. The jokes are the kind a group of old friends tells once and laughs at forever, and you weren’t there. Kevin James falls over a lot. The water park trip turns into a string of gags that run way past their expiration date. The weird part is how much the guys clearly like each other, and Rock and Spade land a handful of real lines. Critics gave it 10% on Rotten Tomatoes, and the movie still made $271.5 million worldwide on a reported $75M. A 3.4 because hanging out is not the same thing as a movie. $920.11 says you put it on as background noise, laugh at Kevin James tripping over something, and swear to everyone you didn’t.

What works: The cast clearly enjoys each other, and Chris Rock and David Spade get a few lines that actually land.

What doesn’t: There’s barely a story, just loose riffs that keep going long after the joke is over, plus too many gags about Kevin James falling down.

Who it’s for: Longtime Sandler fans who want to hang out with the crew and don’t need a plot to do it.