Never would I have thought I’d be treated to an opening scene where a deer would make its way into a family’s home and pee on them in fright. That is until last night when I found myself in a theater watching Grown Ups 2 and seriously wondering “What did I get myself into?”
I had not seen Grown Ups, but I figured it wouldn’t be hard to understand what was going on the sequel. And it wasn’t, mainly because Grown Ups 2 practically has no plot. Obviously, I can’t compare it to the original, but if you want to see a bunch of aging comedians say bad jokes, fart, burp, vomit and do other gross shit, Grown Ups 2 is for you.
It’s the last day of school and the beginning of summer, the kids are buzzing with excitement and so are the parents. Lenny (Adam Sandler), Eric (Kevin James), Kurt (Chris Rock), and Marcus (David Spade) decide to spend the day hanging out, messing around at K-Mart (holy product placement!) and finally getting in an altercation with some rowdy frat boys (led by Twilight’s Taylor Lautner). We also see what’s up with their kids and wives (played by Salma Hayek, Maria Bello, and Maya Rudolph), as it all leads down to Lenny’s summer celebration party.
There are several subplots at work, but they’re so insignificant that they hardly count. What’s really at play is the humor, which relied more on grossing out the audience rather than making them legitimately laugh. Although, I have to admit I did laugh quite a few times throughout the movie; most of it was out of “get me out of here” hysteria. Still, in all fairness, the movie does earn itself a few laughs.
What made Grown Ups 2 the most entertaining was the insane amount of cameos the movie had. Cameos are always fun, even when you spend time wondering why these celebrities agreed to these parts. ($$$$) I won’t spoil them because their appearances manage to give this comedy some life.
It’s a shame how lazy and pointless Grown Ups 2 is. A little more effort would go a long way in making this somewhat worthy of audiences and the box office takings it will likely get. Grown Ups 2 is not a good movie. It’s not the worst movie of the year though. (That still belongs to the offensive The Big Wedding.) It may make you laugh, but it will also make you kind of hate yourself for laughing, which frankly doesn’t make it worth it.
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Rating: 1.5/10
Grown Ups 2 hits theaters July 12, 2013.
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