Grown Ups (2010 102mins). (Sandler, K. James,C. Rock, Schneider, D. Spade) 

On Friday Mrs GeekJock and I got a chance to have an afternoon date to go hit the real movies. Something which I always love to do since we are both movie nuts, and we have similar tastes in movies (which generally means we both like mainstream movies and blockbusters. Also she puts up with Sci-Fi and Fantasy, and I put up with Rom-Coms).  This time we got to see Grown Ups, the ensemble flick with Sandler and his croonies. I had a feeling that this was going to be a funny movie and good to watch b/c I had read how much fun everyone had on set together and that they all just loved to cut up around each other. They did not let me down. It was funny from start to finish, had some heart, and most importantly really reminded me of what it was like growing up on Long Island with a great tight nit group of guys.

    Like anyone who is in their mid 30’s, we have grown up watching Sandler go from a guy on MTV’s orig gameshow Remote Control, to being on SNL, to having a bunch of great movies (Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, Mr.Deeds, The Wedding Singer), and a couple of stinkers—> I’m looking at you Waterboy! But in every good movie he is in, he just seems to come across as a good guy, who is a good friend.  Grown Ups takes us to 30 years after a group of boys win a city basketball championship, to now when they are getting together to go to the funeral of their old Coach.  The camaraderie that ensues and how everyone gets along reminds me of when I visit home and am able to get together with some of the old gang I ran with when we were growing up. Not to mention how we were always quoting and watching Sandler’s movies all the time. That’s the beauty of the movie. It not only makes you laugh at the jokes and gags which are all hilarious, but it gives you a warm fuzzy feeling inside remembering the old days and how great they were. Where some sad movies make you want to call your parents to say “I Love You” b/c of some sappy ending or make you squeeze your kids or spouse closer, this one gets you wanting to pick up the phone and call that childhood best friend that we all had and most of us just haven’t “gotten around” to calling in what seems like a week, but in reality it could be 1-2 years. That’s the real success here. Movies are good for the feelings they leave you with. The take away feeling if you will. And if a movie manages to do this then it has succeeded in that area.

    I fully enjoyed the parts of the movie where the 5 of them were together and just getting on one another, joking in one way or another or just pulling off the usual sight gags. But you get the real sense that these guys must have had a blast making this movie and it shows in the product. I can live with some corniness and how Sandler has to manage to get the same 4-5 people in every one of his movies in some way or another. It’s a mindless comedy, with a small message, but just watch and enjoy.

Verdict—- Well worth the price of admission. See it now or when its out on DVD, but def a must see.

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