He just doesn’t seem that interesting as an actor here, but as long as the film follows the comedic creedo Sandler minted for himself around about the same time Mr. Here he just seems content to simply ogle Hayek’s ample bosom, spout off half hearted life lessons to his kids, and get involved in an almost non-existent subplot involving his inability to confront the childhood bully that tormented him (Steve Austin). Say what you will about films like Little Nicky, Jack and Jill, or That’s My Boy, but at least his roles in those films required a sense of manic energy and fearlessness that was admirable in spite of those films’ more dubious qualities. It’s insufferable to watch a talent like his just coast through spouting a bunch of lazy one liners and insults that are dated by at least 15 years. If anything, Sandler becomes both within and without the worst thing about the film. (pause) No, I don’t care if it’s good, JUST DO IT.” At least it zips to the finish line in under 100 minutes, which is fine since it’s impossible to care what happens to anyone in the film in the first place.
It’s just kind of a bunch of stuff barfed out onto a screen because Sandler one day just woke up and said “You know what? Fuck it.
#ROB SCHNEIDER NOT IN GROWN UPS 2 MOVIE#
Grown Ups 2 can’t be called a sketch movie because it’s trying to have a linear plot, and yet maybe two scenes are actually able to transition into one another. The film can’t even manage to hire decent visual effects artists to gloss over its shortcomings, as evidenced by a ludicrously awful opening sequence involving a deer breaking into Lenny’s house and getting so frightened it pisses all over Sandler and his son (who was totally jerking off in the shower, because jokes!).Given how rigidly controlled a Sandler production tends to be, there’s no such excuse here. The few moments where people actually have to share their feelings in the bro-iest possible ways are fleeting, and thankfully so.Īt times everyone seems like they want to make an actual movie with some sort of effort behind it, but no one apparently told Sandler’s #1 hack Dennis Dugan about that, and what he churns out is the most incompetently slapped together studio film in decades probably since Pootie Tang and that was a film that was taken away from its director by a studio that screwed it up.
This film wouldn’t know what the word sentimental means if it came up and bit it on the ass. In this sense, the sequel bests the original because all of the fake and forced sentimentality that grated the last time out has been excised completely. No one really seems to care very much if any of the jokes are actually funny as long as the jokes are there. The film pretty much spends the entire first half of the film setting up long term gags that may or may not ever have a pay off. That’s really all there is with the action pretty inexplicably and highly illogically happening over the course of a single day. They all have their various personal difficulties going on, but they decide to pull it all together on the last day their kids have of school and throw a 1980s themed party at Lenny’s house. His family seems to be doing fine overall, but his wife (Salma Hayek) is starting to get baby crazy again. He spends his days screwing around with his buddies Eric (Kevin James), Kurt (Chris Rock), and Marcus (David Spade). Lenny Feder (Sandler) has settled back nicely into his old hometown and left his former Hollywood life behind.
At least there’s more interesting things to talk about this time out other than just how abjectly boring it all is. At least I laughed three times in this one at some throwaway moments and Sandler wisely defers a couple of times to some younger actors, but it’s still useless, smug, and pointless on every level. It’s also peculiarly an even shoddier assembly of footage than the first film was, so I guess that’s still a huge drawback. The leads are still coasting on their previously crafted personas with no surprises whatsoever. Inexplicably the first sequel in Sandler’s lengthy, lucrative, but gradually waning career, this at least feels less like a vacation for all the parties involved. Grown Ups 2 sucks, but even by that bold statement it still manages to improve on its rock bottom predecessor.