“If
your mind wanders back to your
schooldays, you’ll enjoy the very funny
and entertaining Grown Ups
with its central theme of becoming an
adult, refusing to grow up but
ultimately getting your priorities right...”
REUNITING WITH OLD SCHOOL-FRIENDS is always difficult as you might worry
that you haven't made the grade as an adult. But top Hollywood Agent Lenny Feder
(Adam Sandler: Click; Just Go With It) has no fears on that score.
Married to the attractive and talented Roxanne (Salma Hayek Pinault: Frida),
the successful Lenny has three spoiled children: Greg (Jake Goldberg), Keithie
(Cameron Boyle) and Becky (Alexys Nycole Sanchez).
Lenny and his best friends Eric Lomonsoff (Kevin James: Paul Blart: Mall
Cop), Kurt McKenzie (Chris Rock: Death At A Funeral; Television's
Everybody Hates Chris), Marcus Higgins (David Spade: Television's Rules
Of Engagement) and Rob Hilliard (Rob Schneider: You Don't Mess With The
Zohan) were the 1978 CYO City Championship Basketballers back at school.
When their old, much-loved coach Robert "The Buzzer" Ferdinando (Blake Clark)
passes away, the friends reunite for his funeral.
The fun begins as the families gather at the summer lake house where the boys
celebrated their biggest championship victory thirty years before and where
they intend to scatter the late coach's ashes. To start with, Rob has married
for the fourth time and to an older woman, Gloria, (Joyce van Patten) and the
'New Age' couple behave as if they are young, free and on their honeymoon.
But Rob has regrets that he has not kept in touch with his daughters, the stunning
Jasmine (Madison Riley) and Amber (Jamie Chung) and the, er, not-so-stunning
Bridget (brilliantly played by the lovely Ashley Loren!). The girls come complete
with an eye-catching VW Karmann Ghia and an MGB GT.
Eric's wife is expecting another child and they are trying desperately to keep
up appearances, while Kurt has brought along his loud and sassy mother-in-law
Mama Ronzoni (the marvellous Ebony Jo-Ann), who constantly berates him for his
shortcomings. And then there is Marcus, who persistently brags about the women
he juggles in his life.
Over the course of the Fourth of July weekend, the five friends set out to rekindle
their childhood, remembering Coach Buzzer's philosophy: "Play life just like
when you play that game so that when that final buzzer goes off, you'll have
no regrets".
Grown Ups is also a journey of discovery. The friends quickly realise
that growing older and having responsibilities doesn't necessarily mean you
have to grow up. Maturity is what you make of it, and no one at the lake house
is eager to be the adult in the gang. Boys will be boys… some longer than others!
There is a host of home truths and confessions along with the hopes and dreams
— yet even with the sometimes harsh and cutting banter the hand of friendship
is extended. The second generation also learns that electronic games and mobile
phones are not the only way to have fun. The story leads to a number of splendid
comedy moments, including a very well wrapped up Wiley (the terrific Steve Buscemi),
whose accident has given him a very restricting outlook, and a sizzling (and
painful!) encounter with some hot stones during a massage!
On meeting Dickie Bailey (Colin Quinn), who works at the local diner, the boys'
former classmate challenges the once-champions to a basketball match and they
are eager to prove they've still got what it takes.
Despite one or two examples of unnecessary crudeness and a smattering of toilet
humour (happily kept to a minimum), Grown Ups is very funny — sometimes
extremely so — and turns out to be a worthwhile, heart-warming, entertaining
and feel-good movie that shows how sometimes you can be a winner, even if you
are seen to lose.
Also features: Tim Meadows as Malcolm; Di Quon as Rita; Maria Bello (The
Jane Austen Book Club) as Sally Lamonsoff; and Maya Rudolph (Away We
Go) as Deanne McKenzie.
Director of Photography is Theo van de Sande, ASC; Co-Producer is Kevin Grady;
Music supervision by Michael Dilbeck and Brooks Arthur; Music By Rupert Gregson-Williams;
Produced by Adam Sandler and Jack Giarraputo (Paul Blart; Bedtime Stories);
Executive Produced by Barry Bernardi (You Don't Mess With The Zohan; Click),
Tim Herlihy (Click; The Longest Yard — also played The Pastor),
Allen Covert (The Longest Yard; Anger Management) and Steve Coren (Click;
Bruce Almighty); Written by Adam Sandler and Fred Wolf (Joe Dirt;
Television's Saturday Night Live); and Directed by Dennis Dugan (You
Don't Mess With The Zohan; Big Daddy; Happy Gilmore).
Grown Ups is part of the Laughing Stock collection, a range of hilarious
Blu-rays and DVDs featuring the biggest names in comedy — including Adam
Sandler, Will Ferrell and Seth Rogen — that are guaranteed to beat the
winter blues.
Adam Sandler gathers a huge cast of comedic heavyweights — the ultimate
comedy dream-team unites in the family worldwide box-office smash hit Grown
Ups, coming to Blu-ray and DVD on 17th January 2011, courtesy of Sony Pictures
Home Entertainment. Certificate: DVD 12; Blu-ray 15 | RRP: DVD Single Disc £17.99;
Blu-ray Single Disc £22.99 | Running Time: DVD 98 Minutes; Blu-ray 102 Minutes.
DVD Bonus Features Include: Laughing Is Contagious Featurette | The Cast
Of Grown Ups Featurette.
Blu-ray Bonus Feature are the same as for the DVD. Exclusive Bonus Features
Include: Deleted Scenes | Riff-O-Rama Blooper Reel | Commentary with Director
Dennis Dugan | Featurettes: Laughing is Contagious | The Cast of Grown Ups |
Dennis Dugan: Hands on Director" | The Lost Tapes of Norm MacDonald | Busey
and the Monkey | movieIQ+sync and BD-Live connect you to real-time information
on the cast, music, trivia and more while watching the movie!
"Grown Ups is very funny — sometimes extremely so — and turns
out to be a worthwhile, heart-warming, entertaining and feel-good movie that
shows how sometimes you can be a winner, even if you are seen to lose" —
Maggie Woods, MotorBar
“If
your mind wanders back to your