It's no secret that people hate Grown Ups 2 and they have come to loathe Adam sandler. And you know what, I'm a pretty big movie snob, but I can appreciate a movie for what it is...and this was one of those movies.
Yes, the opening scene with the deer was lame. It was stupid and unfunny. They definitely could've come up with something funnier than a random deer that added nothing to the movie. So yeah, I hated the first 10 minutes.
So the basic premise of this movie (which had no purpose/no reason to be made) is that the 4 friends from the first movie (Sandler, James, Rock, Spade - notably missing Schneider) are throwing a party at Sandler's house and they run into a few obstacles, including making enemies with the local frat stars.
Sandler's kids return from the first movie (the girl is still crazy annoying), Chris Rock's kids have grown (again, suffering from annoying daughter syndrome), David Spade just found out he HAD a kid (which was actually pretty funny), and Kevin James' kid is literally dumber than a rock (but turned out to be a prodigy).
They follow along the formulaic plot the story calls for, Shaq shows up (which was awesome), the Happy Madison guys randomly appear, and there were some great cameos (SNL cast, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Jimmy Tatro). Then the 4 guys have a run in with the local frat, who think they are getting out of the crummy town they go to school in, which was actually a funny observation.
People will hate this movie, and that is understandable. Adam Sandler has given up. His movies are all the same, he never steps out of his comfort zone (his one exception - Reign Over Me. FANTASTIC movie), and he can no longer carry a movie. So what was there to like about this movie? Acceptance. You have to accept that this is what you're going to get. I didn't die laughing at anything, but I did laugh consistently.
Want to know the most surprising thing about this movie? Taylor Lautner stole the show. He was the best character. Jacob from Twilight managed to be the funniest person in a movie full of comedy legends. And I was completely okay with that. I used to want to slap this guy into a volcano, but he's actually kind of tight now.
There were also a few gags I didn't understand (like the black family saying WHAAAAAT) and I could have definitely lived without the daughters in this movie annoying me to no end. Also, Jon Lovitz still isn't funny.
So the final verdict, I liked it. I thought it was funny. Could it have been better? Yes. But this is the Adam Sandler we have now. He's older, he doesn't care, he makes the same movie, and he'll always play the same character. Has a star ever fallen off quite like Sandler has before? This movie is saved by the supporting cast. If this movie was centered around Adam Sandler...then I would've hated this movie.
Movie snobs, enjoy this for what it is. I didn't expect Oscar winning performances or life changing experiences. I expected a lame comedy that left me mindless for 2 hours. And I wasn't disappointed.
Final Score: 3/5
