Grown Ups 2

Spoilers ahead!

Remember way back when and I was REALLY excited about the prospects of Grown Ups 2 possibly being made? The time finally came when I sat down in a movie theater and watched it. And it was worth the wait. Let me get this out of the way, first. To everyone who says that this is America's worst piece of crap and it's a terrible movie, the worst thing they've ever seen. Could you please leave? I am 100% certain that Adam Sandler did not plan to make an Oscar-winning movie here. That's not what it's meant to be! Roger Ebert said it best. "When you ask a friend if Hellboy is any good, you're not asking if it's any good compared to Mystic River, you're asking if it's any good compared to The Punisher. And my answer would be, on a scale of one to four, if Superman is four, then Hellboy is three and The Punisher is two. In the same way, if American Beauty gets four stars, then The United States of Leyland clocks in at about two." Apply this to Grown Ups 2. "When you ask a friend if Grown Ups 2 is any good, you're not asking if it's any good compared to Annie Hall, you're asking if it's any good compared to The Hangover. And my answer would be, on a scale of one to four, if The Hangover is four, then Billy Madison is three and Grown Ups 2 is two." Understand? I knew what I was expecting. Those who didn't, are trying to hard to make it as a movie critic. I'd like to rate you. Just an FYI, critics gave Grown Ups 2 a 7 on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences gave it a 90. Perspective is relative, people. Anyway, I will say that logic and plot were thrown out the window. But that doesn't matter because I enjoyed it. It was another fun romp with the familiar faces of Adam Sandler (Lenny Feder), Kevin James (Eric Lamonsoff), Chris Rock (Kurt Mackenzie), David Spade (Marcus Higgins), and (instead of Rob Schneider), Nick Swardson (Nick Hilliard). There were lots of humorous scenes (Lamonsoff's son, David Spade in a tire, Shaq and Andy Samberg at the car wash), surprise guest stars (hello Oliver Hudson and the J. Geils Band!), some nice callbacks (grandma's bunyuns, peeing in the pool) and also some cringe-worthy scenes (Sandler's son oh that scene was rough). Suddenly, Colin Quinn stands up for Lenny, a reversal of the original.  I am so happy to have finally seen this movie. Plus, it wasn't just joke after joke strung together, there was an underlying meaning. Sandler, James, Rock and Spade are not the youthful, up-and-coming comedians we once knew. They're somewhat old news. But that doesn't mean they're not content. It showed that they love the way their lives are and they wouldn't change them. Plus, they can still have some fun. Also, Taylor Lautner? Surprisingly funny. Surprised that Higgins had a son as well. Quality film, in my opinion!