Copains pour toujours

I had very low expectations for Grown Ups, so I was surprised that I actually liked this movie. The jokes are predictable, and the plot is almost non-existent, but I laughed more than I thought I would. I also enjoyed seeing a group of friends just hang out on the screen. Adam Sandler is a genius. He took a vacation with his buddies and got paid to do it.

Five childhood friends reunite for their basketball coach's funeral. It's some 30 years after their championship game as a bunch of 12 year olds.

This movie works for one reason only. It's the chemistry and comradary between the five leads; Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, and Rob Schneider. The stories and quite frankly the ladies are mostly unimportant. They really need to give them some more funny stuff to do. They need to spread some of the stupid and silly stuff around. It works better with the bromance. The more time those five can spend together alone the better.

The stage curtains open ...

I know others didn't care for this movie, but I really enjoyed it. It just goes to show, not everyone likes the same things, and that's okay. I laughed throughout - almost like I was there with them.

When the beloved coach of their childhood champion basketball team passes away, 5 friends since youth come together with their families for the funeral. Each of them having taken very different roads to end up in different jobs and financial statuses. But, all of them still share the same background, same basic sense of humor and similar family problems. They're friends, and even after all these years, they don't miss a beat.

This isn't one of Adam Sandler's best movies, but it is one of his most down-to-earth and casual films. It really is like old friends hanging out together, joking around and having fun. It is this kind of humor, the kind you have when you're with your best friends and just enjoying the time together. On the strength of this comedy type is where this movie excels. It handles most of the subject matter realistically, with some over-the-top moments - ie: the breast pump scenes, and the hanging by your feet from a zip line at the water park (which, of course, they would never let you do), but that just adds to the overall feel. The various family dynamics are entertaining - for example, between Kurt McKenzie (Chris Rock) and his mother-in-law. And each actor brings his own brand of humor effectively to the screen.

I had a fun time with this movie - I've already seen it more than once and am sure to watch it again. This is a recommend for me.

Hollywood has lost the art of being funny. Mainly because everything has been done beyond the subtle. Short attention spans, filth masquerading as entertainment and too much freedom without consequences has reduced what's seen as funny to banal dick jokes.

You know what's worse? Reading the sanctimonious crap written here in this forum. I hate that some contributors want to coerce our agreement to their opinions by suggesting we have no taste if we disagree.

Well, there's plenty of rubbish being peddled as comedy but like I said, I've seen worse.

The overriding feeling I got was that the cast was having fun. Seemed natural with lots of ad lib. So what? I had fun too. So what!

How can anyone rate low scores with such an all-star stellar comedic group of actors? This is supposed to be fun and funny mindless entertainment, and it was! I had a permanent smile throughout the entire film, in between all the laughs. Excellent casting and acting, especially Spade. Directing, pacing, runtime and writing were all on point. And the story was excellent! This is a collectors film. A well deserved 9/10 from me.