Grown Ups 2 (2013)

Wait, say that again?  There's a sequel to Grown Ups?

I was surprised as anyone the first time I saw the trailer for Grown Ups 2.  Did anyone actually like it?  I don't know anyone that does, but maybe that's because they're afraid of being Force-choked for admitting that in my presence.  Good taste aside, I guess the first made enough money because there's no way they'd make another one otherwise.

I guess the beauty of Grown Ups 2 for the studio is that it couldn't have taken more than a week or two to make, and the budget couldn't have been spent on much else than the actor's salaries.  I know they didn't spend money on writers or an editor.  Grown Ups 2 doesn't even have a plot.  Seriously, I defy anyone to watch Grown Ups 2 and tell me what it's about.  It's just a bunch of short sketches and gags.  I think this is what frustrates me about Adam Sandler and Co. so much.  With these guys being SNL alumni, you'd think this would be their strength.  Also, we've all seen guys like David Spade, Tim Meadows, Kevin James, Chris Rock, and even Nick Swardson be much funnier in their own standup routines, other movies and TVs shows.  Yet somehow combining all of these guys amounts to a bunch of lazy, uninspired comedy.  Is it that they don't care, have total contempt for the audience, or genuinely think this stuff is funny?  I can't help but watch Grown Ups 2 and think that if they had just put even a modicum of effort into the writing, then we'd genuinely have a funny movie on our hands.  I can forgive a lack of plot if the movie is hilarious otherwise.

A lot of the humor is based on things that simply can't happen in reality.  The opening scene is the one you see in the trailer where somehow a deer gets into the house and up to a second story bedroom without anyone noticing or waking up.  I guess it was a stealth deer.  This leads into a stupid pee joke that wasn't funny in the first place, but looked awful because they did it with bad CG.  They do this pee joke twice!  Why is this even in the movie?  They could have not put this in the movie and saved the money on the bad CG.  Cause F-you, that's why!

At least I didn't find the humor as mean spirited as in Sandler's more recent films.  However, if you aren't into poop, fart or throw up gags, then there's a lot you aren't going to like.  I'll admit there's a part of me that still can laugh a good fart or burp, so when Kevin James does his burp-sneeze-fart I couldn't help but chuckle a little.  I also got a giggle out of some of the various cameos sprinkled throughout the film.  The thing is a cameo isn't a joke by itself, and many are dependent on you even knowing who these people are.  Like if you don't recognize older SNL cast members, ESPN anchors, or lesser known comedians, their appearances will likely go unnoticed by you.

The rest of the film is lame fratboy humor, or making fun of characters that aren't aware they are the butt of the joke.  There's a running gag where Tim Meadows and family just go "Whaaa?!" anytime they are insulted.  There's no comeback, just "Whaaa?!"  It doesn't go anywhere, and it's a non-joke.  Lots of these scenes ended abruptly when it wasn't working.  It didn't seem to be working on the audience either as I heard muted laughter at most of these things.

As with all Sandler films, his obsession with the 80's continue.  We get our normal fix of 80's music, but the film ends with a 80's themed party.  I wonder who's idea that was?  It's just another lame reason to shoehorn more 80's references into the movie.  I love the 80's as much as the next guy, but this is gone way past being old.  Although I did think it was kind of funny to see Chris Rock dressed as 80's Prince.

Lastly, I'm glad they had the good sense to get rid of that scene about getting wasted and tricking the kids into thinking it had something to do with ice cream  "I'm wanna get chocolate wasted!"  Did a child actually write that?  Ugh...so much of this film is just cringeworthy.

Grown Ups 2 is lazy, uninspired, childish, unfunny and directionless.  If the name Adam Sandler wasn't on the top of the poster, I don't see how this film sees the light of day, let alone gets made.  The only reason I'm not giving this a zero is that I chucked a few times at the cameos and I haven't completely outgrown burp and fart humor.  There are some genuinely funny films in theaters right now.  Grown Ups 2 isn't one of them.  Don't pay to see this film in any format.

.5 (out of 5) Death Stars

2 Days in New York (2012) - Movie Review

Imagine watching an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia only it's based in New York and some of the characters speak French.  Maybe even throw a little Woody Allen in there.  That's the feeling I got when watching 2 Days in New York, the latest effort from writer/director/actor Julie Delpy.

Delpy stars a Marion, an artist that has an upcoming show where she is selling her soul as a concept piece.  She's in a relationship with Mingus (Chris Rock), a writer and radio talk show host.  They each share custody of a child from a previous relationship.  Things seems to be fine until a visit from Marion's father, sister and boyfriend throw their lives into a 2 day whirlwind of crazy.

Marion's father (played by Deply's real-life father, Albert) is passionate, a little nutty, and is difficult to communicate with as he only speaks a handful of English.  Her sister, Rose (Alexia Landeau), is sexually aggressive and seeks to push Marion's buttons at every moment.  She also has no issue with casual nudity.  Rose's boyfriend (Alexandre Nahon) is an absolute buffoon, acting pretty much on any impulse that pops into his head.  As soon as he's introduced, he declares he was Marion's ex and tries to bond with Mingus over 20-year-old music (Salt-n-Pepa).  The look on Rock's face is priceless.

You're basically watching Marion deal with the increasing craziness of her family and going from situation to situation over the 2 days.  Sometimes it's very funny, and other times it can be a little uncomfortable to watch.  Imagine knowing a group of people that just say whatever is on their mind without any regard for the appropriateness of it or who they are saying it to.  These are self-absorbed sociopaths we are dealing with here.  Mingus seems like the only sane person and you're watching the film from his perspective.  He's just as stunned at their behavior as we are.  As much as he'd like to just put them all on the next plane back home, you have to deal with the in-laws when you're in love, right?

Chris Rock was the highlight of the movie for me.  His performance was witty and had some nice nuance in his delivery.  It's a much different Rock than what you're used to seeing.  This is the type of stuff I'd like to see him stick with moving forward.  He's better than the silly comedies he's been stuck with since transitioning from SNL and stand-up.  The entire cast was very good and played off each other well.

Delpy directed and co-wrote the screen play with Landeau and Nahon.  They did a good job juggling all the characters and conversations without it feeling too hectic or busy.  It's not hard to follow at all.  While the movie is very funny, it's a little bit of a mixed bag.  It's like they tried everything, but it didn't always work.  As exaggerated as some of the film felt, it never felt unbelievable though.

This is a sequel to Delpy's 2 Days in Paris, which is a movie I haven't seen, but now wish I had after watching 2 Days in New York.  I imagine I might have enjoyed the movie even more with a little more familiarity with the characters.

If you like watching family comedies dealing with uncomfortable situations and dialog, then 2 Days in New York is for you.  You'll be entertained by watching someone deal with their family the only way they know how, but at the same time be glad it's not you.  It's witty and smart, but a little uneven.  This is one of the limited release films, but it should be available On Demand now.  It's nothing you have to rush out to the theater to see, but I recommend it as a rental.

3 (out of 5) Death Stars