I had a lot of fun watching “Grown Ups 2” and yes, it’s a Happy Madison film that I enjoyed!  But for those who never enjoyed Happy Madison comedy films or are too serious of an individual, then this film is not for you! But if you are one who just wants to laugh at something that may be stupid but yet hilarious and fun, then “Grown Ups 2” may be worth your time.
TITLE: Grown Ups 2
FILM RELEASE: 2013
DURATION: 101 Minutes
BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, 1:85:1, English DTS-HD MA 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0, English Subtitles: English, French, French, Spanish
COMPANY: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
RATED: R
Release Date: November 5, 2013
Directed by Dennis Dugan
Written by Fred Wolf, Adam Sandler, Tim Herlihy
Based on the Characters Created by Adam Sandler and Fred Wolf
Produced by Jack Giarraputo, Adam Sandler
Co-Producer: Kevin Grady
Associate Producer: Daryl Kass
Music by Rupert Gregson-Williams
Cinematography by Theo van de Sande
Edited by Tom Costain
Casting by Roger Mussenden
Production Design by Aaron Osborne
Set Decoration by Jennifer M. Gentile
Costume Design by Ellen Lutter
Starring:
Adam Sandler as Lenny Feder
Kevin James as Eric Lamonsoff
Chris Rock as Kurt McKenzie
David Spade as Marcus Higgins
Salma Hayek as Roxanne Chase-Deder
Maya Rudolph as Deanne McKenzie
Maria Bello as Sally Lamonsoff
Nick Swardson as Nick
Steve Buscemi as Wiley
Colin Quinn as Dickie Bailey
Tim Meadows as Malcolm
Jon Lovitz as Squats Fitness Janitor
Shaquille O’Neal as Officer Fluzoo
In 2010, the Happy Madison comedy “Grown Ups” was released in theaters.
Featuring a story of the lives of friends in their 40’s, the film was known for featuring an all-star cast which includes Adam Sandler (“Happy Gilmore”, “The Waterboy”, “Big Daddy”, “Saturday Night Live”), Chris Rock (“Down to Earth”, “CB4″”Death at a Funeral”, “Saturday Night Live”), Kevin James (“The King of Queens”, “Hitch”, “Paul Blart: Mall Cop”), David Spade (“Just Shoot Me!”, “Joe Dirt”, “Saturday Night Live”), Rob Schneider (“Deuce Bigalow”, “50 First Dates”, “Saturday Night Live”), Salma Hayek (“Desperado”, “Frida”, “Once Upon a Time in Mexico”), Maria Bello (“Payback”, “Secret Window”, “World Trade Center”), Maya Rudolph (“Bridesmaids”, “Gattaca”, “Saturday Night Live”), Steve Buscemi (“Fargo”, “Reservoir Dogs”, “The Big Lebowski”), Colin Quinn (“Saturday Night Live”, “A Night at the Roxbury”), Tim Meadows (“Mean Girls”, “The Ladies Man”, “Saturday Night Live”) and many other talent.
The film would gross over $271 million in the box office and that would guarantee a sequel titled “Grown Ups 2” directed by Dennis Dugan (“Grown Ups”, “You Don’t Mess with Zohan”, “I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry”).
The film would bring back all talent (except Rob Schneider and those who played his family) including reuniting the stars with former “Saturday Night Live” alumni but also starring Nick Swardson (“Just Go With It”, “Grandma’s Boy”, “The Benchwarmers”), Taylor Lautner (“Twilight” films), Milo Ventimiglia (“Hero”, “Rocky Balboa”), Alexander Ludwig (“The Hunger Games”, “Race to Witch Mountain”), Oliver Hudson (“Rules of Engagement”, “The Breed”), former WWE wrestler Steve Austin, Shaquille O’Neal (“Steel”, “He Got Game”, “The House Bunny”), David Henrie (“Wizards of Waverly Place”, “How I Met Your Mother”) and may more.
And similar to the first film, the sequel would earn over $238 million in the box office. And now, “Grown Ups 2” will be released on Blu-ray+DVD+Digital HD UltraViolet in Nov. 2013.
“Grown Ups 2” takes place three years after the first film. Former Hollywood agent Lenny Feder (portrayed by Adam Sandler)and his family have moved to his hometown of Connecticut where he grew up. Lenny and his wife Roxie (portrayed by Salma Hayek) wake up to a wild deer urinating on him, while his children Greg (portrayed by Jake Goldberg), Keithie (portrayed by Cameron Boyce) and his daughter Becky (portrayed by Alexys Nycole Sanchez) are getting ready for school.
At Eric Kamonsoff’s (portrayed by Kevin James) home, his wife Sally (portrayed by Maria Bello) is trying to teach his son Bean (portrayed by Frank Gingerich) math. Bean is getting every answer wrong but Sally believes that she should not tell him he’s wrong and ruin his confidence, while Eric just watches. Meanwhile, his daughter Donna (portrayed by Ada-Nicole Sanger) has created light-up sneakers to wear at school.
At Kurt McKenzie’s (portrayed by Chris Rock) home, Kurt surprises his wife Deanne (portrayed by Maya Rudolph) with an anniversary gift by putting it inside his baby’s diaper, making his wife think their son Ronniie (portrayed by Kaleo Elem) had pooped in his diapers. As Deanne is surprised about the anniversary gift, she forgets to give Kurt an anniversary present which she gets flack from Kurt and their kids Andre (portrayed by Nadji Jeter) and Charlotte (portrayed by China Anne McClain).
For Marcus Higgins (portrayed by David Spade), he meets the 17-year-old son that he never knew he had but finds out that his son Brad (portrayed by Alexander Ludwig) is a really bad kid with tattoos and carries a knife. Marcus tells his kid that he will be taking him to the last day of school and he will be gone working at a soup kitchen.
With his children taking a bus, he finds out that the driver Nick (portrayed by Nick Swardson) is out of it and depressed, so Lenny offers to drive the school bus. But he finds out that his oldest kid, Greg is in love with another girl, his middle child Keithie is getting bullied. So, as Lenny tries to be there for his children, he ends up picking the guys up and all decide to visit a lake where they used to party and have fun as teenagers.
Now knowing that Lenny’s son Greg, Kurt’s son Andre and Marcus’ son Brad are pretending to be college students to hang out with the drunk college kids.
But while there, the guys are ganged up by a frat led by Andy (portrayed by Taylor Lautner) and are told that old people have no business on their lake and anyone who stays (or returns back) in their hometown are losers.
They end up making the grown up men dive into the lake naked. Leaving the guys humiliated, but as for their sons, they are mortified of seeing their father nude, while Brad is upset that his father lied to him and said he was going to work at a soup kitchen.
Later on in the day, the frat arrive to their frat house and find their home demolished and spray painted, leading them to believe that the grown ups were responsible and now want to pummel them.
Not knowing that the frat are looking for them, Lenny is about to throw a big ’80s party for his family and friends.
VIDEO:
“Grown Ups 2” is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:85:1 aspect ratio) and the film looks great on Blu-ray. There are a lot of closeups that show great skin and cloth (clothing) detail and colors are vibrant. But with many shots outdoor, these scenes look fantastic and the indoor scenes are well-lit.
I didn’t notice any artifacts, banding or any issues during my viewing of the film.
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
“Grown Ups 2” is presented in English and French 5.1 DTS-HD MA and also has an English – Audio Description Track. The film is primarily center and front channel driven as dialogue is crystal clear, but the soundtrack also features a lot of music which sounds fantastic in HD. There are some moments of ambiance but for the most part, this is a film that is dialogue and musically driven.
Subtitles are in English, English SHD, French and Spanish.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Grown Ups 2” comes with the special features:
EXTRAS:
“Grown Ups 2” comes with the Blu-ray, DVD and UltraViolet code for the Digital Copy version of the film. Also, the Blu-ray comes with a slipcover.
Hilarious, fun and just all-out crazy, “Grown Ups 2” is one of the better Happy Madison films I have watched and made me laugh continuously!
I know that I am starting to sound like a broken record by saying this often but I feel as I need to repeat it. If you enjoy Happy Madison films, you know what type of comedy film you are going to get.
Often I read from film critics that try to compare Sandler’s latest films with “Big Daddy” or “50 First Dates” and really, they shouldn’t. Adam Sandler and this goes with a lot of the cast members of the film such as Chris Rock, David Spade and Kevin James films. These are films that are not meant to be taken seriously but you often watch to have fun, have a few chuckles and just enjoy the popcorn comedy.
And “Grown Ups 2” is a comedy that made me laugh for its stupid yet hilarious humor and I couldn’t help but laugh and enjoy this film.
From the opening scene of a deer peeing in Lenny’s mouth, Eric belching, sneezing and farting (a.k.a. burpsnarts) and others trying to learn the combo, Marcus dating a female bodybuilder who is teased for her masculinity and Kurt, in hilarious Chris Rock fashion, delivering the one-liners!
Nick Swardson delivers one of the most creepiest character roles ever as Nick. Always being mistreated by Lenny and friends but a man trying to figure out his sexuality, after being dumped by his wife for putting a banana up his bum (at her mother’s home). Swardson has a way of delivering these unusual character roles (that are so wrong but you can’t help but laugh) and he does it perfectly.
The film also has many special appearances by former Saturday Night Live talent. Tim Meadows reprising his role as Malcolm and his one word “Whaaaat?” which make you laugh. Jon Lovitz as the perverted janitor. Cheri Oteri as Penny, the obsessed wife of Wiley (portrayed by Steve Buscemi) who dated Lenny back in sixth grade and can’t let go. So, much that she wears the beret that she wore back in sixth grade decades later. Andy Samberg and Will Forte as male cheerleaders having a little too much fun giving Eric and Sally’s car a cleaning to the tune of Warrant’s “Cherry Pie”.
Even Shaquille O’Neal has a role as a police officer who likes to have fun with Lenny and friends. Stone Cold Steve Austin as Lenny’s childhood rival, Dan Patrick playing a role in which he wears tight shorts that exposes his butt cheeks, Norm Crosby is even in the film as a K-Mart employee and more.
Yes, there is a lot fart and masturbation jokes and a lot of puking, including a deer urinating in Lenny’s mouth.  As juvenile the film is, it’s so crazy that I found myself laughing at the antics and also rooting for the grown ups. And immediately, it’s one of those films that film critics will hate and yet, scratch their head and wonder how these Happy Madison films continue to make a lot of money.
The film definitely hits a nostalgic tone for those who grew up in the ’80s and it tries to make a connection for the grown ups but also the young adults/teenagers with the casting. One of the few comedies where you see older adults vs. the college young adults in a fight. But once again, one shouldn’t look at this film for anything deep or politically correct.
As for the Blu-ray release, picture and audio quality are fantastic. Picture quality is vibrant and full of detail, while lossless audio features crystal clear dialogue and music. Special features are a bit minimal for this Blu-ray release and was expecting to hear an audio commentary or even to see see how much improvisation was used in the film. But for the most part, the Blu-ray PQ and AQ are very good for this release!
Yes, Adam Sandler has done films that are very good such as “Anger Management”, “The Wedding Singer”, “50 First Dates” but when he brings along David Spade, Kevin James, Chris Rock and a lot of the SNL alumni, you pretty much know what you’re going to get. And as critics keep writing “Sandler can do better” reviews, the fact is that juvenile or self-deprecating humor has been a staple of his Happy Madison comedy films for decades.
And as these films continue to make money, by no means should it reflect on society with troglodyte behavior, but more as people wanting to get away from reality, stress, the economy, whatever and just need a dose of something so different or against the norm, and sometimes something so stupid and funny.
While there is quite a bit of crappy films that have come from Happy Madison Productions, I have to say the “Grown Ups 2” film was entertaining.
Overall, I had a lot of fun watching “Grown Ups 2” and yes, it’s a Happy Madison film that I enjoyed!  But for those who never enjoyed Happy Madison comedy films or are too serious of an individual, then this film is not for you! But if you are one who just wants to laugh at something that may be stupid but yet hilarious and fun, then “Grown Ups 2” may be worth your time.
