Summary of the Movie "Grown Ups"

The movie "Grown Ups," featuring an all-star cast, made its theatrical debut in the summer of 2010. Written by Adam Sandler and Fred Wolf and produced by Happy Madison Productions, the film is rated PG-13 for crude material, including some suggestive references and male rear nudity. "Grown Ups" combines childhood memories with a true-to-life modern reality for the characters involved.

Background

Five childhood basketball teammates reunite after 30 years to mourn the death of their coach. With their families, they spend the Fourth of July weekend at the same lake house where they once celebrated their greatest basketball victory. Though each man has gone his own separate way in life, they all come to realize that they still connect as friends, just like they did as kids.

Characters

Adam Sandler plays Lenny Feder, a successful Hollywood talent agent with an equally successful and gorgeous wife, Roxanne, played by Salma Hayek. Lenny and Roxanne have three extremely spoiled children who are accustomed to having everything how and when they want it. Kevin James portrays unemployed Eric Lamonsoff, who is married to Sally, played by Maria Bello. Sally is still breastfeeding their 4-year-old son. Kurt McKenzie, played by Chris Rock, is a stay-at-home dad with an overpowering, bread-winning wife, Deanne (Maya Rudolph) and a live-in mother-in-law who berates him. David Spade falls into the character Marcus Higgins as the group womanizer, and Rob Schneider plays Rob Hillard, a multi-divorced pacifist vegan in love with a woman 30 years his senior.

Storyline

Each character comes to the lake house carrying his own emotional baggage, but trying to cover his inadequacies with a facade. The men first have to get their own children outdoors and away from electronic entertainment, where they begin to connect with them in a traditional, fatherly way. Throughout the weekend, each man essentially comes to terms with the main struggle in his life, forcing himself to be honest and come clean before his friends and family. They spread the ashes of their beloved coach and return to the lake house to spend more quality time with their families. From telephones made out of cups and string to an afternoon at the water park, the families rediscover old-fashioned fun and togetherness. Lenny finds the opportunity to show his son true grace when he plays a grudge match basketball game against a childhood friend, and lets him win.

Awards

Grown Ups won the 2011 MTV Movie Award for the best line from a movie, "I want to get chocolate wasted!" Rob Schneider was nominated for the Razzie Award as the worst supporting actor while Adam Sandler was nominated for the Teen Choice Award for the category of Choice Summer Movie Star: Male.