'Grown Ups 2' Review & Trailer: Sequel is a Drag, Critics Say
Adam Sandler, David Spade, Chris Rock and Kevin James are back for the sequel to 2010's Grown Ups.
In the second installment, Lenny (Sandler) and his family move back to his hometown from Los Angeles. His old buddies, Eric (James), Kurt (Rock) and a single Marcus (Spade) are also living on the same block he moves to.
Several story lines arise throughout the film, including Marcus's encounter with a son he didn't know he had and Lenny's dismay that his wife Roxanne (Salma Hayek) wants another child. Eric feels his wife Sally (Maria Bello) is neglecting him while Kurt is honored by his spouse Deanne (Maya Rudolph) for remembering their 20th anniversary. Their tribulations and monotonous lives lead to Lenny's humorous '80s-themed party.
But, critics aren't amused by his fiesta or the film.
"This is pap, plain and simple: scattered raunch-lite devoid of emotional resonance. At best, it sells itself on the spectacle of a TV show's cast reunion - and even then it disappoints," The New York Times wrote in its Thursday review.
The New York Daily News is in agreement. In it's Thursday review, the newspaper said the movie doesn't contain an actual plot and its predictable.
"You know what you're going to get, and that is, indeed, what Sandler delivers. It's juvenile, it's obvious and it's crass. But with Sandler at the helm, at least it's as easy to like as it is to forget," it said.
Other critics also feel the movie focuses too much on crude jokes.
"Instead, it offers a succession of humorless gross-out gags, fat jokes, suggestive posturing, bullying, belches and pratfalls. Life is simple -- and gross -- in Sandlerville," USA Today wrote on Thursday.
Still, with Sandler's presence in the project, critics agree that it's likely to gross millions. The prequel, for example, brought in more than $271 million worldwide.
Directed by Dennis Dugan, Grown Ups 2 is in theaters on Friday.
