Grown Ups 2 is definitely a hangout movie, but that is also a difficult way to describe the movie, as most Sandler movies are hangout films by design. I did see the first one long ago, and though it I didn’t like it, there was a loose camping plot. GL: Wow, yes, that is a good summation of this film. Were you able to find any bright spots in this deer piss-soaked misadventure? Why do you think Sandler and company decided to make this sequel beyond the possibility of another huge payday? And sometimes that’s fine! I don’t mind the occasional plotless comedy as long as the jokes are good enough and the cast works well enough together, or the characters are likable enough. Whatever narrative threads it tries to weave between its lame scenes are inconsequential and never maintain any stakes of any importance. Grown Ups 2, however, never even tries to justify its existence. Even the original Grown Ups “worked” as a loose hangout comedy and at least had an arc it could revolve around in the gang’s childhood coach dying. And I would agree that, as terrible as films like Jack and Jill are, there are still flashes of humor to be found. Also, after comedian Tom Scharpling shared his Grown Ups 3 script, it sparked my interest even more.īS: I think your experience with Sandler has been fairly universal, so I understand that. I’ve wanted to watch Grown Ups 2 for a while now after hearing about the clip of Shaquille O’Neal throwing a guy over a roof from the Doughboys podcast. I’ve been surprised by a lot of things I found funny in films like Jack and Jill, but also there are also plenty of things that just didn’t age well. In the last couple of years, I’ve revisited the Sandler films I’ve missed in the last two decades and other Happy Madison films. Punch Drunk Love is also one of my favorite movies. I followed Sandler closely throughout the 1990s (I even liked Little Nicky), and then I stopped watching his films sometime after Click although I did see You Don’t Mess With The Zohan and loved it. Aside from Dumb & Dumber, those were huge for me as a little comedy nerd. Greg Lindberg: When I was a kid, I was a pretty big Saturday Night Live fan, and I remember seeing Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore in the theater with my dad. Were you ever a fan of his? Had you seen the film previously, or its prequel? Grown Ups 2 has such a notorious reputation, even amongst the rest of the filth that is Happy Madison, so tell me what drew you to a discussion on this film in particular. First, tell me a little about your background with Adam Sandler and Happy Madison films in general. Today, we’re cliff-diving - naked - into the depths of cinematic hell that is Grown Ups 2.īen Sears: Greg, thanks very much for joining me on this oversized-tire ride through what is surely the nadir of many formidable actors’ careers.
This week, we continue Happy Valley with another Very Special Episode, featuring a roundtable discussion with Greg Lindberg (host of the Fresh Questions? Air podcast and contributor to Midwest Film Journal).
But do they truly represent the nadir in the career of one of comedy’s once-brightest stars? Are there any hidden or underrated gems? Is there such a thing as too few fart jokes? Will I retain any sense of sanity by the end of this? Join me and find out, as we venture to the Happy Valley. Over the years his films have slowly morphed into a pariah on the landscape of big budget studio comedies, becoming thinly veiled excuses for lavish vacations. How did it come to this? At the height of his power in Hollywood in 1999, Adam Sandler founded his own production company as a way to continue making the movies he enjoys.
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