PG-13. 102 minutes.

Columbia Pictures. Director: Dennis Dugan. Cast: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, David Spade, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, Steve Buscemi, Mario Bello, Salma Hayek.

Grown Ups is a mindless comedy that still manages to score, due to the sheer star power of its cast.

The plot is a simple one: 5 friends from middle school have a reunion 30 years later when their old basketball coach dies. They meet together at a lake house resort where they had won the last game they played with their coach.  Adam Sandler is the successful guy from Hollywood and his wife is a fashion designer played by Salma Hayek (who still looks incredible). Kevin James is the all over family man with a wife (Mario Bello) who still breast feeds their 4 year old son. Rob Schneider is a cultish massage therapist married to a MUCH older women. Surprisingly there are some laughs with this relationship but it steers away from vulgarity and even progresses into a real and meaningful relationship between them. Schneider also has 3 daughters from previous marriages, 2 of which are knock out models and provide eye candy and some amusing moments in the film. Chris Rock is the stay at home dad and David Spade is the single man who still likes playing the field with the ladies.

Our heroes are everyday men in their mid 40s, who are still just kids at heart. The movie is very laid back and shows our friends bonding again after such a long time apart and having a good time with their families. They play a number of pranks like swinging across a river with a rope (resulting in a big ouch for Kevin James), shooting an arrow into the air and then trying to dodge it, (painful results again for Rob Scheinder) and all out fun at a water park with the kids, (wherein Steve Buscemi ends up in a body cast).

Rob Scheinder has the funniest moments involving his 73 year old wife and 2 hot model daughters. I personally think Scheinder is an underrated comic actor — everything I have seen him in has made me laugh my ass off. I would love to see him score a hit of his own and become a leading man one of these days.

The other characters just plod along and do their jobs well to produce an overall heartwarming and funny comedy.  This is not a film that warrants repeat viewings, but its a good night out at the movies and fun for the whole family for sure. 2/5 stars