Grown Ups 2 Blu-ray + DVD Review (1 Viewer)

[Timothy E]

Grown Ups 2 Blu-ray + DVD Review

Something feels missing in Grown Ups 2. Is it Rob Schneider? Whatever it may be, Adam Sandler's first sequel in his career is a follow up to his commercially successful and critically panned Grown Ups (2010). Most of the cast from the original return for this film, but this is unfortunately one sequel that definitely demonstrates the law of diminishing returns that applies to most film series.

Studio: Sony

Distributed By: N/A

Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HDMA, French 5.0 DD, French 5.0 DTS-HDMA

Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish, French

Rating: PG-13

Run Time: 1 Hr. 41 Min.

Package Includes: Blu-ray, DVD, UltraViolet

Amaray

Disc Type: BD50 (dual layer)

Region: ABC

Release Date: 11/05/2013

MSRP: $40.99

The Production Rating: 2/5

In Grown Ups (2010), five childhood friends reunited in their hometown to attend a funeral service for their high school basketball coach. The friends consisted of Lenny(Adam Sandler), Erik(Kevin James), Kurt(Chris Rock), Marcus(David Spade), and Rob(Rob Schneider). Various hijinks ensued as the friends brought their wives and families and spend the July 4th weekend together, and Lenny and his wife Roxanne(Salma Hayek) made the decision to relocate back to his hometown.In Grown Ups 2 (2013), Lenny and Roxanne have settled with their children into a routine which is anything but routine. The story arc this time around consists of Lenny and Roxanne debating whether to have another child, with some subplots that never seem to develop fully. This is the framework for the film which consists of a string of loosely connected character sketches of interactions among the characters with gags that are hit or miss.I like Adam Sandler but it must be said that Grown Ups 2 is not one of his better films. Grown Ups (2010) may not have been a contender as Best Picture of 2010, but it did have some good laughs in what was basically a comedic take on The Big Chill. The big difference is that Grown Ups did a serviceable job of bringing the funny, whereas the sequel delivers about half as much as its predecessor. On the plus side, most of Sandler's crew of friends and colleagues pop up in this film, from director Dennis Dugan to Nick Swardson, Steve Buscemi and others. Shaquille O'Neal joins this club as a classmate who has "grown up" to become a police officer.

Ball Pop

http://video.sonypictures.com/homevideo/grownups2/pop.mov

Hands In The Air

http://video.sonypictures.com/homevideo/grownups2/air.mov

Video Rating: 4.5/5 3D Rating: NA

The movie is in 1080p high definition in its theatrical 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The picture quality is excellent on this Blu-ray release. Blacks are solid, colors are vibrant and film grain is minimal to non-existent. Fine detail is exquisite, as expected from 4K source material.

Audio Rating: 4/5

The English 5.1 DTS-HD MA track delivers punch with the musical portions with good bass and excellent dynamic range. Dialogue is always appropriately audible over music and sound effects. The audio may not bring to mind reference quality but there are no apparent flaws.

Special Features Rating: 3/5

The special features include all of the following:Deleted Scenes(6:28): Consist of 8 different scenes that may be viewed individually or with the "play all" selection.Look Who Stopped By(4:26): This featurette reviews the actors in this film who are veterans of other Adam Sandler films.The Feder House(1:30): Director Dennis Dugan narrates footage of the construction of the soundstage on location.Mr. Spade’s Wild Ride(2:10): David Spade offers his thoughts during filming of the "tire scene."Shaq and Dante: Police Force(1:53): Shaquille O’Neal and Peter Dante behind the scenes during filming.Trailers for White House Down (2:37), One Direction: This Is Us(1:42), After Earth (2:38), and Last Vegas (2:31) appear by default after the disc is loaded and prior to the main menu. These trailers are also included in the Previews menu of the special features, as is The Mortal Instruments (2:31).Also included is a second disc with DVD version of the film as well as an Ultraviolet activation code for those viewers who enjoy streaming from "the cloud."

Hugs Not Drugs

http://video.sonypictures.com/homevideo/grownups2/hugs_1200_640x480_mov.mov

Overall Rating: 2/5

Grown Ups 2 is a serviceable but unexceptional sequel to the funnier Grown Ups (2010). There are some laughs to be had, and it is always fun to see Adam Sandler's repertory group of actors get together, even if the material here is not what it might have been. The video and audio are without apparent flaws, and the special features, while minimal, are actually interesting viewing. Grown Ups 2 is recommended for devout Adam Sandler completists but possibly not for everyone else. This reviewer usually enjoys Adam Sandler films but this one falls short of the standard set by Grown Ups (2010). Take that for what it is worth. If you liked the first one, you might enjoy this sequel. On the other hand, if you were disappointed with Grown Ups, then Grown Ups 2 is not likely to persuade you differently.

Reviewed By: Timothy E

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[Adam Gregorich]

I really liked Grown Ups. My wife and I saw Grown Ups 2 in the theater and agree that it didn't live up to the first one.