Grown Ups 2: Comparing It To The Original

Omar Yusuf

5 min read

Post on May 11, 2025

4.7

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Plot and Storylines: A Side-by-Side Look

Grown Ups, released in 2010, follows five childhood friends who reunite after the death of their beloved basketball coach. Their reunion triggers a wave of nostalgic memories and hilarious misadventures as they navigate adult life, dealing with family issues, career challenges, and the enduring bond of friendship. Key comedic moments include the disastrous school talent show and the numerous physical gags that define the Adam Sandler comedic style. Keywords like "family comedy," "Adam Sandler," "reunion," and "childhood friends" are central to the film's appeal.

Grown Ups 2, the 2013 sequel, shifts the setting to the small town where the friends grew up. While the core group of friends returns, this time their focus is on their kids and navigating the challenges of suburban life and high school antics. The sequel, while attempting to recapture the magic of the original with more "Adam Sandler movies"-style humor, introduces a new set of challenges and explores some evolving relationships.

• Similarities: Both films revolve around the enduring friendship of the five main characters, showcasing themes of family, loyalty, and second chances. The humor, while differing in style, still heavily features slapstick and physical comedy.
• Differences: The move to a small-town setting drastically alters the film's dynamic. The original Grown Ups focuses on a more straightforward adult-oriented plot, while Grown Ups 2 incorporates more elements of a high school comedy. The challenges faced by the characters shift from career and family issues to those more pertinent to suburban living. Character dynamics evolve, leading to differing interpersonal relationships within the group.

The Humor: A Shift in Comedic Style?

Grown Ups relies heavily on slapstick comedy, observational humor, and physical gags, creating a generally family-friendly atmosphere, even with some adult-leaning undertones. The humor is often broad and relies heavily on visual gags and exaggerated reactions. Keywords like "slapstick comedy," "adult humor," and "family-friendly comedy" perfectly encapsulate the approach.

Grown Ups 2, however, takes a noticeable turn towards more juvenile and arguably more "gross-out humor" than the original. The sequel utilizes more raunchy jokes and scenarios, pushing the boundaries of what constitutes "family-friendly comedy," making it more akin to other "sequel comedy" trends. This shift in comedic style resulted in a less universally appealing comedic approach.

• Effectiveness of Jokes: While Grown Ups enjoys a more consistent level of humor, Grown Ups 2's jokes have a mixed success rate, with some falling flat while others elicit laughs.
• Target Audience: Grown Ups caters to a wider audience with its generally milder humor, while Grown Ups 2's more raunchy elements make it more appealing to a younger, more tolerant audience of crude humor.
• Comedy Style: Grown Ups balances physical comedy with dialogue-driven humor, while Grown Ups 2 leans more heavily on physical comedy and absurd situations.

Character Development: Have They Grown?

In Grown Ups, we see glimpses of character growth, with the characters confronting unresolved issues from their past. Although subtle, their interactions reveal personal evolution and maturation. Keywords such as "character growth," "character arc," and "Adam Sandler's characters" highlight this aspect of the film.

Grown Ups 2, however, falls short in the character development department. While the characters face new challenges, their overall personality traits and arcs remain largely unchanged from the original film. This lack of "sequel character development" or significant "character progression" makes them feel somewhat stagnant.

• Changes in Individual Characters: While some minor changes are noticeable, most characters lack significant evolution throughout Grown Ups 2.
• Impact of Relationships: Relationships within the group still heavily influence the actions of each character, but these relationships don't lead to substantial personality shifts.
• Realism and Believability: The characters' behaviors and actions maintain the exaggerated tone prevalent in Adam Sandler's comedic films, occasionally hindering their believability.

Critical Reception and Box Office Performance: A Commercial Success?

Grown Ups received mixed reviews upon its release but proved a massive box office success, appealing to a wide audience with its blend of nostalgia and broad comedy. Keywords like "box office success," "critical acclaim," and "audience reviews" summarize its performance.

Grown Ups 2, on the other hand, fared significantly worse with critics, receiving even more negative reviews than its predecessor. Despite this, it still generated a considerable amount of revenue at the box office. "Box office performance," "critical response," and "audience ratings" provide a clearer picture of this contrasting reception.

• Box Office Gross: While both films were financially successful, Grown Ups significantly outperformed its sequel.
• Review Aggregator Scores: Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic scores showcase a noticeable drop in critical acclaim for Grown Ups 2.
• Audience Ratings: Audience ratings on IMDb and other platforms reveal a similar trend, with Grown Ups enjoying higher ratings overall.

Conclusion: The Verdict on Grown Ups 2

In comparing Grown Ups 2 to the original, it's clear that the sequel, while commercially successful, fails to recapture the magic of its predecessor. While the core cast remains a source of comedic entertainment, the shift towards a more juvenile humor, coupled with a lack of significant character development, detracts from the overall experience. Grown Ups 2 ultimately falls short of expectations, failing to deliver a worthy sequel that lives up to the original's charm. The Grown Ups franchise, while entertaining in its own right, reveals a pattern of diminishing returns with its sequels.

Share your thoughts on Grown Ups 2! Which Grown Ups movie did you prefer? Discuss your favorite Grown Ups moments in the comments below.