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Groan men

The term "boondoggle" can mean many things. Generally, it's any kind of wasteful activity either intentionally or unintentionally masquerading as work. More commonly, it's used to refer to extravagant business trips that are thinly-veiled vacations. The word is typically bandied about by corporate execs who simply must examine the latest stock figures while sipping Mai Tais off a yacht in Cabo. But at least when the CEOs do it, the rest of us don't have to watch. When celebrities indulge in such activities, we get pricey duds like "Couples Retreat" and "Ocean's 12". The Adam Sandler comedy "Grown Ups" is basically a movie about a bunch of funny guys improv'ing their way through the thinnest of plots. And it plays like watching someone else's vacation footage.

Ostensibly written by Mr. Sandler and "Joe Dirt" scribe Fred Wolf, "Grown Ups" reunites five elementary school buddies for the funeral of their beloved basketball coach. The threadbare script quickly sets up its one-note characters with easily definable traits. Mr. Sandler plays "the most high-powered agent in Hollywood" (we know because that's literally his first line), but his kids have become entitled brats. Kevin James is a devoted family man with an overactive bladder (really). Chris Rock is a house-husband who gets no respect from his family. David Spade is the unmarried one who drinks. And Rob Schneider is the melodramatic one with a penchant for (much) older women.

Listing the characters' names is unimportant - I defy anyone who sees the movie to name even two of the characters. Each actor is basically playing his typical well-worn persona. Only Mr. Rock plays a bit against type, and never quite finds his footing. On the other hand, Mr. James shows some real heart in a role that could've been nothing but pratfalls. And by then end, each character learns the type of minor life-lesson that occurs when a film is over-stuffed with actors and nothing is at stake (don't hide things from your wife, family is more important than work, eat a good breakfast, etc). There's even a "group hug" scene in which they all confess secrets. Well, that was easy.

With not much to hold an audience's attention, Adam Sandler go-to director Dennis Dugan relies on non-stop, scattershot gags from the obvious (the kids are taught the word "wasted") to the more obvious (a flatulent grandma? Really?). A few hit (slapping Rob Schneider - always funny), most miss (poor Maria Bello and the constant lactation humor). The rest fall with a thud. Despite its best efforts, "Grown Ups" can't achieve that tightrope walk between crass humor and sappy heart that Judd Apatow has all but monopolized recently.

I'm not saying stars don't deserve a vacation (it can't be easy to keep us schlubs entertained). But if you're going to go someplace warm and relax with your friends, then do that. Don't wrap it up and call it a movie. Either work or don't. In this case, "Grown Ups" might actually be more work for the audience than the actors.