Grown up's a Films by Dennis Dugan Starring Adam Sandler & Salma Hayek****

Cameras and mikes lined the blue carpet at the Ziegfeld Theater where "Grown Ups" premiered on June 23, 2010. We interviewed Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, and Colin Quinn, along with many of the actors who played sons and daughters of the five main characters (i.e. Ada-Nicole Sanger and Jake Goldberg). We also interviewed surprise guests like the legendary singer/songwriter Neil Diamond and the sexy Sonja Morgan from The Real Housewives of New York City. The day was a scorching 92 degrees and there was no avoiding the blistering heat, even for the ladies wearing close to nothing. Breezy dresses and tiny rompers in light colors fluttered across the carpet, but with the cameras and lights adding to the heat, they were of little consolation. Fortunately the inside of the theater was cool, and everyone knows cold is one of two aspects necessary for comedy – the other is booze. Luckily, I brought a flask.
Ada-Nicole Sanger is a blonde, stocky, all-American girl. Her poise on the red carpet was admirable, yet her manner slightly affected, a shortcoming that will surely subside with age and experience. Sanger told us that "Grown Ups" is her first major film and it was a blast. The most memorable moment for her, as well as for all the other kids we interviewed, was the water park scene in which everybody was forced to go on some very steep slides, despite any fear of heights they may have been nurturing. Sanger said that the biggest obstacle she faced during shoots was keeping a straight face. She wore a light pink baby-doll dress that she had co-designed.

Jake Goldberg played Adam Sandler's son, and said it was a pleasure working with Sandler and Dennis Dugan, the film's director. According to Goldberg, Dugan is serious when he needs to be, but his style is overwhelmingly laid-back. Chris Rock commented on the difference between stand-up and film – stand-up is more fun because it's just you, one-on-one with the audience, but film is where the money's at. Neil Diamond said he had worked with Dugan before and the experience had been great. Sonja Morgan spoke animatedly about her new toaster-oven cookbook and sex book. Don’t hold your breath for the sex book, the cookbook is coming out first. Morgan wore a golden-nude dress that she had gotten a great deal on.
"Grown Ups" relies a lot on slapstick humor, much like Adam Sandler's other films. The families are entirely dysfunctional, with children still breast-feeding at "48 months," asking for Voss water at a diner, and driving daddy's car into a patio table. Exaggerated sound effects are used generously whenever a character gets slapped, whacked, crunched, or slammed. The main characters, although hitting middle age, have never entirely grown up. By playing on the dichotomy between child-like children and equally child-like adults, the comedy explores the worn-out theme of immature minds in adult bodies.