“Grown Ups” shows five comedians interacting onscreen in ways that are partly comedic and somewhat nostalgic, but altogether revealing of the different directions a career can go in the film/comedy industry.

"Grown Ups"

At Quality 16 and Rave
Sony

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Despite this movie’s inclusion of four “Saturday Night Live” heavyweights, the plot fails to grab in any unforeseen way. You can ascertain the message of “Grown Ups” from watching the trailer. But if you yourself grew up loving Adam Sandler movies (“Happy Gilmore,” “Billy Madison,” “Big Daddy,” “The Waterboy” — the list goes on) you owe it to yourself to watch “Grown Ups” at some point.

The reason you should see it is because each of these comedians is closer to the end of his career than the beginning, and the window of opportunity for more Sandler movies as we’ve come to know and love them is shutting quickly.

Chris Rock is sort of the second ranking comedic officer to Sandler in this film. His combination of genuinely funny lines (yelled in his timeless Brooklyn accent) remind us that, even though the movie might have been merely an excuse for these five actors to hang out, Rock has still got it.

David Spade appears to be fine with playing a swinging bachelor once more, making crude jokes and providing the film with some of its more obscene dialogue. If Rock tried to use this film to show us all he’s still got some gas left in the tank, then Spade is telling us that he never actually wanted to be a “movie star.” He just gets paid to have fun.

Then there’s Rob Schneider. Bless his heart. The guy would follow Sandler to the end of the Earth, and his inclusion in this movie — as a relatively minor but completely idiotic character — will almost bring a tear to your eye if you're a Sandler movie fan, which never fail to include the plucky, perverted Schneider in some capacity.

Speaking of nostalgia for comedies past, if while watching Kevin James (“Paul Blart: Mall Cop”) — the only major cast member who wasn’t formerly employed by SNL — you’re hit with some odd form of depression, don’t feel alone.

James delivers a funny performance. That’s not the point. But the feeling will hit you on more than one occasion, like when his chubby frame collides with a tree on a rope swing, or maybe even when he pees in the pool. You’ll catch yourself thinking: “This should have been Chris Farley.” And you won’t be wrong.

It's Sandler who seems to understand this comedy the best out of the cast. He can feel the balance that any comedy needs, and we see it in “Grown Ups” as he attempts to assemble a diverse cast around him that interacts well, in ways that have worked for him for decades.

Sandler’s role in the film is central, but it feels more like he’s watching it with us, sitting next to us in the theater making fun of Schneider and Spade, than really trying to make us believe the story.

Even when this film tries to take itself too seriously, à la “Funny People,” we can still feel Sandler winking at us through the screen. For brief moments we’re reminded that no matter how old his face and his perspective may grow, somewhere in him there still resides a waterboy, a hockey-loving golfer and a millionaire who refused to grow up.