Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (2015) - James returns with welcome low-brow shenanigans

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Star Kevin James seemingly runs atop the roof of a major Las Vegas hotel on this chuckle-worthy poster for Andy Fickman's Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2

Blart is regaining his footing after a very quick divorce, when he gets invited to a mall cop conference in Las Vegas, - and of course he elects to bring his daughter along.

 

Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 is written by co-writer/co-producer/star Kevin James (Zookeeper (2011)) and Nick Bakay (Mom (2013-21)) and directed by Andy Fickman (She's the Man (2006)). It is the sequel to Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) by Steve Carr.

- Turns out there are some mean types in Vegas, who are after some art in the major hotel Wynn Las Vegas, - and it is all naturally enormously silly. At times the connections between events here are almost completely lost, but at the same time Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 is an irresistible low-brow comedy, and James' physical brand of comedy is particularly fun here. Gary Valentine (Jack and Jill (2011)) also amuses as a veteran mall cop, and Neal McDonough (Apex (2021)) deserves praise for an altogether ludicrous villain's performance here that's hysterical. Raini Rodriguez (Rekindling Christmas (2020)) as Blart's daughter is also cute. 

Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 is intellectually low-ceilinged to be sure but damned charming and funnier than you think!

 

Watch a trailer for the movie here

 

Cost: Reportedly 38 mil. $ (different accounts)

Box office: 107.5 mil. $

= Box office success (returned 2.82 times its cost)

[Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 was released 9 April (Germany) and runs 94 minutes. Shooting took place from April - June 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada and in Florida. The film was the first to attain Nevada's film tax rebate, reportedly netting it 4.3 mil. $ returned. James reportedly accepted a pay cut to reduce the budget size. The film opened #2, behind holdover hit Furious 7, to a 23.7 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed in the top 5 for another 3 weekends (#2-#4-#5), grossing 71 mil. $ (66 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Germany with 6.1 mil. $ (5.7 %) and Mexico with 5.6 mil. $ (5.2 %). The film additionally made an estimated 12.4 mil. $ on the North-American home video market alone. Talks of another sequel haven't yet come to fruition. Fickman returned with 7 TV credits prior to his theatrical return Playing with Fire (2019). James returned in Liv and Maddie (2015, TV-series) and theatrically in Pixels (2015). Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 is rotten at 6 % with a 3/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2?

Hotel Transylvania (2012) - Latest comedian as super villain animation comedy

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Humorous character takes on classic horror villains fill up this cheerful poster for Genndy Tartakovsky's Hotel Transylvania

A human male gets into Count Dracula's Hotel Transylvania by accident, a hotel exclusively for super villains, where humans are feared, and the guy Johnny falls for Dracula's daughter Mavis.

 

Hotel Transylvania is written by Peter Baynham (Arthur Christmas (2011)) and Robert Smigel (Jack and Jill (2011)), with Todd Durham (Tales of the Third Dimension (1984)), Dan Hageman and Kevin Hageman (The Lego Movie (2014), both)) contributing story elements, and directed by debuting Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip, TV movie  (1999)).

Adam Sandler (Blended (2014)) here follows in the footsteps of his peer funny-men Steve Carell and Will Ferrell with an animated role as a super villain, although in a film that might score under the similar roles from his two colleagues, (the superior Despicable Me (2010) and sequels and Megamind (2010), the latter of which is arguably as good as Hotel Transylvania.)

The animation is good-looking, and some of the jokes and gags amuse, (many, - though they are kept tasteful, - are only meant for the film's adult audiences.) The story places weight on some nice values. It is colorful, silly fun and rumpus; light, musical escapism and feel-good fun, mostly based on Universal Pictures catalog of monsters, which have been rendered without their frightening sides. Sometimes the characters fly around in order to give the audiences something for their 3D bucks, - but one must look far for a story-related reason behind these sequences. Still Hotel Transylvania is fairly good entertainment, which is sure to excite especially children.

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 85-104 mil. $ (different reports)

Box office: 358.3 mil. $

= Big hit (returned 3.79 times its cost)

[Hotel Transylvania premiered 8 September (Toronto International Film Festival) and runs 91 minutes. Production took place in California. The film opened #1 to a 42.5 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 4 weekends in the Top 5 (#2-#4-#4-#3), grossing 148.3 mil. $ (41.4 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Brazil with 15.4 mil. $ (4.3 %) and Spain with 15.1 mil. $ (4.2 %). The film was nominated for a Golden Globe. The film spun 2 more theatrical releases and a 4th film as VoD. Tartakovsky returned with Goodnight Mr. Foot (2012, short) and theatrically with Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015). Sandler returned in Jessie (2013, TV-series) and theatrically in Grown Ups 2 (2013), prior to his Hotel Transylvania return, along with almost all of the other voice actor stars. Hotel Transylvania is rotten at 44 % with a 5.40/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Hotel Transylvania?

Grown Ups (2010) - Sandler & Co. look turgid in film with solely commercial appeal

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Five middle-aged male comedians in a water slide screaming make up this poster for Dennis Dugan's Grown Ups

Five childhood friends meet again as adults, when their high school basketball coach 'the Buzzer' passes away, and they decide to have a weekend vacation around the 4th of July.

 

Grown Ups is written by co-writer/co-producer/co-star Adam Sandler (Reign over Me (2007)) and Fred Wolf (Joe Dirt (2001)) and directed by Dennis Dugan (Problem Child (1990)).

In spite of the prominent funny-men (minus David Spade (Entourage (2015))) and comedienne Maya Rudolph (Sisters (2015)), Grown Ups is surprisingly unfunny. Bad jokes are mixed with vulgar or simplistic slapstick. Everyone: Maria Bello (Abduction (2011)), Salma Hayek (Traffic (2000)), Tim Meadows (Aliens in the Attic (2009)) and Steve Buscemi (Rampart (2011)) included, - look a little bit dumber for appearing in this immature, - immature in the bad way, - strained low-brow burp.

Grown Ups is a dopey product, and it seems a blatantly cynical (or is it merely dumb?) paycheck job. The characters laugh more than plenty in Grown Ups, but as audiences there's not much to grin at concerning these non-characters' outing.

 

Related post:

 

Dennis Dugan: I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007) - James and Sandler marry in Dugan's crude, wrongfully maligned buddy-comedy

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 80 mil. $

Box office: 271.4 mil. $

= Big hit (returned 3.39 times its cost)

[Grown Ups premiered 24 June (Australia, Iceland) and runs 102 minutes. Sandler earned 25 mil. $ from the film. Shooting took place in Los Angeles and Massachusetts, including Boston, from May - August 2009. The film opened #2, behind holdover hit Toy Story 3, to a 40.5 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 2 weekends in the top 5 (#4-#4) and grossed 162 mil. $ (59.7 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Germany with 18.2 mil. $ (6.7 %) and the UK with 12.1 mil. $ (4.5 %). Sandler bought his four male co-stars new Maserati sports cars to celebrate the film's success. Roger Ebert gave the film a 2/4 star review, translating to a notch over this one. Dugan returned to direct almost the entire cast for sequel Grown Ups 2 (2013), also a hit. Dugan returned first with Just Go With It (2011). Sandler also returned in Just Go With It (2011); Kevin James (Pixels (2015)) in The Dilemma (2011); and Chris Rock (Panther (1995)) in Two Days in New York (2012). Grown Ups is rotten at 11 % with a 3.50/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Grown Ups?