VOD Spotlight: “Grown Ups” stars take their families on a working vacation

By Elaine Bergstrom
In the film Grown Ups, a group of old friends get together for a vacation for the first time in 30 years. The film’s stars, including Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, Salma Hayek, Maya Rudolph and others, have also known each other for years. It wasn’t hard to get them to sign on, particularly when the filming turned into a family affair.

“Adam’s whole idea was that everyone would bring their families and we’d all have a nice summer at the lake house,” director Dennis Dugan says. “It was one of the best summers of my life. Because everyone knew everyone else so well, it was like going to a really great party. Adam really wanted that kind of atmosphere to come across in the movie.”

As Rudolph puts it, “It’s a movie about old friends played by people who really are old friends. You can see that history come out in the relationships.”

“Adam created something special for all of us,” notes Hayek. “All of our children are about the same age, and mostly girls, and they all bonded immediately. It was really a family environment — it was perfect.”

“We wanted the whole movie to have a nostalgic feel and element to it,” says production designer Perry Andelin Blake. “Everything harks back to a simpler time. The movie really is about getting back to family, roots and being together with people.”

“Grown Ups” is now showing on Video On Demand. Check your cable system for availability.

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