Entertainment : From the Front row of the Balcony: \'Grown-ups\' crude but at times inspiring

Each time I write one of these reviews (this is only my fourth one) I have taken a different approach.

With "Grown-ups," this is the first movie that I have read reviews on before seeing for myself.

And based on the reviews, I was expecting a possibly very horrible show.

"Grown-Ups" — with Rob Schneider, Kevin James, David Spade, Chris Rock and Adam Sandler — only has a 10 percent positive rating on the Rotten Tomatoes web site, an average critic's rating of 3.4 out of 10.

Here are a few of the adjectives used by people who actually consider themselves to be film critics when describing "Grown-Ups" : lazy, pervasively inconsequential, sloppy, puerile and aggressively stupid, loutish and benignly crude.

The Monday night Vinton Palace audience, however, did not seem to agree with the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

They laughed — often hysterically — throughout the movie.

Even I laughed at times. (Although at other times I just shook my head while others laughed.)

"Grown-Ups" is one part inspirational family comedy and three parts "crude and sexual humor."

If you have ever watched any movie featuring these actors, you knew going in what to expect: Bathroom humor. Crude attempts at sexual humor. Fall-down comedy — we used to call it "slapstick."

If that's what you want in a movie, you won't be disappointed.

A 40-something man making out with his 60-something (or older) wife. A 4-year-old boy breast-feeding. Jokes about peeing in a pool. Jokes about farting. More jokes about peeing. More jokes about farting. More peeing. More farting. A group of 40-somethings ogling a 21-year-old. A group of 10-year-olds ogling the same woman. More pee. More farts. More ogling. More breast-feeding of the 4-year-old.

But despite all of that, the movie contains an almost- compelling, at times entertaining and even almost-inspiring message.

Here's the story: The five main characters won their middle school basketball coach his only championship ever in 1970-something. Thirty years later, after having achieved significantly differing levels of success and maturity in life, the five come together for that coach's funeral. During an extended July 4 weekend, they remember what their coach taught them, and finally learn some lessons.

After reading the reviews, I was hoping — but not expecting — for something more than one part inspiration and 3 parts crude, sexual humor.

The story does have a positive message about learning what matters in life. Maybe someday, the actors in "Grown-ups" will actually grow up, and amaze us with their acting, and not how loutish they can be while trying to get laughs. And maybe the Cubs will win the World Series.

But not this year. Not for the Cubs and not for the guys of "Grown-ups."

Why you should go: Even a grump like me found the movie funny at times, despite the needless redundancy of the crude humor.

What you should know before you go: If you have decided to go to a movie because it features Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, Kevin James and David Spade, you're not going to let anything in this paragraph keep you away. These actors worked hard for that PG-13 rating.

My favorite part: Two words: "We're normal?"