12 Comedy Movies Like Grown Ups You Must See

Directed by Dennis Dugan, ‘Grown Ups’ revolves around five childhood friends who reunite after three decades following the death of their junior high basketball coach. Lenny Feder is a successful Hollywood talent agent, Eric Lamonsoff co-owns a lawn furniture company, Kurt McKenzie is a stay-at-home father, Marcus Higgins is a slacker and womanizer, and Rob Hilliard keeps himself occupied with his fourth wife, who is far older than he is. Apart from Marcus, everyone is married and has children of their own. At the funeral service, the men decide to get together at a lake house and give their families a chance to bond over the Fourth of July weekend.

The shenanigans prove that age does not mean maturity in all cases. From the mind of Adam Sandler, the buddy comedy film guarantees a bellyache of laughter. If you adore light-hearted fun stories where grown people can unburden themselves from the tiresome work of adulting and simply let loose, here are some more films similar to ‘Grown Ups’ that you can consider for your next watch.

12. Couples Retreat (2009)

‘Couples Retreat’ marks the directorial debut of Peter Billingsley and follows four couples, all of whom are experiencing trouble in paradise. Upon the insistence of one couple who are having trouble conceiving, all four go on a retreat on a tropical island called Eden. Some of them focus on the mandatory therapy at the place, while others simply intend to enjoy the sun. However, the therapy starts to have the intended impact, and soon, many apparent problems between the relationships of the four couples come to light. Like ‘Grown Ups,’ the film’s narrative traces a humorous journey of self-discovery among adults living a family life.

11. Hall Pass (2011)

Brothers Peter and Bobby Farrelly helmed ‘Hall Pass,’ a film about best friends Rick Mills (Owen Wilson) and Fred Searing (Jason Sudeikis), who have been married for a long time and feel the spark dying in their respective relationships. In an effort to revitalize their marriages, their wives, Maggie (Jenna Fischer) and Grace (Christina Applegate), give them a hall pass to get together with whomever they want for one week, and apply the same for themselves. While the men are overjoyed at first, things do not go as well as they expected. The film depicts middle-aged men trying to relive their younger lives for a short period of time, much like ‘Grown Ups.’

10. That’s My Boy (2012)

‘That’s My Boy’ by Sean Anders centers around Donny Berger (Adam Sandler), who has an illegitimate relationship with his middle-school teacher as a teenager and fathers a son, Han Solo Berger (Andy Samberg). As the teacher goes to prison for getting involved with a minor, Donny brings up his son as a very young single father. Decades later, Donny grows up to be a broke alcoholic who owes $43,000 in back taxes to the IRS. Meanwhile, his son becomes a successful businessman, is about to marry his fiancée, and has changed his name to Todd Peterson to avoid any connection with his parents. When a producer offers Donny a lump sum of money to reunite on camera with his family, he reappears in Todd’s life without prior notice, and chaos ensues. Apart from the silly comedy that characterizes the film, Donny’s relationship with his teacher also brings to mind Rob Hillard’s relationships in ‘Grown Ups.’

9. Road Trip (2000)

Todd Phillips’ directorial debut film ‘Road Trip’ follows Josh Parker (Breckin Meyer), who is in a relationship with his childhood sweetheart Tiffany Henderson (Rachel Blanchard). After going off to different colleges and taking their relationship long distance, Josh unwittingly videotapes himself sleeping with another girl one night and mails the tape to Tiffany the next day. Realizing his mistake, he embarks on a 1,800-mile road trip from Ithaca, New York, to Austin, Texas, to save his relationship. Like the adults of ‘Grown Ups,’ the college students get into crazy adventures on the way.

8. Role Models (2008)

Directed by David Wain, ‘Role Models’ is about energy drink salesmen Danny (Paul Rudd) and Wheeler (Seann William Scott), who trash their company truck in an attempt to free it while being towed. As punishment, the court offers them a choice between thirty days in prison or 150 hours of community service over as many days. Choosing the latter leads to a mentoring program, where they are paired with a lovelorn teenager Augie Farks (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and foul-mouthed fifth-grader Ronnie Shields (Bobb’e J. Thompson). The nurturing relationship that the two develop with the kids is reminiscent of how the adults in ‘Grown Ups’ come closer to their children over the course of a weekend.

7. The Benchwarmers (2006)

Another film by Dennis Dugan, ‘The Benchwarmers,’ revolves around three adult nerds who have always wanted to play baseball but have never had the opportunity. Thus, upon seeing a timid kid and his friends being bullied off the pitch by a mean group of youngsters, Gus Matthews (Rob Schneider), Richie Goodman (David Spade), and Clark Reedy (Jon Heder) intervene. After playing a game for the pitch, the nerds win and are allowed to stay. Soon, the trio becomes role models for shy, nerdy, and athletically challenged youngsters as they keep playing and winning games. Like ‘Grown Ups,’ the three leading adults in ‘The Benchwarmers’ are seen fulfilling a childhood desire with the games, and embodying the same spirit as that of the youngsters.

6. Horrible Bosses (2011)

‘Horrible Bosses’ by Seth Gordon chronicles three friends, Nick Hendricks (Jason Bateman), Dale Arbus (Charlie Day), and Kurt Buckman (Jason Sudeikis), who suffer at their respective workplaces under the oppression of their employers. One night after getting drunk, the trio comes up with the idea of permanently putting their employers into the ground. Under advice from dubious ex-con Dean Jones (Jamie Foxx), they set out to turn their idea into reality, but discover that doing it is far more difficult than talking about it. Similar to ‘Grown Ups,’ the men in ‘Horrible Bosses’ seek meaningful change in their lives, but choose a very different method to achieve it.

5. Daddy’s Home (2015)

Helmed by Sean Anders, ‘Daddy’s Home’ follows Brad Whitaker (Will Ferrell), a mild-mannered radio executive who tries to be a great father figure in the lives of his stepchildren. However, when his wife’s tough-guy ex-husband, Dusty Mayron (Mark Wahlberg), shows up at his doorstep, he feels insecure about his position. Things are not helped by Dusty stating his intention of driving Brad out of his home and away from the family. The two inevitably get drawn into a contest of one-upmanship, resulting in hilarious situations, reminiscent of ‘Grown Ups.’

4. Tag (2018)

Based on a true story, ‘Tag’ marks the feature directorial debut of Jeff Tomsic and is about five friends who have been playing a game of tag since 1983. Among Hogan Malloy (Ed Helms), Bob Callahan (Jon Hamm), Randy Cilliano (Jake Johnson), Kevin Sable (Hannibal Buress), and Jerry Pierce (Jeremy Renner), Jerry is the only one who has never been tagged over the years. Learning that he is about to quit the game at the end of the year after getting married, the team gets together for one last attempt to tap the ever elusive player. The chaos created by middle-aged men getting heavily invested in a children’s game is the same energy that is seen in ‘Grown Ups.’

3. The Hangover (2009)

The first installment of the eponymous trilogy, ‘The Hangover’ by Todd Phillips, tells the story of four friends, Phil Wenneck (Bradley Cooper), Stu Price (Ed Helms), Alan Garner (Zach Galifianakis), and Doug Billings (Justin Bartha), who travel to Las Vegas for the latter’s bachelor party. Staying in a suite at Caesars Palace and drinking Jägermeister on the rooftop, the party soon gets out of hand. When the three groomsmen wake up the next morning, they have no recollection of the previous night, and Doug is nowhere to be seen. Instead, they find a Bengal tiger in the bathroom and a baby in the closet. With the wedding getting close, the trio embarks on a mission to locate Doug by trying to retrace their steps. The bond they build on the way is comparable to the ones shared by the friends in ‘Grown Ups.’

2. American Pie: Reunion (2012)

Helmed by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, ‘American Pie: Reunion’ is the final installment of the ‘American Pie’ series, which began in 1999 with four small-town Michigan boys on a quest to lose their virginity before leaving high school. More than a decade later, Jim Levenstein (Jason Biggs) is married to Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) with a 2-year-old son, Kevin Myers (Thomas Ian Nicholas) is an architect and househusband, Chris “Oz” Ostreicher is a celebrity sportscaster, and Paul Finch has become a globetrotter. As they return to their hometown for a high school reunion, they meet Steven Stifler (Seann William Scott), whom they were hoping to avoid. Reliving their high school days, the men’s experiences were pretty similar to those in ‘Grown Ups.’

1. Old School (2003)

Directed by Todd Phillips, ‘Old School’ follows real estate attorney Mitch Martin (Luke Wilson), who ends his marriage after finding out that his wife has been disloyal to him and moves to a new place near a college campus. As he tries to get his life back together, two of his best friends, Bernard Campbell (Vince Vaughn) and Frank Ricard (Will Ferrell), move in with him, turning the house into an official fraternity. This displeased their old school nemesis, Gordon Pritchard, now the college dean, who tries his best to send them packing. With middle-aged men reliving their younger days, from parties to feuds, ‘Old School’ closely mirrors the plot of ‘Grown Ups.’ Most importantly, it showcases the same silly, light-hearted fun that highlights the immaturity of everyone involved.