Grown Ups: Their Best Roles Article by: Greg Roberts Share On Friday, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Rob Schneider and David Spade appear together in the highly marketed, Grown Ups. The film features the characters played by these veteran actors being reunited for a 4th of July holiday week-end after the passing of their basketball coach. Adam Sandler is clearly the box office heavy weight of the five, but Killerreviews.com takes a look at each actor and identifies the role (so far) that is the highlight of their career. View Reader Comments... Adam Sandler - Bobby Boucher - Waterboy Total Television and Film credits : 41 (based on imdb.com) Our research concludes that Sandler is a ‘like him’ or ‘hate him’ kind of guy. Those that do like him find it hard to pick a favorite out of characters ranging from Zohan to Happy Gilmore. But a review of his career work made the decision easy – Robert Bobby Boucher Jr., in 1998’s, The Waterboy. As the simple team water boy, Boucher is discovered as a tackling football sensation. Very few could make the line “My Mama says that alligators are ornery because they got all them teeth and no toothbrush” funny, but Sandler somehow pulls it off and manages to get more than his share of laughs along the way. Even if you fall into the ‘hate him’ category, The Waterboy is a watchable option if forced to sit through a Sandler film. Sorry Opera Man, but The Waterboy gets our vote. Chris Rock - Marty the Zebra - Madagascar Total Television and Film credits: 41 Best Role: Marty the Zebra - Madagascar Believe it or not, Rock has been around since 1987 when he had a small role as a valet in Beverley Hills Cop 2. In total, Rock has amassed over 40 television and film roles, but none of them stand out as a true breakout role. Even with starring roles in films such as Down to Earth and Death at a Funeral, Rock is hardly as funny or as memorable as he is in his stand up comedy routines. His underperforming resume leaves us no choice but to suggest that his best role to date is Marty the Zebra in the animated film Madagascar (2005). With Ben Stiller and David Schwimmer also lending voices to the Dreamworks animated powerhouse, Rock’s zebra doesn’t get the best lines (“Excuse me, you’re biting my butt!”), but he does fit in well amongst the ensemble and does just enough to make the audience long for the psychotic penguins. Let’s hope that Rock eventually finds a role that puts him on the acting map. Kevin James - Doug Heffernan - The King of Queens Total Television and Film credits: 19 Kevin is still fairly new to the big screen party. Outside of Hitch and I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, his name usually conjures up thoughts of Paul Blart. With an anemic selection for us to review, it was easy to favor his role as oversized UPS employee Doug Heffernan in the long-running television comedy. Flanked by Leah Remini, Jerry Stiller and Patton Oswalt, James played the always eating, wise cracking Doug for 206 episodes. We have never found anyone that claims to have been a fan of the show, but the CBS series lasted for nine seasons so someone had to be watching. Paul Blart: Mall Cop gave James the opportunity to carry a film – and he did, all the way to a $150 million box office. Let’s hope that he can squeeze the comedy sponge a few more times to make our pick more challenging in say, five years. Rob Schneider - Deuce Bigalow - DB Male Gigolo Total Television and Film credits: 55 A former Saturday Night Live player, Schneider has 55 credited roles to his name – even if most are small cameo roles in Sandler vehicles. In many of his performances, Schneider is barely recognizable. He has played Nazo, the Italian Delivery Man (Mr. Deeds) to an Asian Minister in I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry. But his role as Deuce Bigalow in both Male Gigolo and the sequel European Gigolo remains his crowning achievement to date. With all due respect to his funniest scene impersonating a dolphin doing tricks in 2001’s The Animal, it is Deuce that gave Schneider his best role to date. The films are more funny skits thrown together to resemble a film, but we will admit to laughing aloud as he goes on dates with women that have every affliction from narcolepsy to turrets. The films were never meant to be taken seriously and Schneider fit into the glove like OJ into his. Oh. Wait a minute! David Spade - David Finch – Just Shoot Me Total Television and Film credits: 44 Don’t remember Spade in Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol? How about his role as a hot dog vendor in Reality Bites or as Scott in The Facts of Life? Us neither. Spade can thank his lucky Farley’s that he met a rotund crazy comedian that he would lend his sarcastic wit to in Black Sheep and Tommy Boy. When asked to carry a movie on his own, we get Joe Dirt. When part of a strong supporting cast, we get Just Shoot Me. David: Stick to ensembles. Spade played David Finch in the CBS comedy Just Shoot Me for 7 years totaling 149 episodes. Spade had a bit part – as did George Segal, Laura San Giacomo and Wendie Malick. Finch would always be good for a good quip or jab that would bite the audience in the funny bone and provide the most memorable moments of any singular episode. Spade plays sarcastic and sad better than any other on the list Just Shoot Me provided him the perfect outlet for his small-dosage humor.