Why Rob Schneider Not In Grown Ups 2 [work] File
When Grown Ups 2 hit theaters in July 2013, audiences expected a reunion of the core comedy troupe that made the first film a $270 million global hit. The original Grown Ups (2010) starred Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, and Rob Schneider as childhood friends reuniting after their basketball coach’s death.
In the original film, Rob Hilliard was the weird, hippie-dippy stay-at-home dad who married a much older woman (played by Joyce Cohen) and had a son who was… unusual. His entire arc revolved around his eccentricity and his lack of traditional “success” compared to his friends. By the end of the first movie, that arc was complete. He had been accepted for who he was. why rob schneider not in grown ups 2
Schneider, for his part, has never publicly expressed bitterness. In fact, he returned to the Sandler fold shortly thereafter, voicing a character in Hotel Transylvania (2012) and appearing in The Ridiculous 6 (2015) on Netflix. The Grown Ups 2 omission appears to be a simple case of “job didn’t work out,” not a feud. Schneider’s absence from Grown Ups 2 highlights a lesser-known reality about Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison players: they are not all permanent. While Sandler is famously loyal (witness his decade-spanning support of Rob Schneider), not every actor appears in every film. For example, Steve Buscemi is a Sandler favorite but missed several Happy Madison projects. Jonathan Loughran and Allen Covert appear in almost everything; Schneider does not. When Grown Ups 2 hit theaters in July
The Grown Ups franchise was, at its heart, a reunion of Sandler’s SNL era friends (Schneider, Farley, Sandler, Rock, Spade were all on SNL together in the early ‘90s). By the second film, the novelty had worn off. The sequel instead focused on bringing in younger stars (Lautner, Samberg) to attract a new demographic. Schneider, 50 at the time, simply didn’t fit that equation. Rob Schneider was not in Grown Ups 2 for a combination of unglamorous reasons: he was busy with a failed TV show, his character had reached a narrative dead end, and the sequel’s budget and creative direction prioritized a broader, younger ensemble. There was no public feud, no angry Twitter rant, and no backstage drama. His entire arc revolved around his eccentricity and
Schneider remains a card-carrying member of the Sandler Cinematic Universe. But Grown Ups 2 serves as a reminder that even in Hollywood’s most cliquish fraternity, sometimes the phone just doesn’t ring. And when the script calls for a deer on LSD instead of a soft-spoken hippie, the quirky best friend is the first to get cut. In the end, fans of Schneider can take solace: he missed a movie that holds a 7% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Sometimes, the best cameo is the one you don’t make.
When Grown Ups 2 hit theaters in July 2013, audiences expected a reunion of the core comedy troupe that made the first film a $270 million global hit. The original Grown Ups (2010) starred Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, and Rob Schneider as childhood friends reuniting after their basketball coach’s death.
In the original film, Rob Hilliard was the weird, hippie-dippy stay-at-home dad who married a much older woman (played by Joyce Cohen) and had a son who was… unusual. His entire arc revolved around his eccentricity and his lack of traditional “success” compared to his friends. By the end of the first movie, that arc was complete. He had been accepted for who he was.
Schneider, for his part, has never publicly expressed bitterness. In fact, he returned to the Sandler fold shortly thereafter, voicing a character in Hotel Transylvania (2012) and appearing in The Ridiculous 6 (2015) on Netflix. The Grown Ups 2 omission appears to be a simple case of “job didn’t work out,” not a feud. Schneider’s absence from Grown Ups 2 highlights a lesser-known reality about Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison players: they are not all permanent. While Sandler is famously loyal (witness his decade-spanning support of Rob Schneider), not every actor appears in every film. For example, Steve Buscemi is a Sandler favorite but missed several Happy Madison projects. Jonathan Loughran and Allen Covert appear in almost everything; Schneider does not.
The Grown Ups franchise was, at its heart, a reunion of Sandler’s SNL era friends (Schneider, Farley, Sandler, Rock, Spade were all on SNL together in the early ‘90s). By the second film, the novelty had worn off. The sequel instead focused on bringing in younger stars (Lautner, Samberg) to attract a new demographic. Schneider, 50 at the time, simply didn’t fit that equation. Rob Schneider was not in Grown Ups 2 for a combination of unglamorous reasons: he was busy with a failed TV show, his character had reached a narrative dead end, and the sequel’s budget and creative direction prioritized a broader, younger ensemble. There was no public feud, no angry Twitter rant, and no backstage drama.
Schneider remains a card-carrying member of the Sandler Cinematic Universe. But Grown Ups 2 serves as a reminder that even in Hollywood’s most cliquish fraternity, sometimes the phone just doesn’t ring. And when the script calls for a deer on LSD instead of a soft-spoken hippie, the quirky best friend is the first to get cut. In the end, fans of Schneider can take solace: he missed a movie that holds a 7% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Sometimes, the best cameo is the one you don’t make.