David Spade makes a useful foil for louder comedians, delivering a short, sour reply with precise timing. We like that economy; his relaxed mugging in Grown Ups 2 is a dispiriting waste of it.
Fi1m perspective
Spade’s familiar screen job is to let someone else make a spectacle of themselves, then supply the sour comment. His precise timing matters more than the insult: a short reply can be enough. The self-deprecation helps, too, taking some of the smugness out of the sarcasm. We like him in that role, though a film still needs to give him something worth answering.
Saturday Night Live, which he joined as a writer in 1990, established that sarcastic persona. Tommy Boy (1995) paired him with Chris Farley as the straight man, a clear use for his restraint beside a louder partner. The voice of Kuzco in The Emperor's New Groove (2000) and the starring role in Joe Dirt (2001) gave him alternatives to playing somebody’s foil. Sitcom work continued alongside the films, including Rules of Engagement (2007–2013). Yet the recurring work with Adam Sandler has made the danger of familiarity particularly apparent.
In Dennis Dugan’s Grown Ups 2 (2013), Spade plays Marcus Higgins among a cast whose ease together is one of the few pleasures. With Sandler, Kevin James and Chris Rock, he can make their company briefly agreeable, and the car wash supplies a little welcome silliness. We grew irritated because the mugging kept extending scenes that had already exhausted their jokes. The warmth between the actors cannot compensate for repetitive bodily humour and dutiful family lessons. Here his willingness to join in deprives the comedy of the dry resistance that might have helped it.
Jack and Jill (2011), in which he plays Monica, is another poor film, though it would be unfair to make his appearance explain its failings. Its crude humour and persistent bullying are problems with the comedy as a whole, and Al Pacino supplies the welcome foolishness. These films do not persuade us that Spade lacks comic skill, only that familiar company is a poor substitute for material. For a better use of that short, dry delivery, begin with Tommy Boy.
Biography
David Spade is an American actor and comedian. He began performing stand-up comedy before joining the cast of Saturday Night Live as a writer and performer from 1990 to 1996.
Spade is known for his role as Dennis Finch on the sitcom Just Shoot Me! (1997–2003), for which he received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. He later appeared in 8 Simple Rules (2004–2005) and Rules of Engagement (2007–2013). His film credits include voice roles as Kuzco in The Emperor's New Groove (2000) and Griffin in the Hotel Transylvania series (2012–2022), as well as live-action parts in Tommy Boy (1995), Grown Ups (2010), Jack and Jill (2011) and Grown Ups 2 (2013). He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003.
