Diksha Sundriyal
Starring an ensemble cast led by Adam Sandler, 2010’s ‘Grown Ups’ follows the story of a group of friends who are reunited on the death of their school basketball coach. They’d become friends thirty years ago when, together, they won the basketball championship. They have been best friends since. After attending the coach’s funeral, the friends meet again to spend the Fourth of July weekend at a lakeside house. The house not only allows them to spend more time together but also brings them closer to their families. It is a key location in the movie and picturesque enough to attract the attention of the viewers who might want to spend time with their friends and family in a similar lakehouse.
The House from Grown Ups is in Essex
Because the story of ‘Grown Ups’ takes place in one location over the course of a weekend, it was essential for the crew to find the perfect location where they could set camp during the entire production. For this, they turned to Essex, Massachusetts, and this is where they found the perfect house to sit in for the Earnshaw family lake house. In reality, it is called Grove Cottage and is located at 99 Centennial Grove Road. The house faces a lake called Amoskeag Lake. It is a fictional name assigned to the real lake, called Chebacco Lake, where the production took place. This 209-acre reservoir, also known as Great Pond, is featured in several scenes throughout the film.
Reportedly, when the production crew of ‘Grown Ups’ arrived in Essex, they renovated a lot of stuff around Grove Cottage. Several buildings received a makeover, a parking lot was renovated, and two new basketball courts were also built there. According to the locals, the production team left the area better than it was when they arrived. Apart from this, the film production also brought in a lot of opportunities in terms of revenue, and the region of Essex saw an uptick in tourism, with more people interested in exploring the area where the film was shot.
This interest in the location is not unfounded. The house offers a scenic view of the lake and a natural environment that is conducive to spending a peaceful time away from the noise and bustle of city life. This is what attracts Lenny and his family and friends to the place, apart from their history there. They reminisce about the times they used to spend at the lake house when they were children. They also encourage their children to explore the place with similar zeal and make memories of their own instead of spending their whole days in front of video games. Lenny, especially, wants his kids to have a normal childhood and wants to separate them from their screens and get them to wander and explore like he and his friends used to. The location of the lake house provides that solitude in nature where Lenny and his friends get their kids to break out of their shells and enjoy life as it is meant to.
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