50 First Dates - fun yet emotional

Rating: 6/10 (23 October 2011)

Not being a big fan of romcoms, i must admit that i wasn't overly enthusiastic about 50 First Dates, but what attracted me to the film was that once again Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore were playing opposite each other, a combination which worked so well in The Wedding Singer. I'm pleased to admit that this duo did not let me down, in fact there's not a lot that i can find fault with.
Henry Roth is one of the central characters in 50 First Dates, who we find out early on that he is afraid of commitment. That is until he meets a beautiful woman called Lucy, and from then he can't seem to get her out of his mind. The trouble is that she suffers from short term memory loss and day to day forgets ever meeting him.
At first i was led to believe that this was going to be a predictable romance film. But i was far from wrong. The context of 50 First Dates is not only believable, but somewhat clever. The difficult aspects in the narrative are not ignored but properly explored and dealt with, and this helps to heighten the emotion portrayed. It goes to a completely new level by showing audiences that there is something deep behind the idea of falling in love with someone over and over again.
The film being set in Hawaii just adds to the overall romantic feel, and the music accompaniment also creates a beautiful feeling. Although there is comedy, this is not the main focus and thanks to Adam Sandler's perfect comedic timing, it does not take away from the overall feel of the film, but instead it enhances it.
You should watch this film with an open mind and no preconceptions, as it will probably surprise you as it did me.