The Moose Hole - Review of 50 First Dates

Rating: 7/10 (13 February 2004)

Ah, love! Isn't it grand? Many men find special things to do for the one they love like buy them flowers, candy, or jewelry, while others take them out for a night on the town complete with dinner and . an Adam Sandler comedy? Yeah, it's true, Adam Sandler is releasing his new comedy out on Valentine's Day in an effort to save all adolescent males from being dragged to another Kate Hudson/Julia Roberts/Reese Witherspoon lackluster romantic comedy . Okay, he's not doing it for those exact reasons but you get the idea. But some movie-goers might be asking, when seeing the trailer for 50 First Dates, `Haven't we seen this before?' Yes, Sandler's new romantic comedy is being released on the exact same day as The Wedding Singer was five years ago, complete with Drew Barrymore as his love interest . Is Sandler in a desperate effort for the good days that film sparked? Possibly, especially after moderate hits like Mr. Deeds and Anger Management and flat-out flops such as Little Nicky and Eight Crazy Nights. Could it be that the movie-going public is getting the same romantic comedy, only repackaged? Maybe Sander is becoming too commercial but only box office numbers will tell.
The story follows a young man who falls in love with a beautiful woman who can never truly love him back thanks to her short-term memory loss. Henry Roth is the ultimate stereotypical ladies' man who woos young women tourists, shows them a good time, but dumps them soon after the have sex. The problem is that Henry has a serious problem with commitment, especially after his college sweetheart dumped for a guidance counselor, and that is why he can never fall in love with a native Hawaiian girl but that all changes when he meets Lucy. He meets her in small restaurant and they seem to hit it off right away but when Henry meets the next day at the same restaurant, she doesn't remember him at all. He learns from one of her friends that Lucy was involved in a car accident a year ago and lost her short-term memory from that point on. Lucy's father and brother try and protect her from men who know of her condition and are just looking for a one night stand but Henry is adamantly determined to make her remember him, no matter it takes. The story for 50 First Dates is . well, you don't know what it is, really. It feels like a combination of Groundhog's Day, The Wedding Singer, and Joe Versus the Volcano, all packed into one film but leaving nothing but mixed reactions. It's hard to tell what the filmmakers really wanted from this film as if they couldn't decided whether they wanted an emotional drama or romantic comedy and, in the end, they just decided to splice the two genres together and make whatever it came out to be.
The two leading stars of The Wedding Singer are back in this new film but the question is whether or not they still have the same on-screen chemistry they had five years ago. And the answer would be, yes, but separately, they are on different ends of the spectrum. Adam Sandler, who started his movie career off with such wacked-out comedies as Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore, seems to have matured greatly since his early years as a comedian and has expressed some interesting acting talent on-screen. How is 50 First Dates different for him? For one, he isn't blowing up with anger like all his other films and, second, he continues his level of serious performances in comedies like in Big Daddy. It seems his dramatic performance in Paul Anderson's Punch-Drunk Love did him some real good, which he shows off in the more emotional aspects of the feature. Drew Barrymore, best known for her role in Steven Spielberg's E.T., has really grown up since her early roles but hasn't improved much in the area of her performances. Granted she demonstrates real chemistry with Sandler, but alone she doesn't give anything better then her lower-browed romantic comedy roles like in Riding in Cars with Boys or Never Been Kissed. And, whether this was intentional or not, Barrymore manages to slut up an emotional good-bye between her and Sandler in the rain by not wearing a bra and bearing her soaked breasts, even if only for a few seconds. Not trying to hark back to the Super Bowl, but this shows a serious level of immaturity, if intentionally placed.
Overall, true romantics will find this predictable premise delightful while others will be wishing they had short-term memory loss. The biggest problem for the film is its lack of consistency, in that there is no balance between its heart-warming emotional sequences and its, at times, gut-wrenching comedic moments. While on the subject, were scenes like the barfing walrus or the butt flecking from Sean Austin (never thought you ever hear that, right?) absolutely necessary? Not to say it was all gross-out humor, 50 First Dates manages to actually pack in a relatively decent amount of hilarious highlights that weren't featured in the film's trailer, unlike Sandler's last film, Anger Management. Note, though, the use of the word 'decent' as several comedic scenes went off without even the slightest giggle. And though the film comes in at a not-too-bad one hour and thirty-six minutes, the repetitive story elements makes it feel at least thirty minutes longer then it actually is. If you are neither a fan of romantic comedies or Adam Sandler, save yourself the sixteen bucks (along with an additional fifteen for snacks) and take your girl to a play or a musical or something more entertaining then this.
My Rating: *** ½ out of 5 (Grade: C+)