Cute date or girls'-night movie

Rating: Null/10 (22 May 2005)

"50 First Dates" is one of the more enjoyable romantic comedies made in recent years, relying a lot on Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler's chemistry to carry off the out-there but original plot. The idea of Sandler's Henry Roth being the irresistible ladies' man that he's presented to be in the first few minutes is a stretch and thankfully falls away soon after he meets Barrymore's Lucy. What puts this movie above a lot of other Adam Sandler comedies is that, unlike many of his other love interests that might as well be named "Love Interest" for all they have to do with the plots, Lucy is an actual character who has a journey to go on too. The viewer really wants to see both main characters overcome their obstacles and come together at the end.
The supporting cast, however, is not as strong as it could be. Blake Clark delivers a fine performance as Lucy's doting, protective father and Dan Aykroyd has a nice extended cameo as her doctor. However, I don't buy Sean Astin as Lucy's steroid-enhanced, lisping brother; and Henry's sidekicks androgynous Alexa and Ula (Lusia Strus and Rob Schneider, respectively) are good for a gag or two but don't really serve a purpose. Meanwhile, Amy Hill as Lucy's surrogate mother Sue is sadly underused.
It's not a perfect movie, but it's a good movie that leaves you smiling at the end.