Another miss for the memory loss love story

Rating: 6/10 (7 January 2005)

I am a big believer that someday, somebody somewhere will finally get this idea of a memory based love story right. The 2004 darling 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' would make too many film fans say that it has already been done effectively, but frankly these people are wrong. Eternal Sunshine should have been so good that it hurts, but thanks to lazy writing and less that great direction, Eternal Sunshine failed. So what about this film then? Well, 50 First Dates doesn't have acting to it's credit like Eternal Sunshine did, but it's certainly a lot more fun. In the end though, it misses the mark just as much as Eternal Sunshine, but for different reasons. Basically, this is a film of two sides; on one side, it's a breezy romance and just about every scene with Sandler and Barrymore on screen together is a delight, as are the scenes that deal with Barrymore's memory loss. However, the other side of the film shows why rom-com's so often fail, and that's the lame joke side. Another thing I believe is that comedy is good way to portray a point, but not this sort of comedy. The silly humour distracts the audience from the central theme and that is where, and why, this film fails.
It's a huge shame that this film didn't hit the mark. There's lots of genuinely touching moments on display, and the two leads regenerate that partnership that made The Wedding Singer such a fun ride. I don't often say this about fun films; but the film isn't serious enough. The comedy angle adds to the film during the scenes when Sandler makes Barrymore fall in love with him, but there's just too much childishness. Adam Sandler has started to mature a little since films like 'Happy Gilmore' and 'The Water Boy', and it shows in his performance. Many film buffs dislike Sandler, but I respect his ability to carry a film, even if he's not that great an actor. He did a fine job in P.T. Anderson's 'Punch-Drunk Love', and he shows some of that here. Ironically, in fact, Sandler is one of the less silly things about this film. Barrymore has basically been doing the same thing for the last decade and she does it again here. Still, she certainly isn't bad and it's nice to see her on screen with Sandler.
I was really expecting to be writing positive things about a film that deals with love in a fun way, but in spite of the fact that it has good elements and a definite point; as I've said already, it spoils itself. The film is worth seeing for it's leads and lighthearted tone (it's set in Hawaii!), but I can't warmly recommend it. Ah well...maybe next time.