Wouldn't it be nice to live together, in the kind of world where we belong? Yes, it would! 50 First Dates is a guilty pleasure of mine. I like this movie.

Rating: 7/10 (12 March 2016)

Adam Sandler's movies is mixed bag for me. Some of his works, are really horrible, however, this movie isn't one of those. This movie is one of my favorites from him. I have always been a huge fan of his romantic comedy with Drew Barrymore. Starting it with 1998's 'The Wedding Singer', and follow up with this movie. This movie directed by Peter Segal, has Adam Sandler as Henry Roth, a local veterinarian falling in love with Lucy Whitmore (Drew Barrymore) an amnesiac student in Hawaii. Since she has short-term memory loss cause by a car accident, Henry must learn how to recognize the difficulty of building a relationship with someone who will never remember you; and how to overcome that, for the reasons for love. Without spoiling the movie, too much, I have to say, while, this movie concept seem depressing, I think screenwriter, George Wing and Adam Sandler put enough charming comedy in the film, so you don't have to think, how stressful, it must be, for Lucy to wake up to find out, her entire life has change. While, the memory impairment suffered by Barrymore's character is fictitious, I think the movie gave enough respect to her ailment, that it doesn't seem, just like a running joke. Drew Barrymore plays her illness, very well. The movie really does explore, what struggles, she has to tend with, and if Henry Roth should even continue to love her. Because of that, this movie is a lot more mature and emotional driven than Sandler's earlier works. It's both heart-warming and very heart-breaking at the same time. Both Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore work well with the story. I'm glad, that Sandler's role in this, wasn't of a man-child, with anger issues, and an annoying lisp. He was somewhat charismatic. I can see a woman like Drew Barrymore falling in love with him. Even the supporting characters were strong, they share some good emotional scenes and some really fun laughs. I like Sue (Amy Hill) the Hukilau café manager and friend of Lucy and her late mother. She was so motherly. Pomaika'i Brown as Nick, the Hukilau café chef was a guy, I would love to hang out with. Even Lucy's father, Marlin (Blake Clark) & steroid-dependent brother, Doug (Sean Astin) was watchable. I think the only jokes that didn't go well is with the supporting characters of Ula (Rob Schneider), the native-Hawaiian friend & Alexa (Lusia Strus), Henry's ambiguously gendered assistant. I found the gay jokes to Alexa to be a bit mean-spirited; while Ula felt a bit offensive, with the over-the-top Hawaiian Yellow face racism stereotypes. While, some of the jokes, are offensive, gross, and not call for. Most of them, really works with the script. Very few jokes, fall flat. Even the pop culture shout outs inside jokes like the brain institute is funded by auto parts manufacturer T.B. Callahan of Sandusky, Ohio from 1995's film, 'Tommy Boy" fame & how the characters go to a golf course like 1996's Happy Gilmore' were clever enough that it was fun to see, even if most audience didn't get it. It's even funny, when the movie makes mistakes, like saying the Boston Red Sox didn't win the World Series, when they did that year. Not only was the movie, very funny, but the movie was very beautifully shot. I love the fact that they shot in real Hawaii Island locations. The rural shots really makes this film, seem very unique, compared to the other Adam Sandler's films that mostly take place in an urban New York City like settling with way too much product placement being shown. It's a blessing in disguise. One of the big things about this movie has to be the music. I love the tunes of the Beach Boys, playing in the background. 'Wouldn't it be nice" to have music like this, again. The other song, worth noticing, from the film is the covers song from Hawaiian native artist, Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwoʻole. I love his covers for 'Somewhere over the Rainbow" and 'What a Wonderful World'. His tropical reggae version of 'Somewhere over the Rainbow', is my favorite version of the song from the 1939's 'Wizard of Oz'. It's beats singer, Judy Garland's version, 50 times over. It's so good, I kinda wish, it was the state anthem for Hawaii. That's how much, I like that version. I also love the fact that this movie, help inspire 'real world application treatment for people with early dementia. It's nice for them, to watch a video every morning in which they see comforting messages and reminders from family members that they may still know. If that's not a good reason to love this movie, than I don't know, what is! The movie is also so good, that in 2014, a Malayalam film titled 'Ormayundo Ee Mukham' was created, to capitalize on the premise. Overall: While, '50 First Dates' doesn't have the complexity and depth of something like 1993's 'Groundhog Day', with a similar theme. It was entertaining enough to be stand out. In the end; check it out. You will find yourself, loving this movie as well.