Sandler's First Foray Into Romance (With Chaotic Results)

Rating: 4/10 (3 March 2017)

In his earlier efforts, Adam Sandler was known for his goofy comedy in movies such as "Happy Gilmore", "Billy Madison", and even "The Waterboy". With "50 First Dates", however, Sandler tries to add a bit of emotion into his juvenile sense of comedy. The result is closer to chaos than consistency.
For a basic plot summary, this movie sees Hawaii-based ladies man Henry Roth (Sandler) living the bachelor life by churning through one woman after the other. When he meets Lucy Whitmore (Drew Barrymore), however, everything changes for Henry. The reason? Due to short-term memory loss, Lucy relives the same day over and over again, never remembering the events of the previous 24 hours. Thus, Henry must decide whether to take advantage of this situation, or help Lucy live a happier life.
The trouble with this movie is that Sandler's crude sense of humor does not mesh well with the more heartfelt tone of the overall picture. It is almost as if two movies are going on at the same time...one where Sandler cracks sexual jokes with his buds (of which again include Rob Schneider), and one where Sandler interacts on a more personal level with Barrymore.
It would have taken a great directorial effort to make this juxtaposition work, but unfortunately Peter Segal just wasn't up to the task in this case. The movie actually needed to focus a bit more on the "serious" stuff and leave off some of the crudeness. Had that happened, it would have worked much better due to the intriguing "memory-loss" concept.
Thus, I was solidly underwhelmed by "50 First Dates". It isn't unwatchable, but it really can only succeed as an adolescent "date movie" for those new to Sandler's comedic persuasions. It may make you think/feel on a deep level for a second or two, but those moments are quickly abandoned for another crude joke or sight gag.