prefer action movies but...

Rating: 7/10 (4 January 2007)

first i have to say, I'm a guy. give me mindless violence, car chases, and explosions, and i'm going to be happy with any movie. i don't normally go for a "romantic" movie of any kind, even with drew barrymore in it, although she is an impressive talent, and definitely not hard to watch in any movie. but this one is, well, different.
what gets me with a lot of romance movies is that, all that happens is romance, and it gets really. really stupid after awhile (geez, you guys, get a room!!). the other thing is that, everyone overcomes the adversity (often what brought them together in the first place) and they live sappily...i mean...happily ever after. if they don't, it's a tragedy, and everyone leaves all weepy eyed over them. 50 first dates does neither of these things.
first, the adversity of drew barrymore's character surviving a serious accident, which her father blames himself for, leaving her with brain injuries that, by the diagnosis of the doctor, are not going to be repairable (as opposed to most of the movies "it's possible", and they do recover). this proves mostly that, if the person isn't going to recover and become perfect again in the other movies, the romance is over. this movie, right from the start, tells you she isn't going to recover, a fact that adam sandler's character doesn't seem to be bothered by. he remains by her side, despite the fact that she doesn't know who he is at the start of every day. his handling of this situation is not only insightful, but down right inspirational (and totally comedic in many cases).
it has the romance, but doesn't base the entire movie on it. for the guys, it even has the violent scene, as she protects her "unknown" boyfriend from his attacker "ula", beating him with a baseball bat while chasing him across the field. it shows the seriousness of the injury, as she watches a video of newspaper clippings telling her what she's lost, but also gives you rib-cracking comedy when, upon waking up in the morning and finding a "stanger" in bed with her, she proceeds to knock him unconscious, prompting her brother's comment of "maybe i can't kick your *** but my sister can".
if more romantic movies were like this, i'd like more romantic movies. it doesn't end as a tragedy, because it isn't. but she doesn't end as perfect either, showing that, in his eyes, she is perfect, and that's what mattered. telling us that it's okay to see the one we care for, and overlook the imperfections. a message movie that doesn't harp on it, or make you feel sorry for her. i can handle that.all in all, a movie i could watch again and again.