I wanted to hate this movie but couldn't--it was a wonderful surprise

Rating: 8/10 (20 July 2008)

In the last year or so, I think I've started to lose my mind. You see, up until then I avoided Adam Sandler movies--mostly because I so disliked him on "Saturday Night Live". However, in the last year or so, I have seen several of his older films that I actually liked. Now, this does NOT mean that I particularly liked all of his film! After all, BILLY MADISON and HAPPY GILMORE are hard to love--though I will admit that parts of them were pretty good. LITTLE NICKY, on the other hand, was just sludge! But CLICK, WATERBOY and now THE WEDDING SINGER are all movies that I grudgingly must admit were far better than I'd expected--especially THE WEDDING SINGER.
I think the biggest reason I liked THE WEDDING SINGER was that it wasn't really a comedy but more of a romance--something that seemed to fit Sandler much better and I wish he'd consider making more of these. That's because although the film certainly stuck to established formula, the characters were all so very likable and sweet. As a result, you really cared about them and you got sucked into the story. One of the great moments was when the lady sang to her husband on their 50th anniversary and another was when Sandler had a heart-to-heart talk with his best friend in the bar. Of course you KNEW what had to happen by the end, but still you couldn't help but need a couple hankies--the writing, construction and acting were that good.
On top of the characters, this is a great nostalgia piece that would appeal to people of my generation. Despite one reviewer saying that there was nothing positive about the 80s, this is when I met and married my wife. Hearing all the great songs and seeing the romance reminded me what a lucky guy I am.
If you are looking for laugh out loud comedy, this probably isn't for you. Sure, there are a few funny moments (I REAAAALLY loved the song he composed both before and after he was dumped, for example), but the film is much more of a sweet romance. See this one with somebody you love--there are so many wonderful moments in it you can't help but enjoy yourself. An immensely enjoyable film.