Rom-com with a view to the 1980s (and maybe a point of view about it !)

Rating: Null/10 (5 May 2009)

It's nothing but age-old known-by-heart romantic comedy. But with so many references to the 1980s, as a love for that decade more than a mockery at it.
During all of its time, there is a certain loyalty to pay this decade the biggest homage. I liked the wicked intimations to the "perfect marriages" of the era's celebrities; that was well-done. Yet, I liked the most this intensive desire to capture the 1980s vivid colors of the backgrounds, sets and the image's details as a whole.
It makes you ask the question: Did the 1980s become dated, especially after 8 years of its end? I don't think so. It just seems more innocent, gay, stylish, and perhaps more romantic. That's nostalgic enough. So what the movie makers did was picking out some of the decade's most outrageous particulars (Michael Jackson's glove.. Please!) to make something like a nice party, to honor and savor those years, under a sign of: "The 1980s.. We Love You".
But despite how it succeeded at that matter to great extent, could that be the reason why this movie was made, or was it just a way to cover the ancient brand of the story? Hmmm.. I lean to the second guess, as you would notice that these nonstop references were better than the script itself which was so formulaic (read: lazy) at parts. Actually some of the situations were pretty timeworn and cheesy. One like the kiss's rehearsal was exceedingly forced. The end is a little bit fabricated. And the dialogue reaches its best only while spoofing the 1980s.
By the way, the desire of capturing the 1980s vivid colors wasn't accurate all along, since the 1980s' movies were bright but not heavy, and flashy but not meretricious. For instance, the wall's tints here looked incompatible and badly intense sometimes.
Anyway, the supporting cast is amazing. The soundtrack is excellent, if you're one of the 1980s freaks like me or not. (Sandler) did it fine, I'm crazy about his "Somebody Kill Me, Please" song. And, on a deep level, the movie manages - even unintentionally - to dispatch a message about the 1980s as if it was the perfect age for naive love stories like that, and feel good movies like this.
It's enjoyable mediocre romantic comedy, ultra-enjoyable and above-mediocre when it comes to the 1980s, and it's the joy itself when we're talking about one of the most talented, and cute girls ever appeared on the screen: (Drew Barrymore).