The Wedding Singer

Rating: 7/10 (22 June 2016)

The star of Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore and Big Daddy has had a mixed career, his lowest points being Mr. Deeds and Jack and Jill, but this was one of his well rated films I was really looking forward to seeing, directed Frank Coraci (The Waterboy, Click, Zookeeper). Basically in 1985, Robbie Hart (Adam Sandler) dreamed of becoming a rock star, but he instead became an engaging and entertaining wedding singer in the town of Ridgefield, New Jersey. At his latest wedding gig, Robbie saves the wedding toast from being ruined by the groom's alcoholic best man David 'Dave' Veltri (Steve Buscemi), and he catches the eye of the function's waitress Julia Sullivan (Drew Barrymore), after the event they have a conversation. They both tell how they are engaged, Robbie is engaged to his girlfriend Linda (Angela Featherstone), and Julia to her boyfriend Glenn Guglia (Matthew Glave), because of Robbie's performance skills, and handling of an awkward situation, Julia wants him to sing at her wedding, Robbie happily agrees. Robbie and Linda's wedding day comes along, with all invited guests in attendance, but Linda does not show, it becomes apparent that Linda has changed her mind and no longer wants to go ahead with the wedding, Robbie is left heartbroken and despondent. Following their wedding being called off, Linda and Robbie meet up, she explains her concerns that being married to Robbie would mean that she will be stuck raising any kids they have in Richfield. Robbie's brother Sammy (Allen Covert) tries to cheer him up and gets him another wedding gig, but his sour mood disrupts the wedding toast, and sings a dour rendition of a song, following this Julia meets Robbie and hopes he will still play at her and Glenn's wedding, however he doubts his participation. Robbie's spirits do start to liven up when he does a Bah Mitzvah, with Julia acting as a waitress, after which she asks him to help her plan her wedding, he agrees, and they are also helped out by his brother Sammy and Julia's cousin Holly (Christine Taylor), they everything from trying wedding cakes and hiring Sammy as the only limo driver in town. When Robbie goes to a party with Julia, Holly and Julia's fiancé Glenn, he realises that Glenn is anything but a nice guy, especially as he ogles with other women, after everyone leaves Holly tries to hook up with Robbie, but he realises he has true feelings for Julia. Robbie contemplates and eventually decides to tell Julia how he feels, however arriving at her place, he sees her through her window in a wedding dress speaking happily in a mirror, he walks away disheartened, not realising, being unheard, she was actually speaking about him. Robbie gets drunk, stumbling from a bar he encounters Glenn, he attempts to punch him, but gets hit instead, and arriving back at his place, Linda is there, they both go inside. Julia shows up the next day to express her own feelings for him, but Linda answers the door, claiming to be "Robbie's fiancée", Julia returns home to Glenn and says she wants to get married as soon as possible, so they decide to head for Las Vegas. Robbie wakes up to Linda, she says that if she takes her back to marry she can get used to being the wife of a wedding singer, but he explains that he does not want to marry her, he then runs into Holly, who tells her Julie is going to Las Vegas. Robbie pressures Sammy to help, and he gets a First Class plane ticket, unaware that Julia and Glenn are on the same flight in Coach Class, Robbie finds out this and gets some help from his fellow First Class passengers, including rock and pop star Billy Idol. After the passengers help get rid of Glenn, Robbie finally expresses his feelings of true love to Julia through a song he wrote, they embrace, and in the end Robbie and Julia are married. Also starring Patch Adams' Ellen Albertini Dow as Rosie, Alexis Arquette as George, Friends' Christina Pickles as Angie Sullivan and Jon Lovitz as Jimmie Moore. Sandler gives a terrific performance, singing also, as the big- haired crooner with a heart of gold, Barrymore is suitably pretty and nice as his love interest, their chemistry work very well, this film made me laugh at the right times, and the love story is cute and cuddly, but this film also boasts a fantastic soundtrack of hit songs from the 1980s, a funny, enjoyable and good-natured romantic comedy. Very good!