Product: 50 First Dates (Widescreen Special Edition) (2004)
Rating: 4.0
Remember Me?
I had pretty much gotten over Adam Sandler, and really didn't see any reason to rush out to the theater to see a new flick he has done. Even tho this film looked promising, I paid it no attention. Not even when it came onto DVD. So, imagine my surprise when I actually caught it on cable the other night and ended up watching it. What a nice little movie. We're not talking Oscar-worthy here folks, but for an Adam Sandler movie, it was quite good. It's easily his best film. But that isn't necessarily saying much, is it?. Re-teaming with Drew Barrymore, his co-star from "The Wedding Singer", the two are a sweet and delightful duo. More films with the two of them is most welcome indeed. Sandler stars as Henry Roth, a playboy on a Hawaiian island who seems to have a way with the ladies. A lot of them. His ways change when he meets and falls for the adorable Lucy Whitmore(Barrymore). She is sweet, pretty, interesting, and all around lovely. Henry gets taken for a loop the next day when Lucy swears she has no idea who he is. Apparently, Lucy was in a car accident with her father a year ago, and she suffered major head trauma. The accident resulted in Lucy losing her short term memory. She remembers her whole life up until the accident, but anything afterwards she soon forgets the next day. As her father says, when she goes to sleep at night, her memory gets a clean sweep of the day before. Now Henry is challenged to re-introduce himself to Lucy every day and try to make her fall in love with him over and over again. It's actually a pretty clever little concept for this sweet natured comedy. The levels that her father(comedian Blake Clark), and brother Doug(Sean Astin) go too to make her think nothing has changed, is heartwarming. How everyone loves this young woman so much and tries to make everything right for her. What was surprising was that this is no ordinary Sandler/goofball comedy. It has a lot of heart, romance, and a genuine feeling for the two main characters. It is far and away better than "The Wedding Singer", which up to this point, was Sandler's best movie. The cast all does very well too. Astin as brother Doug, is a pumped up steroid jock with a serious speech impediment. Clarke as Mr. Whitmore has that right stern/loving/fatherly performance to him. Dan Aykroyd also has a small cameo as Lucy's doctor. You can't forget Rob Schneider. He always seems to appear in Adam's movies, and Adam always seems to appear in a small cameo in his. However lowbrow Schneider's 'comedy' may be, you can usually count on him for a few good chuckles. This one is no exception. Which leaves us with our two leads. Sandler and Barrymore have, without question, good chemistry with each other. They get along, and light up the screen. Barrymore imbues Lucy with the kind of heart, sweetness, and loveliness that doesn't make anyone question why Hnery would fall in love with you. You'd fall in love with her too!. Sandler has proven here lately that given the right role, like in "Punch Drunk Love" and even "Spanglish", that he can be a much better actor than people think. This may not be an award type performance here folks, but it's his best job in one of his zany comedies. An eclectic mix of supporting players round out the cast. The funniest being Sandler's co worker, who no one knows if they are a she or a he. Usually a joke like that gets ran into the ground, but it doesn't here. In the end, I was surprised to have seen a goofy, sweet, funny, and heart felt little comedy that is different, but yet the same, than other Sandler movies. If that makes any kind of sense. With it's nice cast, fun plot, and gorgeous scenery, this movie makes for a very pleasant evening excursion.