Product: 50 First Dates (Widescreen Special Edition) (2004)
Rating: 4.0
Drew Barrymore: Adam Sandler's Most Reliable Screen Partner
Adam Sandler does not have remarkable acting range, but he makes a fine romantic foil for Drew Barrymore and they recapture some of the chemistry they exhibited in The Wedding Singer.Drew has the kind of medical condition that pretty much only exists in the movies. She's had an auto accident, and every morning when she wakes up, she thinks it's the morning of the auto accident. Essentially the same condition as the hero in "Memento", except where his memory lasted minutes at best, Barrymore can remember everything she learned that day - until she goes to sleep again. Mercifully, she's not as bad as the "10 Second Tom" character we meet in the movie.That device sets us up for endless variations for Adam Sandler to get Drew to become interested in him over and over again - reminiscent of Groundhog Day.The "formula" of romantic comedy is guy meets girl, they fall in love, some contrivance tears them apart, (at this point usually the female heads for an airport as the male suddenly remembers that he's in a romantic comedy and he has to run willy-nilly to and through the airport in an effort to tell her what a dunderhead he's been and how much he really loves her before the credits roll.)The formula is toyed with a little bit in this movie, and to everyone's credit, they make it interesting. Since Lucy wakes up every morning not remembering anything since the car crash, and her memory condition is permanent, we begin to wonder how things will end. Perhaps it's NOT the *happy ending* to have these characters wind up together - either for him or her.Not a bad way to share 2 hours with someone you like.