Product: 50 First Dates (Widescreen Special Edition) (2004)
Rating: 5.0
A pleasant surprise
Generally, I like Adam Sandler's movies. I love "Happy Gilmore" as well as "Punch-Drunk Love," which are two very different movies that are good for very different reasons. "Happy Gilmore" is simply good-natured broad comedy that keeps the laughs coming, and "Punch-Drunk Love" is an unusual low-budget drama that demonstrates that Sandler is a good actor as well as a good comedian."50 First Dates" falls somewhere between those two films in terms of tone and of Sandler's character. It has many funny parts (including a great golf bit for us "Happy Gilmore" fans), but takes the time to establish Sandler's character. He delivers a great performance. So does Drew Barrymore, whose inherent likeability really shines. She is very believable in this role, which calls for her to have quite different responses to Sandler at quite different times.Perhaps the biggest flaw in this movie is the instant change in Sandler's character from an island Casanova to a devoted one-woman man when he meets Barrymore. However, I just didn't dwell on it too much; the film would also have us believe that he lives in an apartment in a marine park that has a window opening onto the big aquarium tank, which is ultimately far less believable (although it is pretty cool).The cinematography is beautiful! This movie looks far more cinematic than most comedies, which are often shot as if they were made for television. The colors are bright and rich, and Hawaii has rarely looked more like paradise. You will want to get the widescreen edition to fully appreciate how great this movie looks.