Product: 50 First Dates (Widescreen Special Edition) (2004)
Rating: 5.0
Even Better the Second Time.
What a delightful surprise! Never having been a big Adam Sandler fan, and since the TV spots promoting the movie made it out to be a typically juvenile Sandler film, I almost skipped 50 First Dates. But then a friend recommended it, and I'm glad he did. Yes, there's the expected quotient of over-the-top goofiness, especially from Rob Schneider, but underneath it all is a charming love story that just keeps growing on you. In fact, I found myself reluctant to return the DVD. I ended up watching the last half hour again a few days later and liked it even more. I kept it longer still and just finished watching the whole movie again and upped my rating from four to five stars. It's rare that any film grows on me that way, but this one did. Get past the goofiness and you'll find a heartwarming story of a playboy who grows up in time to find the love of his life, and then, as karmic penance, is forced to make her fall in love with him all over again every day. If Ground Hog Day was cleverly amusing, 50 First Dates takes a similar conceit and makes it heartfelt and charming. (Plus, the theme song is "Wouldn't it be Nice" by the Beach Boys instead of Sonny & Cher's "I Got You Babe".)