that 's the question i asked myself when venturing nervously into " the wedding singer , " the latest film to star the saturday night live alumnus .
does he draw laughs from his sad , puppy dog expression and don't - hate - me - for - being - a - simpleton observations ?
or do fans giggle when he screams at the top of his lungs at people ?
or is it just the fact that he sings songs with silly lyrics that bowl audiences over ?
well , there 's a little bit of all of that in " the wedding singer " and while i exited the theater still not one hundred percent sure of mr .
sandler 's thing , i did have a surprisingly good time .
that 's because , in a nutshell , " the wedding singer " is one of the sweetest movies you 're ever likely to come across
.
that 's right .
sweet .
the humor in the film runs the gamut from dumb to mildly amusing to laugh - out - loud hysterical but the tone ?
well , it 's just lovely .
i have to admit i was half - expecting farting armpit humor , gratuitous nudity , superfluous , cloying subplots , and some nasty , unnecessary violence .
instead ?
well , i 've said it before .
sweet .
the year is 1985 and sandler plays robbie hart , the eponymous wedding singer , a job aspiring rock stars often settle for .
when robbie 's fianc ?
e dumps him at his own altar , robbie gets depressed and turns to a plucky waitress called julia ( drew barrymore ) who has some problems of her own ( she 's marrying a hunky junk bonds dealer who , unbeknownst to her , is n't that big on monogamy ) .
it is n't giving anything away to say that robbie and julia fall in love .
aww .
. .
sandler and barrymore are a good match
and they 're assisted by some terrific cameo appearances , including steve buscemi and jon lovitz , whose individual scenes are perhaps the funniest in the film .
writer tim herlihy ( with uncredited assistance from carrie fisher ) keeps the story bubbling along to its predictable conclusion .
it does n't all work
but it 's handled with such light - heartedness that robbie and julia coming together
generates more smiles than groans .
herlihy and director frank coraci have done a great job of recreating the sights , sounds , and affectations of the 1980s .
the soundtrack -- an ever - present force in the film -- is packed with wall - to - wall hits of the period , new wave upon new wave of songs from billy idol 's " white wedding " to the smiths ' " how soon is now ?
" to culture club 's " do you really want to hurt me ?
" the mix of music and fashion would make " the wedding singer " a great double feature with " boogie nights .
"
if you grew up listening to the cure and a flock of seagulls and the psychedelic furs , then " the wedding singer " is bound to put a nostalgic hop in your stride .
if you 're a fan of the lovable , laughable adam sandler , well .
. .
let 's just say that " the wedding singer " might well be the only film in recent memory to make * me * want to rent " happy gilmore .
"
lovable , laughable are a good match and they 're assisted by some terrific cameo appearances bound to put a nostalgic hop in your stride one of the sweetest movies you 're ever likely to come across wall - to - wall hits of the period the only film in recent memory to make * me * want to rent " happy gilmore . " i did have a surprisingly good time have done a great job a great double feature ever - present force