The opening sequence introduces us to various ladies from various backgrounds and cultures relating various encounters of varying magnitudes of pleasure to various friends and colleagues following their paradise holiday in Hawaii.
This is handled superbly well and with great humour and bodes well for the remainder of the movie - we are after all only two minutes in.
The gushing enthusiasm toward this mysterious beau is intriguing, as he for many increasingly unlikely reasons manages to jettison his new found loves - usually on the last day of their holiday. This leaves the ladies feeling fulfilled but crushed and paints a vivid and touching picture, all so funny and oh so true and yet the object of their desires in Henry Roth (Adam Sandler) - yeah right!
So the underlying pretence is that we are to believe that a host of foreign beauties descend on the Hawaiian Islands to be seduced by an ageing vet with a pronounced paunch, egg-shaped head and fingers that smell of fish - oh well this is in the name of entertainment so for now we will suspend belief.
Anyway, the Casanova-like Roth stops off one morning in a cafe that he has apparently never been in and falls head over heels for local girl Lucy (Drew Barrymore), who seems to fall for his charms. Roth does not wish to push his luck on their first meeting and so arranges to be there the following morning to see her again.
This is where his problems begin, as Lucy was injured a year previous in the old car-tree-cow (as you do) road accident and as a result has no long term memory beyond the day of the accident. This means that every night when Lucy sleeps the slate is wiped clean and she wakes to live the same day over and over again - aided by her friends at the cafe and her doting but desperate father.
Henry though becomes fixated with her and seeks to romance her ever day - with varying success - in the hope that she will remember him and return his love. This though is a likely permanent condition and Henry tries another method to assist with her development and ease the burden on her family.
This masterstroke is to create a video diary that Lucy can watch each morning that explains to her about the accident and her condition and introduces her to her friends and those her care for her. This helps to break the monotity of her (and at times our) routine until the inevitable schmultzy 'hollywood' - everybody laugh/cry - ending, when all the loose ends are tied up.
50 FIRST DATES (2004) PG - 99 Minutes
Director - Peter Segal
Cast - Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Rob Schneider, Sean Astin, Dan Aykroyd
This is textbook romantic comedy fare for Sandler who is not stretched by his character at all. That said he does have a certain charm that allows the audience to warm to him and you do want him to succeed in his attempts to woo Lucy.
The movie is carried though by Barrymore in a performance full of wit and wonder that brings Lucy to tangible life. She expresses every emotion with vigor and makes you really care and relate to her characters situation.
The supporting cast is a little patchy, with a quirky cameo as the rather blunt doctor by Dan Ackroyd and an over the top camp comedy outing for the risable Rob Schneider as Henrys buddy Ula. The animals on show also offer comic sidelines when called upon, although the well hung walrus gag ran thin on the third outing.
I may just have been seeing this movie to kill time, but was quite entertained overall (and so was the only other person in the cinema judging by his loud laughter) and I was pleased that I made the effort.
Yes this is groundhog day with sunshine and sand instead of snow and more snow, but hey if Rob Schneider is going to get a good going over with a baseball bat, then I will laugh and be happy to pay for the priviledge.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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50 First Datesis a sweet-natured vehicle for sweet-natured stars Adam Sandler and Drew ... more
Barrymore, and their track record withThe Wedding Singerno doubt factors in its lowbrow appeal. But while the well-matched lovebirds wrestle with a gimmicky plot (sh...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
50 First Datesis a sweet-natured vehicle for sweet-natured stars Adam Sandler and Drew ... more
Barrymore, and their track record withThe Wedding Singerno doubt factors in its lowbrow appeal. But while the well-matched lovebirds wrestle with a gimmicky plot (sh...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 2 to 3 weeks...
Henry Roth (Sandler) the local marina veterinarian only dates tourists because he's ... more
afraid of commitment - that is until he meets Lucy (Barrymore). Unfortunately Lucy lost her short-term memory months ago in a car accident and for her each day is...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore star together for the first time since The Wedding Singer ... more
in the funniest romantic comedy of the year.Henry Roth (Sandler) lives an enviable life in a Hawaiian paradise, enjoying the company of countless beautiful women ...
![50 First Dates [DVD] [2004]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78486739.jpg "50 First Dates [DVD] [2004]")
Apr 28th, 2004
very helpful by (100%):
