Henry Roth (Adam Sandler) is a happy go lucky sort of guy; he has a good job as a vet on a Hawaiian island as well as dating many of the attractive holiday makers with the knowledge that once the holiday is over nothing will ever come of them. That is until he meets local girl Lucy (Drew Barrymore) and immediately falls head over heels in love with her. The only trouble is Lucy has a rare illness which when she wakes up each morning she cannot remember anything from the day before, not even meeting Henry. Desperate to win her over, Henry sets about romancing her everyday in the hope that one day she will remember him.
►►► Opinion
After the surprise success of "The Wedding Singer" which saw the pairing of Sandler and Barrymore hit the big screen, it came as no surprise to me when they paired up again for the 2004 romantic comedy "50 First Dates". Whilst this is definitely your typical Sandler comedy, with plenty of screaming from the seemingly petulant star and numerous parts for his buddies who seem to appear in all his films, as well as plenty of over the top humour, it manages to rise above the majority of them due to the likeability of Drew Barrymore. But despite Barrymore's stellar performance this is nothing more than your typical rom-com splattered with Sandler-esque style comedy, a decent soundtrack and of course the likeability
of Barrymore.
The basis of the film follows the tried and tested route that the majority of rom-coms follow where boy meets girl, they fall in love, things go wrong, etc etc etc. Whilst it is a shame that they didn't try to do something new with the plot, I honestly feel that it would have been wasted in a Sandler film where the focus of the film is more on the humour than anything else. But saying that, having the object of his affections, Lucy, suffer from short term memory loss makes for numerous humorous scenes and it is these scenes which make the film watch able. To be honest, you find yourself waiting for the next humorous moments rather than wondering where the film will lead as it is very predictable, but in being so is very easy to watch.
Whilst the humour in the film is very typical of all Sandler's films, with plenty of over the top moments, and the seemingly blatant disregard for offending anyone who may be handicapped as he takes the mickey out of them, I have to admit that it does feel a little toned down. Yes we still see Sandler do his usual shouting act which is meant to make us laugh, but he seems to have pulled back on the throttle in an attempt to make us like him. Does it work, to be honest no; he still comes across as more annoying than funny but it would have really spoilt the film if he hadn't toned his act down. Yes there are some truly funny moments which will make you smile, but in the same breath there are some truly over the top moments which fail to hit the mark.
Whilst the character of Henry Roth is nothing more than your stereotypical Sandler character, likeable, mildly funny but also annoying. It is the character of Lucy, or should I say the performance of Barrymore which saves this film from being just another Sandler comedy. There is something about Barrymore when she plays the vulnerable love interest that makes you fall in love with her, as is the case with her appearance in "50 First Dates". That is not to say her performance is faultless, far from it, but she is head and shoulders above Sandler or any of the other cast. What is quite surprising is that the pairing of Sandler and Barrymore actually works remarkably well, whilst there may not be a huge amount of romantic chemistry between them, they seem to play off each other brilliantly, which is also an important factor in making this film enjoyable. What has become the norm in all Sandler's films are appearances from a bunch of stars which seem to appear in all his films including Rob Schneider, Allen Covert, Blake Clark and Peter Dante who's characters in "50 First Dates" are over the top caricatures which although funny, are purely there as stooges for Sandler.
In his second pairing with Sandler, director Peter Segal has done a reasonable job with the film, but nothing amazing. Yes he has kept it moving at an enjoyable pace, and managed to control some of Sandler's more over the top moments, but that is not really enough to make this film stand out from any of his other films or the numerous other rom-coms which fill our screens. Where he has succeeded is in the brilliant sound track which accompanies the film, filled with laid back music which is very similar to that of musician Jack Johnson, but the climax which features "over the Rainbow" performed by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole is absolutely magnificent.
►►► Summary
Although this is by no means the worst rom-com to have been made, it is nothing more than average with its stereotypical plot and predictable Sandler performance. Whilst the pairing of Sandler and Barrymore definitely works and makes the film generally enjoyable the fact that every single element of the film is predictable, from the plot, the jokes and the Sandler cronies who provide the supporting characters hugely detracts from making it really special, not even Barrymore's loveable vulnerability can really save it. This will definitely appeal to fans of Sandler and Barrymore, but if you are looking for an enjoyable rom-com to cuddle up to a loved one with, then I honestly wouldn't put this at the top of the list. In fact I would put "The Wedding Singer", the first pairing of Sandler and Barrymore above this, as it is funnier and fresher.
Certificate: 12 Duration: 95 mins Year of Release: 2004 Genre: Comedy, Romance
Director(s): Peter Segal Writer(s): George Wing
Cast: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Rob Schneider, Sean Astin, Dan Aykroyd, Allen Covert, Blake Clark, Maya Rudolph, Pomaika'i Brown, Joe Nakashima, Peter Dante
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Comedy - Director: Tony Dow - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: John Challis, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Tessa Peake-Jones, Gwyneth Strong
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
I really enjoyed this film but think the Walrus managed to steal some excellent comic moments! Kels x
THE_ELITE13 08.01.2008 21:03
another very good review from ciao resident film guru....... Very good as usual Christian I was thinking of getting this for me and Charlotte to watch..... maybe i'll reconsider..... Best wishes ... Sam
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 ...
Advantages: A tale of romance with two likeable character, cute penguin and beautiful locations. Disadvantages: Walrus vomit which seems to go on and on.
bubbletown 21.04.2004 (21.04.2004)
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Review of 50 First Dates (DVD)
![50 First Dates [DVD] [2004]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78486739.jpg "50 First Dates [DVD] [2004]")
Dec 10th, 2007
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