50 First Dates

Posted by Greg

November 11, 2007

You Always Get A Chance To Make A First Impression

***1/2 out of *****

Smartly embracing his one marketable talent since his inauspicious early days on SNL - his hilarious, hyper-active overreactions - Adam Sandler took the ball and ran with it, playing pretty much the same character in every movie he did. This on-the-job training apparently worked wonders, because after The Wedding Singer in 1998, people were surprised to discover that he actually can act - providing he has the right material and most importantly, the right supporting cast. The makers of 50 First Dates realized this and chose to not stray too far from a proven winner.

Sandler plays Henry Roth, a commitment-phobic vet working at a Hawaiian Sea World who stumbles into Lucy (Drew Barrymore) at a local diner. After a very successful attempt at wooing her, they make a date for the same time and same place the following day. But when Henry shows up - for once eager to get to know a girl instead of just sleep with her - he’s shocked to find that she has absolutely no memory of them ever meeting. Just before she calls the cops on him, the owner of the diner intervenes and takes Henry aside to explain the strange truth: due to a car accident, Lucy has short-term amnesia. Every morning, she wakes up with no idea of what happened the previous day, still thinking that it’s the day after the accident.

Incredulous at first, Henry keeps showing up day after day, trying a new approach with her each time, which only sporadically works. Unfortunately for him, no matter how good or bad his attempts go, he’s always right back where he began the next day. Ignoring the pleas from his best friend Ula (Rob Schneider) that a consistent string of one-night stands just might be the best thing that’s ever happened to any guy, he decides to put his money where his mouth is, and sets out to try and get Lucy to fall in love with him and hopefully remember him for more than 24 hours.

The trick with doing movies like this where the same plot device is used over and over again is keeping it fresh. Luckily, director Peter Segal manages to (mostly) steer clear of trite clichés and repetitive happenings, with Henry approaching his task from an adequate amount of different angles to keep the viewer interested in what’s going to happen next. Luckily, just when the idea is beginning to run out of steam, the script wisely introduces us to Lucy’s family, giving us a deeper peek into the difficulties of living with her, and what Henry must deal with if he’s to continue pursuing her. That may sound a bit heavy handed but don’t worry, the movie approaches it from the right direction and manages to keep the laughs coming.

Genial Sandler is fun in a role that was tailor made for his loveable dorm-room doofus persona, the kind of guy that could effortlessly talk you into lending your car to, even though you would spend every second worried about if he’s going to return it in one piece. He doesn’t show much range but then again, he’s not really called upon to do so; he’s the star that the other players revolve around.

Barrymore is also a delight to watch - she definitely has the sweet, girl-next-door role cornered. It’s refreshing to know that her chemistry with Sandler is as real off screen as it is on, and it makes all the difference to the believability of a romantic comedy.

Segal knows the strengths of his two leads and he plays to them, but he also knows their weaknesses (watching Sandler for two hours straight? Not gonna happen). He wisely surrounds them with a very capable supporting cast that balances out any talent inconsistencies that may have reared their ugly head had the script relied too much on Sandlers limited shtick. Sean Astin is funny as Lucy’s steroid-addled, lisping brother and Blake Clark is especially memorable as her protective father who only wants the best for his little girl. But it’s Rob Schneider who is the standout; the normally abrasive and juvenile little twerp is actually quite enjoyable to watch and has some very funny scenes. Funky, upbeat Hawaiian covers of famous tunes also add to the atmosphere. 50 First Dates could have been trimmed by about 15 minutes and it also got a bit annoying to see Henry’s animal patients guffawing in reaction to jokes that their more literate human counterparts made, but that’s a small grouse to have.

You won’t find any boundaries pushed, but it’s an enjoyable and totally non-offensive romantic romp that’s fun and easy to watch. I found it refreshing that it takes the standpoint that love can’t, in fact, solve all the world’s problems, but it can certainly help us understand and deal with the little quirks that life throws our way.

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