this is one date you wont mind seeing over and over

Ever since I reached a more adult movie viewing age (something beyond Care bears and My Little Pony) I have been a huge Adam Sandler fan. From his trip back to elementary school in Billy Madison to his portrayal of a slightly crazed Lousianna momma’s boy in The Waterboy, I have loved them all. I became enamored with Sandler’s spastic, slightly juvenile sense of humor. So, when I saw he was teaming up with Drew Barrymore (who coincidentally has been my favorite actress since Ever After) for the second time since the late 90’s The Wedding Singer, I was thrilled. On February 15, 2004, I set out towards Regal Cinemas to see the 9:20 showing of 50 First Dates (director Peter Segal; producer Adam Sandler, et al) in eager anticipation of the comedic masterpiece I was about to view. I was not disappointed. It had all of the comedic genius I expected, but it also had a surprising amount of heart. To put it another way, this movie had it all. A delightfully simple plot, flawless acting, and the natural beauty of the Hawaiian landscape combined to make this movie a cinematic gem that will be cherished for decades to come.

50 First Dates chronicles the adventures of a philandering Marine Biologist, Henry Roth (Adam Sandler) on the sun-swept landscape of Hawaii. He is somewhat of an island Casanova, seducing lonely tourists with the aid of his crazy native buddy, Ula (Rob Schneider), making up outlandish excuses to dump them, then moving on to his next victim while they fly back to wherever they came from. To put it mildly, he has no interest in commitment. However, one day this all changes. When his boat breaks down and strands him miles from home, he ventures into a local diner for breakfast. There he lays eyes on a beautiful Hawaiian resident, Lucy (Drew Barrymore). Despite his vow to never date anyone who actually lived in Hawaii for the greater commitment it entailed, he immediately falls in love with her. Lucy, who is equally charmed by Roth, arranges to meet him at the same diner for breakfast tomorrow. However, when he returns the next day, he runs into a problem: she has no idea who she is. Deeply befuddled, Roth turns to the diner’s owner, Noreen (Julianne Morris), for answers. Noreen tells Roth Lucy’s story: years ago, Lucy was in a terrible car accident. Due to head injuries sustained during that crash, Lucy lost her short term memory. She cannot remember a thing after the accident. In an attempt to save Lucy from the daily horror of realizing she has no memory, her family goes through extremely lengths (going so far as to lay out old newspapers) to make her believe she is stuck in the day before the accident. To put it simply: every single day Lucy will forget she ever met Roth. The former bachelor who ran from the mention of the word love is now forced to make Lucy fall in love with him- day after day after day. Though the movie follows a repetitive pattern, the snappiness of the humor and inventive plot keeps the viewer engrossed the whole time through.

There is a certain social stigma in Hollywood that comedic actors to don’t have the “talent” required of dramatic actors. However, as is evident in 50 First Dates, comedic actors can encompass an enormous amount of talent. Though Adam Sandler is often dubbed as an immature and not respectable actor; he manages to create a character with incredible depth. Roth has the lovably quirky sense of humor typical of any Sandler character, but he has something much more solid inside of him. The tenderness he shows, particularly in his dedication to Lucy, makes him more than a typical Sandler goofball. Drew Barrymore, who has successfully pulled of a myriad of roles, once again works her magic in the portrayal of Lucy. She manages to work effortlessly from state of oblivious joy to a state of out of out-of-control panic. She is tender and loving one moment, and like a caged animal the next. She brings the viewer into the darkest core of Lucy’s being. Conversely, Rob Schneider’s Ula is brilliant in his simplicity. He may not display complex emotions, but every movement he makes is so effortlessly humorous. He can take something that’s typically not funny (such as being bit by a shark) into the funniest joke one has heard in years. 50 First Dates shows that comedy is indeed a respectable genre, one that requires as much talent and dedication as any other.

Many movies nowadays rely on complex digital animation to make their backgrounds dazzling. However, 50 First Dates does not follow this pattern. There are no digitally created castles or volcanoes dotting the landscape. It is simply the natural beauty of Hawaii, unblemished and unadorned. The turquoise seas and white sandy beaches serve as beautiful frames to the story, never stealing all of the attention. They simply create a dazzling background against which the story can take place. The appeal background reflects the story line- beautiful in all of its simplicity.

Though many movie high-brows may sneer at the very mention of an Adam Sandler comedy, 50 First Dates proves its worth. It is hilarious, yet dually touching. At times it is ridiculously outlandish, but at other times it is painfully realistic. It encompasses a wide range of human emotions. 50 First Dates is a film that cannot be missed.