Adam Sandler has been known to be the guy who comes out with the over-the-top comedy on a yearly basis for recent years, but I think that he has taken his career in a new direction. With his production company producing major comedic hits such as Hot Chick and The Animal, Sandler was able to act in a dramatic movie called Punch Drunk Love. That movie seems to have shown him the importance of doing movies that are not relying 100 percent on the comedic over-tones to be a good film. In 50 First Dates, Sandler takes that much needed step towards being a bankable actor in more than just slap-stick films. He helps to show that there may actually be a depth to his acting style, and gives us a glimpse of things that I hope to see more of in the future.

Adam Sandler plays the role of Henry Roth, who is a veterinarian at a Hawaiian water-park. He has been going through life dating women who are on vacation in Hawaii, looking for excitement and an escape from jobs that they have back in the great 48 states. Little do each of them know, but he has been playing a role for each of them as they come to meet him. He never reveals who he really is, and always has some sort of excuse to break it off when it comes time for them to leave from their vacation. It seems to be a no-loser situation, as the women go back to tell stories of how great their vacations have been, and Henry is able to avoid committing to anyone. It seems he is afraid to settle down with anyone, and has been content to just spend a week with a woman and then move on. That was the case, until one day he met Lucy at a local restaurant.


Lucy is played by Drew Barrymore, and it turns out that she has a shocking back-story. Lucy was in a car accident with her father, and the lasting effects of it, have left her with no ability to form new memories. She lives her life for a day, goes to sleep, and in the morning cannot remember anything after the accident. It proves problematic for accomplishing anything in her life, let alone getting into a relationship with anyone that she would just forget about the next day. The biggest problem that she has, is that she still thinks it is her father's birthday everyday, and she does not know that anything has changed from the day before her accident. Stopping to think about the problem that she has makes you feel for the character from the start, and we are left wondering if she will ever get over it.


One morning, Henry comes across Lucy as a local restaurant, and after getting to know each other, they end up spending the whole morning just talking to each other. They find that they have a lot in common, and plan to spend the next morning at the same restaurant having breakfast together again. In a very cute sequence they both do a little dance at their cars because it appears that they are very interested in each other. So, the next day Henry comes to the restaurant, only to find that Lucy has no idea who he is. Pulled aside by the owner, she explains to him why she can't remember him, and he makes it a goal to get to know her again. Only this time, it is not quite so easy, and she turns out to be tougher to get to know than he thought, but eventually he is able to win her over again.


Since Lucy cannot remember anything that has gone on between her and Henry the next day, the only thing he can do is start over brand-new the following morning. He has to get to know her, win her over, and get her to fall in love with him again and again. The dedication that the character shows to towards her is quite admirable, and we as an audience can see that he is in love with her even if he does not know it. Teamed up with her father, and her brother, Henry tries to make everyday better than the last for Lucy, and we are treated to not only some great comedic moments, but some very sentimental moments as well. The movies ends up appealing to both genders because of the sub-text, and the themes that the movie represents.


In the role of Henry's best friend, Rob Schneider plays Ula, who is a native of Hawaii, and is the comedic relief for the film. He has 5 kids who play into a lot of the jokes, and he shows that he can still pull punch-lines with the best of them. Sean Astin, in his first role since Lord of the Rings wrapped, plays Lucy's older brother, who has made it his personal goal to become Mr. Hawaii. He takes steroids and has a lisp, and shows that he can be funny just as well as he can be serious. Both of the actors make the film that much better by being a part of it, and they helped a lot towards bringing comedy to the film, while Sandler handles the more dramatic parts of the film. The chemistry between all of the actors is very believable, and we become wrapped up in the situations that surround them and Lucy. In particular, I was very pleased with Astin's role, and it showed me that he had not pigeon-holed himself with his role as Sam in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.


My recommendation of 50 First Dates, is that it was a very good film. Not only did it have some very funny moments, but it was the type of film that men and women can both like a lot. The best part about it though, was Sandler and Barrymore acting together again. They were golden in The Wedding Singer , and I was glad to see that they were back for a second go-around. The story was very original for the film, and it is something that you don't normally see in a romantic comedy. Sandler ended up scoring a big hit, and many return viewers to this film, because it was so well done, and it lacked any holes in the story. To top it off, they had a great collection of songs that they used or had re-made for the movie, and I will admit that when the ending credits got there, I too was starting to sing along to it. I highly recommend this as a movie to see, and would go as far as saying that this is the best comedy I have seen from Sandler yet.







Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good Date Movie