Review: 50 First Dates

Rated PG-13 | 99 mins

Hey, look at Adam Sandler! He’s nice! And people love him because of it! He’s more giving and caring and…and…and… nice, did I mention that he is nice!?

Sadly, I want the mean Sandler back because, goddammit, I don’t like him like this! He’s too likeable! I just loathe him when I sympathize for him! Why must he have morals and become attached to people!? It shouldn’t work like that! I’m about to start hyperventilating in a second! Breathe, Danny, breathe…

Okay, so he’s not all that bad here, but I still do prefer him when he plays an asshole, unlike almost every other sole on the planet. 50 First Dates is actually quite watchable, and I enjoyed it. I certainly wasn’t able to say that about his last effort, Anger Management, where he teamed up with Jack Nicholson. Sander has certainly improved over the years as an actor, and I cannot deny that. Hopefully, he’ll actually make something just as inspired as Punch-Drunk Love sometime in the near future. Or maybe I’m just blatantly criticizing him for no good reason, because he got to kiss Drew Barrymore fifty times.

Barrymore plays Lucy, who Sandler’s character, Henry, falls in love with. Herein lies the problem. Lucy suffers from short-term memory loss, so she cannot remember anything that happened to her after the night before the car accident that provoked the condition. Lucy’s family never tells her of her disorder, though, making her believe everyday of her life is really the day in which the accident really took place on. She, of course, is helpless enough to believe it all, too. Henry spends the whole film trying to win Lucy over each and every day, even though he is told by professionals that she’ll never remember him. And, since 50 First Dates is really just one big fairy-tale, the audience is convinced that Henry will do just about anything for Lucy.

50 First Dates is heavy on romance and light on comedy. This is a good thing, because Sandler, frankly, isn’t very funny, when he doesn’t have a bastardly attitude working in his favor. This movie, on the whole, is a pleasant little experience, full of witty one liners and sweet dialogue—just enough to keep its viewers satisfied. I was usually amused by it, and it was certainly never a painful experience. 50 First Dates is actually pretty remarkable for a February release.