50 First Dates (B+ or 3/4 stars)
Imagine starting every day with a clean memory slate. Drew Barrymore does in '50 First Dates', a comedy directed by Peter Segal. Henry (Adam Sandler) is a Hawaiian veterinarian who's afraid of commitment; that is, until he meets Lucy (Barrymore). He thinks he's found 'the one'. That is, til he discovers she has short-term memory loss and forgets him by the next day. With gorgeous locales, gentle humor, & Barrymore's sweet disposition, '50 First Dates' is a surefire winner.
For Lucy, every morning she wakes, she thinks it to be a Sunday in October (the day an accident gave her this unfortunate ailment). Every night, she goes to bed and forgets the previous days' events. Because they love her, Lucy's father (Blake Clark) & brother (newly toned ex-hobbit, Sean Astin) enable her situation, encouraging her to believe that nothing is wrong with her. They literally set-up each day as if it were that very same Sunday in October. Since Lucy can't remember Henry each day, he has to find ways to romance her, & win her over for every day that follows. Not only does Henry have to deal with her condition.
But he also faces adversity from an overprotective community, her overprotective father, and her bozo brother. Henry's only support comes from a colorful local and quirky pothead, Ula (an unusually funny Rob Schneider). If Henry is to have any chance with Lucy, he has to find a way to connect with her at a level that transcends her brainwaves; he has to get to her heart, and stay there for good. He'll try to accomplish this with the aid of a video camera & a diary ... you figure it out. Will he be able to overcome her short-term memory? If he does, will it sustain? How would she be able to cope with this knowledge?
Adam Sandler surprises me here. But he's scaled back a lot of his offensive, loud, obnoxious physical & verbal comedy and created a character we all can love, relate to, AND find funny. Barrymore's pretty, wholesomely sexy Lucy is a great asset in this romance, and for the film. The supporting actors do a great job of keeping us engaged in the plot. At times, the plot is corny, maybe a tad silly. But who cares? There's a character that's named '10-Second Tom' (due to his memory loss). How can you not laugh at that? Overall, the concept of '50 First Dates' is actually quite funny, & it isn't short of reflective, warm, fuzzy moments. Like Lucy's day-to-days, here's a comedy that makes me want to experience it over, & over, & over again.
For Lucy, every morning she wakes, she thinks it to be a Sunday in October (the day an accident gave her this unfortunate ailment). Every night, she goes to bed and forgets the previous days' events. Because they love her, Lucy's father (Blake Clark) & brother (newly toned ex-hobbit, Sean Astin) enable her situation, encouraging her to believe that nothing is wrong with her. They literally set-up each day as if it were that very same Sunday in October. Since Lucy can't remember Henry each day, he has to find ways to romance her, & win her over for every day that follows. Not only does Henry have to deal with her condition.
But he also faces adversity from an overprotective community, her overprotective father, and her bozo brother. Henry's only support comes from a colorful local and quirky pothead, Ula (an unusually funny Rob Schneider). If Henry is to have any chance with Lucy, he has to find a way to connect with her at a level that transcends her brainwaves; he has to get to her heart, and stay there for good. He'll try to accomplish this with the aid of a video camera & a diary ... you figure it out. Will he be able to overcome her short-term memory? If he does, will it sustain? How would she be able to cope with this knowledge?
Adam Sandler surprises me here. But he's scaled back a lot of his offensive, loud, obnoxious physical & verbal comedy and created a character we all can love, relate to, AND find funny. Barrymore's pretty, wholesomely sexy Lucy is a great asset in this romance, and for the film. The supporting actors do a great job of keeping us engaged in the plot. At times, the plot is corny, maybe a tad silly. But who cares? There's a character that's named '10-Second Tom' (due to his memory loss). How can you not laugh at that? Overall, the concept of '50 First Dates' is actually quite funny, & it isn't short of reflective, warm, fuzzy moments. Like Lucy's day-to-days, here's a comedy that makes me want to experience it over, & over, & over again.