Henry Roth (Sandler) lives an enviable life in a Hawaiian
paradise, spending every night with a beautiful tourist in search
of an island fling. It’s a sweet life with no strings attached...
until he meets Lucy (Barrymore).
CRITIQUE
Anyone who has seen Groundhog Day will recognize the
concept of 50 First Dates: characters forced to live the
same day over and over again until they get it right. The
difference here is that the repetition takes place entirely in the
mind of Lucy Whitmore, the victim of a car accident that has
damaged her short term memory, causing her to forget everything
that has happened to her that day when she goes to sleep. It’s not
the most plausible premise, but the chemistry between stars Adam
Sandler and Drew Barrymore and the direction by Peter Segal (Anger
Management) makes it work.
This is an
interesting turn for Sandler, who eschews the more hostility driven,
gross-out humor of his previous films and shows a warmer side. He
plays Henry Roth, a marine veterinarian who romances tourists, quickly
forgetting them after they have left the island. He meets a unique
challenge when he meets Lucy, a girl who forgets him every night. The
same sweet sincerity that we saw in The Wedding Singer is
present here, and George Wing’s script uses the ingenious device of
videotaped diaries to keep the story arc on track.
Of course, 50
First Dates just wouldn’t be an Adam Sandler movie without Rob
Schneider. Here Schneider plays Ula, Sandler’s best friend. He is
funny as the native islander, the perfect counter to Sandler’s
straight man.
50 First
Dates is never gutbustingly
funny, but it never ceases to be charming and lighthearted. It lacks
the complexity of Groundhog Day, but the story is warm, and we
see a warmer, softer side to Adam Sandler, and that comes as a welcome
change to some of his previous movies.
THE VIDEO
The film is presented in its original 2.40:1 theatrical aspect
ratio. This is a beautiful transfer, with the color levels coming
through crisply and evenly.
THE AUDIO
50 First Dates
has language tracks in English and French, both presented in 5.1
Dolby Digital Surround Sound. The presentation is sharp and
even, without any crackling or popping of any kind.
THE EXTRAS
Director and cast commentary:
Peter Segal and Drew Barrymore talk about the making of the
film, how certain choices were made, etc. What they say is
pretty run-of-the-mill, but the two are having so much fun that
it makes this worth listening to.
Deleted
scenes with optional commentary:
A few deleted scenes, mildly amusing, with Segal explaining why they
were removed.
The Dating
Scene: The Making of 50 First Dates:
The director and cast talk about how they came to be involved and how
the film came to be.
Music
videos: Videos for “Hold
Me Now” by Wayne Wonder, “Love Song” by 311, and live footage of
“Amber” by 311.
Comedy
Central Reel Comedy Special:
The behind-the-scenes look at the film that aired on Comedy Central
prior to the film’s theatrical release. This contains much of the same
information that is in the other making-of special.
Gag reel:
The cast and crew joke around on the set between takes. This runs
about seven minutes.
Talkin’
Pidgin featurette: This
is an interesting look at Hawaiian slang.
The
bonus material also includes cast filmographies and previews
of coming attractions.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Though short on laughs, 50 First Dates is a charming, lovable
movie that shows a side of Adam Sandler that we have not seen before.
The audio and video are well presented, and the bonus material is
better than expected.
