With the exception of his performance in Punch Drunk Love, I believe Adam Sandler has always been magnificently hilarious. His acting in Punch Drunk Love wasn?t the best, because, well, he was playing a character unlike every other character he has ever played. The character that he is used to, the character that he is in almost every movie is the likeable, funny guy.
In 50 First Dates, which was directed by the wonderful Peter Segal, Sandler plays that kind of dude. This time, a man by the name of Henry Roth. He is a marine veterinarian?a real playboy in this movie?and at his side working with the animals, is a transsexual German woman?wait, or was it a man? Nobody will ever know.
One morning, he walks into a small diner down by the water. What he found is more than bacon and eggs, or in his case, spam and peanut butter cups. He discovers a beautiful woman at the other end of the diner. Played by the adorable, cute, awesome Drew Barrymore, her name is Lucy, and she takes pleasure in building castles and forts out of her breakfast waffles. Henry goes over, and they start chatting.
So from here, I can say that Henry and Lucy totally sprung things off right from the get-go. But the next day, at the scheduled time to meet again at the diner, it appears as if Lucy has no idea who the hell Henry is.
This is because she lost her capability to store short-term memory, due to a near fatal car crash with her father a year before. Each day, to Lucy, is the same day. And that day was the day before the crash. From here, Henry tries anything to win Lucy?s heart, and hilarity ensues.
As I said before, Sandler plays the part of the likeable, witty protagonist. In this movie, however, Sandler isn?t good. He is PHENOMINAL. He takes his character to the extreme, and truly is perfect for the role?he?s fun to watch. Put me in a casting director?s shoes, and I?ll take Sandler for nearly any role.
Drew Barrymore, to me, is one of the cutest girls in Hollywood. From being a big fan of the Charlie?s Angels movies, I sometimes think of her as one tough cookie. But, in 50 First Dates, she proves that she can take on any role thrown at her?she turns quite mushy gushy, but still keeps a bit of that tough-cookieness in some scenes. She makes you smile, laugh, and basically just feel good.
Sandler and Barrymore were last seen together in The Wedding Singer, which I must say, was hilarious. In that film, Barrymore and Sandler worked extremely well together. But, the chemistry they shared in 50 First Dates was the confirmation stating that these two cannot be compared to the chemistry shared by any other two people in any other film. Jim Carey and Jennifer Anniston in Bruce Almighty? No way. Mike Meyers and Heather Graham in Austin Powers? About as good as peanut butter and onions. Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore in 50 First Dates? YES! Now there you have got a winner!
Rob Schneider, who has really sucked in his previous movies, gave another commendable performance. His performances in that of, say?The Hot Chick or Deuce Biggolow, the Male Jiggolo were absolutely horrendous. But that?s beside the point. In 50 First Dates, he plays a Chinese man by the name of Ula; a father of four young boys who excel in everything, opposed to him, who fails in nearly all aspects of life. Schneider is hilarious, and I really hope he can continue to give good performances in the future.
Moving away from all of these fabulous raves, I must say that there was one part of the movie that was quite ridiculous?a bit unusual to say the absolute least. It?s that Henry works with a person, whose actual gender remains unknown. She?or, wait, he??is a German with crooked teeth and greasy hair, in search of love. Some people may think it?s funny, but I personally believe that it?s not needed and stupid.
But at the end of the day, I was very impressed with this movie. The cast was all gave top-notch performances, the jokes were funny, and the plot was sweet?a light romantic comedy with a little touch of seriousness. I think they make these kinds of movies for us to watch, and laugh, smile, and maybe shed a few tears, without having to really think about anything. So, while you are strolling around Blockbuster in search of a movie to watch with the family for Friday or Saturday night, take my word: Get 50 First Dates. I guarantee you will get a kick out of it. I sure did.