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50 First Dates

Starring: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Rob Schneider, Sean Astin, Dan Aykroyd, Maya Rudolph
Director: Peter Segal

Reviewed by Mikey Vu

In 50 First Dates, Adam Sandler plays Henry Roth, a marine vet who falls in love with Lucy (Drew Barrymore), a woman who suffers from short-term memory loss. At first glance, you'll probably expect another typical Adam Sandler film. Ladies and gents this is not the case this time. Taking a cue from his more serious roles (Punch Drunk Love) Sandler for the most part plays the straight man to his walking Hawaiian stereotype Ula (Rob Schneider.) When Henry realizes that Lucy can't remember him, he tries to make her fall in love with him everyday as her memory is cleared.

If anything, 50 First Dates is played more as a romantic comedy than a fart and poop Sandler film. Walking into the theatre, I was expecting the typical drivel from his Happy Madison film company that I usually associate with sharp pokes in the eye with a stick, but I must say I actually enjoyed this film. It was nice to see Sandler playing a subtler role than his usual over the top demeanor. Usually I don't use the word cute, but 50 First Dates was just that, it was a very cute date movie. The real main thing that makes this story more fun to watch is that they aren't unrealistically drop dead gorgeous, but it looks like they are having so much fun that they glow onscreen. Sure there are some requisite barf jokes, but the story flows along pretty well for the most part. At one point however, we are shown in painfully repetitive detail the result of each of the 50 dates that he asks her on. It was blatantly obvious that someone in the editing room was sleeping, because I sure was. Besides this, the plot, although extremely saccharine, kept we awake for the majority of the movie. For some reason however, as the story manages its way along, it hits points of sentimentality followed by slapstick that make us wonder if its ok to laugh or not. It's kind of like that time my friend tripped over a branch, and I laughed, but then I realized that he tripped off a cliff. Don't worry, he was ok though.

Easily the best cameo in this film is by Samwise Gamgee himself, Sean Astin. His sole purpose in this film was to show that he wasn't a lard ass anymore. Anyone remember when you saw him again in the first Lord of the Rings? Let's be honest here people, I wasn't the only one that thought that he had eaten Rudy. I will admit however, that the other cameo by Dan Aykroyd left me wishing that Ghostbusters III was more than a fantasy.

As a word of advice, don't go into this expecting to see something groundbreaking or new, hell this formula is about as fresh as the dining hall food. Think of it as two parts Sleepless in Seattle, half a cup of Groundhog Day, with a dash of Gallagher for good measure. Shake well, served chilled. Enjoy with reserve.

Rating: (2.5 out of 4 stars)

Mikey Vu is a writer for the University of the Pacific student newspaper The Pacifican.

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