50 First Dates Review
by Ryan Ellis (flickershows AT hotmail DOT com)February 19th, 2004
50 First Dates
by Ryan Ellis
February 15, 2004
Last Friday afternoon, a work colleague noticed my magazine was opened to an article about '50 First Dates'. She asked if I was planning to see the movie, but I shrugged indifferently. It was mere coincidence that the magazine was opened to that particular article because I'm not a big fan of either Drew Barrymore or Adam Sandler. They're both likable enough, but his movies have been stupid time after time (except for P.T. Anderson's marvelous 'Punch-Drunk Love') while hers are usually depth-free "embrace life" parables (with some notable exceptions). So when a lowly critic is still trying to see all the buzz-worthy films of this awards season, it would seem easy to overlook a rom-com with these 2 underwhelming actors. I was acting like a post-holiday Grinch by frowning at this one. Don't be like me. See '50 First Dates' and you might be pleasantly surprised. I was.
Funny that I'm talking up a movie that pulled in $41 million in its first weekend. Since it was Valentine's Day (a phony observance, if there ever was one), this movie seems to be the best option at the theatre for young lovers. For once, Sandler isn't using a stupid voice. He's charming and pretty cool right from the start. Barrymore doesn't resort to the cutesy-poo Meg Ryan-esque acting that's ruined the modern romantic movie. What's more, these two seem right for each other. Next to Macy and Bello in 'The Cooler', there's probably not a better pairing at the movies right now. It took about 40 minutes for the flick to win me over, right around the point where most of the clips they showed in the trailer had passed. As funny as it is at times, its heart and intelligence blindsided me. There's pathos here, and it's not maudlin or phony. It got to me.
Pathos, you say? In a silly Sandler comedy, you say? Yeah. This picture has plenty of affecting scenes where a man in love has to remain calm and patient with his forgetful girlfriend. The plot is best described as a cross between 'Memento' and 'Groundhog Day'. Barrymore plays Lucy Whitmore, a young woman living in Hawaii who suffers from Anterograde Amnesia (short-term memory loss) courtesy a car accident that took place over a year ago. Her brother, Doug, and her father, Marlin, (played respectively by Sean Astin and Sandler regular Blake Clark) allow her to live in the delusion that it's always the day of that accident, going through elaborate deceptions which will prevent her from learning the truth about her condition. These scenes are humourous, but there's something touching going on here too. When I saw just how much these two men have done and will continue to do to keep Lucy happy (whether or not ignorance really IS bliss), this was no longer the blech-fest I suspected it was destined to be. Just as Bill Murray has that heartbreaking moment in 'Groundhog Day' when he realizes that nothing he does will save an old man from dying, the father/brother montage in '50 First Dates' took the movie to a different level.
As for Sandler, he plays Henry Roth, a vet at the local aquarium. His best friends are a talented walrus and a sassy penguin. Before he meets Lucy, he has brief flings with vacationing women (strung together in an opening sequence that it isn't as funny as it could be), then dumping them when they're going to go back home anyway. Fortunately, this aspect of his character is discarded early and never mentioned again. Henry sees Lucy in a diner, love zaps him right between the eyes, and you know he isn't going to be able to pull a Sam Malone on a woman again. As you can see in the trailers, her memory problem means that she never remembers him the next day. Sometimes, as in their first meeting, sparks fly and they seem to be ready for a serious commitment after just a few hours. Other times, he strikes out. It's interesting that Sandler isn't playing one of his usual obnoxious characters because those guys would abuse the situation and would get pounded into dust by Marlin and Doug. After some initial distrust, Lucy's family realize that Henry might be the best thing for Lucy. Together with her doctor, they carefully concoct plans to help her keep these new memories.
Where does it go from there? Well, I shouldn't say much more because the last half of the movie was the uncharacteristic strong half. How many times do we see a picture that loses steam after a great opening act? Most of the time, right? This movie never flies off into the land of perfect rom-coms, but Henry's affection and gentlemanly behaviour with this vulnerable girl is what proves to be special. There's no villain to speak of, except maybe bad luck. So you might be thinking---his love eventually cures her of the incurable handicap, right? I won't say. I will say that '50 First Dates' earns its ending. The final scene presses the right buttons and I walked out of the theatre with a bit of a grin on my face. Director Peter Segal (who helmed last year's foolish 'Anger Management') and rookie screenwriter George Wing don't over-do it. They haven't teamed up to make a great movie, but they've struck a nice little balance of humour, sadness, and genuine emotion.
As for the supporting cast, Rob Schneider makes more than his usual cameo in his buddy Sandler's movie. He's got a fleshed-out part as Ula, Henry's Hawaiian chum. Schneider is being a goofball and I didn't laugh at most of his antics, but he doesn't ruin the momentum either. Sean Astin has gained a lisp and has been working out since being "the fat hobbit", but he's also gone back to fading into the woodwork. He doesn't do anything wrong in this movie, just fills out the part. Even though I've been championing him to get more recognition for his wonderful performance in 'LOTR: ROTK', this is his chance to take it easy after saving Middle Earth. Other character actors pop up in bit parts and none of them detract from the leads. And speaking of the leads, this is the Adam Sandler I like. This is the guy I can get behind. His legions of fans might be disappointed that he isn't yelling and screaming and beating people up every 3 minutes. Not I. You could always see that beneath the immature and sociopathic characters he's made millions of dollars playing, there was a sweet fella that intelligent people could root for. And since he and Drew Barrymore play off each other as nicely as they do in '50 First Dates', I'm almost looking forward to their next projects.
To contact me with kudos or criticism, write to flickershows@hotmail.com.
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