Nowhere near as good as The Wedding Singer...but what Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore share on film is most certainly no flash in the pan.
50 First Dates (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:169
Fresh:75
Rotten:94
Average Rating:5.4/10
Consensus: Gross-out humor overwhelms the easy chemistry between Sandler and Barrymore.
Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Scatological and sentimental, satirical and sincere, 50 FIRST DATES pairs Adam Sandler with Drew Barrymore in this romantic comedy about the power of love and short-term memory loss in Hawaii.... Scatological and sentimental, satirical and sincere, 50 FIRST DATES pairs Adam Sandler with Drew Barrymore in this romantic comedy about the power of love and short-term memory loss in Hawaii. Henry Roth (Sandler), the local marina veterinarian, only dates tourists because he's afraid of commitment--that is, until he meets Lucy (Barrymore). Unfortunately, Lucy lost her short-term memory months ago in a car accident, and for her, each day is October the 13th. She follows the same routine every day--breakfast at the same restaurant, pineapple-picking with her dad, and eventually bed time, where sleep wipes away her short-term memory. Henry, however, refuses to be forgotten, and as his puppy love matures, he embarks on a quest to restore her memory, or at least be a part of her everyday routine. But vying for Lucy's attention isn't always easy. Sandler explores various neophytic approaches before making a video for Lucy to watch every morning, reminding her of who she is and what she's doing. The film includes a trademark Sandler ballad as Henry serenades Lucy with his ukulele and a series of familiar salacious puns. Rob Schneider plays Henry's best friend, a goofy native stoner whose physical hijinks earn numerous laughs, and a cameo by Dan Akroyd as Lucy's doctor rounds out the cast. [More]
Starring: Drew Barrymore, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, Sean Astin
Starring: Drew Barrymore, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, Sean Astin, Dan Aykroyd, Amy Hill, Missi Pyle, Blake Clark, Luisa Strus
Director: Peter Segal
Director: Peter Segal
Screenwriter: George Wing
Producer: Jack Giarruputo, Steve Golin, Nancy Juvonen, Daniel Lupi, Adam Sandler, Larry Kennan
Composer: Teddy Castellucci
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Reviews for 50 First Dates
Dates proves once more Sandler and Barrymore can trump the silliest shtick
The problem with this movie is that it’s neither fish nor fowl. It’s either a live-action cartoon or a romantic comedy and the transition really doesn't work.
A delightful, breezy, eager-to-please tale of romance that will go down as a career highlight for both lead actors.
Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore shine in this sweet, flirty comedy about a man who falls for a woman with short-term memory loss.
This is Groundhog Day without the laughs, a lame comedy with all the romantic heat of an ice floe.
Romance meets neurology in this Adam Sandler-Drew Barrymore romance that only works when she's on-screen.
The film has an odious poodle-poo stench to it. Though watching Rob Schneider be beaten with a baseball bat in one particularly off scene, did seem a bit cathartic…
A chick flick for guys, with a pH balance in perfect equilibrium between the crass and the sweet.
50 First Dates possesses an undeniable heart. The bad news is that it will still be buried underneath layers of stale Sandlerisms tomorrow, and the next day, and the next.
Vast majority of the humor is so grotesquely obvious and crudely presented (in addition to being mildly crude in and of itself) that Sandler dissenters are guaranteed to remain just where they are.
Sandler's shtick is the main thing dragging down this otherwise pleasant romantic comedy, but he's come a long way since the crude, juvenile Billy Madison.
If there's one thing to commend in 50 First Dates, apart from the finest walrus performances this side of Marineland, it's Barrymore, whose irrepressible cheerfulness and buoyancy at least makes Henry's motivation anything but mysterious.
The jokes in 50 First Dates aren't jokes, and the bits aren't bits so much as scattershot gestures in the general direction of comedy, at which an audience is expected to laugh, not at the joke, but at the comic's attempt at humor.
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