How the hell could we possibly need a new romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore after so many of us were tortured by "The Wedding Singer" in 1998 -- especially when a sequel for the catastrophe is already in talks? Then, we have Rob Schneider taking on the role of yet another creepy, nipple-rubbing foreigner to boot.
I'll tell you how we need it: we don't. Granted Adam Sandler does not quite play the angry-all-of-the-time imbecile here in "50 First Dates" that he usually does, but he is still very weird in it.
Barrymore's character, Lucy, has no long-term memory so every night she goes to bed and wakes up with a "clean slate." So as sea veterinarian Henry Roth (Sandler) invents new ways to pick her up in the mornings and hang out with her all day, he becomes smitten with her. At first his attempts to sweep her off of her feet are somewhat sweet and kind of interesting to watch, but after a while, they just become old.
However, as he runs out of ideas on how to initiate conversation, he starts pulling the most twisted stunts. When Roth finally had spiraled down to the point where he pretended to be kidnapped in the back of a truck, this movie pissed me off and lost me completely.
And did anyone else in the theater laughing at that prank ever wonder, "Why is he making up new, increasingly stupid tricks every day, when yesterday's successful attempt worked and she is not going to remember it at all?"
Lucy was being tricked and lied to by Roth every single day so she would love him over and over. That is a pretty weak plotline.
These little daily episodes are supposed to be the source of humor for the film but I was too distracted from laughing because I was wondering, "What could Adam Sandler possibly be thinking?" Meanwhile, Lucy's father and brother actually start liking the fact that Roth is abducting her every day. I guess they were tired of dealing with her memory problem themselves.
And why, in the name of all that is sacred, is Rob Schneider riding Adam Sandler's coattails in yet another movie? You are killing me, Rob. This is the sixth time he has been in a movie with Sandler playing the lead. Maybe Schneider should have picked up around movie number three that he sucks and that they suck as a team. Am I wrong?
To see a really moving, funny movie based on living one day repetitiously, check out "Groundhog Day." To see Sandler train a seal to vomit on an androgynous co-worker, a Hawaiian Rob Schneider stick a joint down the back of his shorts to save for later, and a sweet girl with a mental health problem get trapped into falling for a head case, go check out "50 First Dates." What can I say, it's really, really bad.
Comments, criticism, or love letters should be directed to grumpy@cavalierdaily.com
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