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50 First Dates

Only in picturesque, temperate Hawaii where the weather is a replica of itself 365 days each year would it be remarkably simple to live the same day over and over again. For Lucy, a woman with short-term memory loss, everyday is a clean slate. For Henry, the guy who loves her, everyday has to be a first date. So merrily sails the concept of 50 First Dates, Adam Sandler’s and Drew Barrymore’s valentine to movie-going audiences this Friday.

Henry, played by Sandler, an arctic marine life veterinarian, has found his personal paradise by working on an island with the influx of 1,000 women tourist every week. By luring in, lying to and then easily leaving ladies who aren’t locals, Henry has the freedom to avoid strings. Focusing on planning a trip to sail to Alaska to study the underwater life of walruses, he has vowed to himself to avoid local girls. Henry’s plan is unfettered until he stumbles into the Hukilau Café and meets Lucy Whitmore, played by Drew Barrymore.

When bright-eyed and free-spirited Lucy meets cute and witty Henry, he has her at their first "aloha." Unfortunately, Henry soon learns that thanks to a tragic car accident, Lucy’s short-term memory portion of her brain was severely injured. While she remembers everything that happened before the accident, memories from everyday following cannot be retained. In order to avoid daily drama, her brother and father recreate the day of the accident daily.

The brother, Doug, played by Sean Astin of Lord of the Rings and Lucy’s father, Marlin, played by Blake Clark, create a humorous and realistic family life. These are characters who really care about one another. In addition to supplying Lucy with a new copy of the same Sunday paper everyday, Doug and Marlin wash the same pink tee and linen pants for Lucy to wear, re-play a football video and celebrate Marlin’s birthday every evening. Definitely chuckle-worthy is the scene in which Doug and Marlin are subjected for probably one of their 100th viewing of The Sixth Sense, a video Lucy bought her father for his birthday. Of course, Lucy is shocked at the surprise ending every time.

In addition to the realness of Lucy’s bittersweet home life, there’s a true spark of sweetness and light romance present between Barrymore and Sandler. The duo’s on-screen reunion lives up to expectations set by their 1998 comic ode to the '80s, The Wedding Singer. For beginners, much amusement is milked through a series of scenarios in which Henry must win Lucy’s heart on a daily basis. Once such scenario includes Ula, Henry’s quirky, pothead partner-in-crime, played by Rob Schneider, who is a consistent source of smirks. When Henry distracts Lucy from the road by having Ula beat him up, Barrymore kicks her Charlie’s Angels experience into "full throttle" and rages on Schneider with a bat. A few "thwacks" and thumps later, Lucy and Henry are on their way to falling in love for the fifth or sixth time.

Right in line with the slapstick-supplied laughs, no Adam Sandler film would be complete without a small supporting cast of gross-out jokes. Fortunately, the poignant and charming appeal of Lucy and Henry, to each other and the audience, overshadows somewhat hackneyed "ick"-factor scenes. Perhaps the scenes serve a purpose; frat boys and 15-year-old brothers will enjoy watching a walrus vomit or hearing about the underwater mammal needing a Hefty bag instead of a condom.

Much more pleasant and surprising are performances by Amy Hill and Pomai Brown. Sue, a kind of surrogate mother to Lucy, owns the Hukilau Café with Nick. While the two are initially hesitant and opposed to Henry wooing Lucy, they find themselves obliging as they realize just how enamored and dedicated the sweet-talking vet is. Hill has a grip on creating a three-dimensional maternal figure, while Brown rouses laughter with his mere size, delivery and bonding with Henry over their common passion for Spam.

Also unexpected is a cameo by a vet of a different kind — veteran, that is, Dan Aykroyd. The Oscar-nominated actor pops up to play Lucy’s likeable and warmhearted neurological doctor. Aykroyd’s vote of confidence seems to add even more credibility to this popcorn flick, luckily gifted with a charismatic cast of colorful characters and surprisingly creative script.

It could have fallen into the throwaway pile of commercial comedy crap like Mr. Sandler’s disappointing Mr. Deeds or Barrymore’s recent dumpy, Duplex. Fortunately, 50 First Dates is more winner than loser. At the heart of this hopeless romance is a story about an unforgettable love that is worth remembering today and the day after that and the day after that...

Written by: Maressa Brown

Reviewers Rating: 8.5
Reader's Rating: 8.56
Reader's Votes: 42

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