"Johnny Betts is a rude 'abnoxious' jerk who needs to be 'punced' in the face."- A grammatically-challenged non-fan
	Movie Review - 50 First Dates     (What this rating means)       Director: Peter Segal Starring: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Sean Astin, Rob Schneider Rated: PG-13 (some crude sexual humor, language) Length: 100 minutes Genre: Romantic Comedy Website: 50 First Dates PLOT Henry Roth (Sandler) is a playboy veterinarian living in Hawaii who is more than happy to take advantage of vacationing women. He changes his womanizing ways after meeting (and falling for) Lucy (Barrymore). However, Henry soon learns that, thanks to a car accident a year earlier, Lucy suffers from short-term memory loss. She can remember everything that happened before the accident, but once she goes to sleep her short-term memory is "wiped clean." Does this cause Henry to run for the hills and resume preying on gorgeous vacationers? Nope. He becomes resolved to make Lucy fall in love with him on a daily basis. Samwise wearing mesh ensues. JOHNNY'S TAKE The Cynic: I can't believe this! Adam Sandler's doing the same old shtick! Why do they keep making movies like this????? Johnny Betts: Oh, I don't know, I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that Adam Sandler's fans love his gimmick, and these movies make over $100 million. That's just a wild guess though. The Cynic: Well, I don't know why Drew Barrymore would lower herself to do a movie like this. Johnny Betts: I understand your point, seeing how she's in all the Oscar movies such as "Duplex" and "Charlie's Angels" and... The Cynic: All right, all right, but what about Sean Astin? Huh? He was in Lord of the Rings! THIS IS A STEP BACKWARDS! WHY WOULD HE DO THIS MOVIE?!?! Johnny Betts: A nice paycheck? A chance to be in another #1 movie? He wanted to do a fun, comedic role? Of course, I'm just going out on a limb here. The Cynic: Yeah, well, I'm tired of Rob Schneider always playing an ethnic stereotype! It's offensive! Johnny Betts: To be honest, I'm not sure if Rob was supposed to be a Hawaiian or a Mexican in this movie, but if *that* is all it takes to offend you, then maybe you should just give up movies completely. The Cynic: Whatever. I'm going to watch "The English Patient" for the 12th time. I'm outta here. Johnny Betts: Don't let the door hit you. Folks, ignore the cynics. If you hate Adam Sandler then this movie probably isn't for you. I happen to be an Adam Sandler fan, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Other than "Little Nicky" (which Sandler still owes me $11 for), I've enjoyed all of his movies that I've seen, and "50 First Dates" is no exception. This movie may have a little broader appeal than your typical Adam Sandler flick. There is *some* crude humor and a few gross-out gags (walrus vomit, anyone?), but they're not as abundant as you might expect. Sandler shows a softer side than we're used to seeing (no, that doesn't mean there's nudity! Get your minds out of the gutter please). The object of his affection, Drew Barrymore, plays a cute and likeable character. She does a good job of balancing her comedy with some dramatic moments. And Sean Astin? He plays a character who talks with a bad lisp, who uses steroids, and who runs around in mesh shirts flexing his pecs and kissing his biceps. Sound silly? It is, but it works! Plus, Astin bears a striking resemblance to the Movie Mark's very own, Mr. Shade! However, if I ever see Mr. Shade wearing a mesh shirt I will promptly kick him in the head. Guys - there should be enough "typical Adam Sandler humor" to keep you happy. And ladies - you might actually like the relationship between Adam and Drew. They worked well together in "The Wedding Singer," and it carries over to "50 First Dates." I don't think this is quite as good as "The Wedding Singer," but it's not too far behind. What I really like about the love story is that it manages to be "sweet" without being sappy. I should warn you that if you're the type of person who overanalyzes every movie you see, then you might give yourself a headache with this one. Is everything about the whole "short-term memory loss" plot line plausible? Nah, but life's too short for you to worry about it. Just sit back, laugh, and try to enjoy yourself. Oh, and I guess I should give you one more warning - if you've never seen "The Sixth Sense" and you don't want the ending spoiled for you, then you might want to avoid this movie. Otherwise, you should take my advice: See "50 First Dates" - Spite the Cynics! MAMA'S APPROVAL You might be shocked to hear this, but my mom likes Adam Sandler! However, I should add that she's only seen the edited-for-TV versions of his movies. "50 First Dates" does have some crude humor, but there really isn't that much profanity. Whenever it comes on network TV I'll recommend it to mama. TRAILER COMPARISON The trailer is a pretty good representation of the movie. No big surprises or false advertisements. I'm not sure why the trailer shows Dan Aykroyd but not Sean Astin though. Astin's got a bigger role, and Aykroyd's not exactly "box office draw." THE GIST Don't let the "romantic comedy" classification worry you too much. "50 First Dates" is what I'd classify as an untraditional romantic comedy. There's just enough sweetness to make the girls go awwwwww, but it's not so sappy that the guys will run screaming from the theater. If you hate every single Adam Sandler movie you've ever seen then don't expect this to be a drastic departure. But if you like Adam Sandler and/or Drew Barrymore even the slightest bit and you're looking for a good date movie on Valentine's Day, then grab your significant other and catch "50 First Dates."	RETURN TO HOME PAGE Underworld 3 Yes Man Transporter 3 Four Christmases Twilight Quantum of Solace Ghouls Eagle Eye Righteous Kill Tropic Thunder Weekend Results: 1. Watchmen($55,214,334) 2. Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail($8,532,412) 3. Taken($7,334,814) 4. Slumdog Millionaire($6,808,383) 5. Paul Blart: Mall Cop($4,146,316)

[ Home | Movie Reviews | Memphis Theaters | Movie Horror Stories | Media Musings | What's Wrong With People? | The Lobby ] Copyright © 2004 The Movie Mark. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction of these reviews or any of the original material on this site is allowed without prior permission from Johnny Betts. Comply or suffer the consequences of Johnny's size 11 biker boot. Wanna be a Movie Mark? Send Johnny Betts an email (johnny_betts@hotmail.com) to be added to the list or complete: The Movie Mark Questionnaire. IQ-100 READERS WITH DOUBLE DIGIT IQS STRONGLY CAUTIONED Some Humor May Be Too Sophisticated For People With Sub-100 IQs INTENSE HUMOR AND SEXY REVIEWING