50 First Dates (2004)

Directed by: Peter Segal | 99 minutes | comedy, romance | Actors: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Rob Schneider, Sean Astin, Blake Clark, Lusia Strus, Dan Aykroyd, Amy Hill, Allen Covert, Maya Rudolph

There’s nothing wrong with this feel-good comedy. Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler seem to get along and get along at the end. Going to the cinema, bringing the kids and nodding friendly to the neighbor? Meh.

The story rattles a bit. If one has forgotten every morning what happened the previous day, then of course no romantic development can take place. It’s not nice to be scared to death every morning because there’s a strange guy in your bed. The makers of ’50 First Dates’ have to adapt to that and they are trying to do that. Lucy is led into the illusion by her father (Blake Clark) and brother (Sean Astin) that nothing is wrong, that she is not suffering from amnesia.

For example, every day they let her paint the shed and then whitewash it again at night. Things change when shy zookeeper Henry comes into play. For him it is all about winning the headstrong heat petit and when something has to grow between two people, forgetting is not the best method. When Lucy discovers that she is being fooled by her surroundings, she becomes confused and that is the ideal springboard for the happiness of love for gatecrasher Henry. “Are you my boyfriend?” she asks him. He’d be crazy to say no; with the help of video recordings, Henry then gives Lucy the appropriate ‘mindset’ to keep up with their relationship.

Marrying, giving birth and sailing a boat is the result. It wouldn’t work if it wasn’t played with a wink, and arch-doubter Adam and the radiant Drew can do that well. It’s not the lisping Sandler (Ben Stiller with an overdose of tranquilizers) who steals the show, but Barrymore. This charming aunt is starting to build a nice resume in comedies; in addition to her Hollywood talents, she possesses the ability to make her fellow actors play better. Moreover, she is a ‘girl next door’ and it is not as thick as Sandra Bullock.

The sympathetic character Lucy is the key to this film and makes her worth watching. Lucy builds houses from warm wafers for breakfast and disarms with her singing skills – the Beach Boys (‘wouldn’t be nice if we could wake up/in the morning when the day is new’) echo through the garden shed every day; her talents with the baseball bat are nothing short of impressive. Summer pastime, yes.