50 Dates Feels Like 100

Release date: February 13, 2004
Directed by: Peter Segal
Starring: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Rob Schenider, Sean Astin, Dan Akroyd

Sliding into theatres just in time for Valentine's Days, 50 Dates offers itself as the big blockbuster romantic comedy for February. And if you've been watching the trailers, chances are you've pegged the film as a disjointed cross between Memento and The Wedding Singer (Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore's first project together).

The premise is pretty simple. Sandler plays Henry Roth, a marine vet in Hawaii with a penchant for wisecracks and a-wooing nubile tourists. But when a sailing journey goes wrong, Henry finds himself at an out-of-the-way café where he spots the woman of his dreams. Lucy Whitmore (Drew Barrymore) is beautiful, intelligent and makes little houses out of her waffles. They make a date to meet at the café the next day but when Henry shows up, Lucy just walks right by him. Lucy, as Henry shortly finds out, has no short-term memory, the result of an accident that occurred almost a year ago. And thanks to the painful efforts of her father and brother, Lucy lives the same day of her life, over and over again.

But can Henry make her fall for him all over again... every day? Director Peter Segal (who's most recent effort was Anger Management, also starring Sandler) seems caught between two entirely different ways of telling the story. On one hand is the painfully obvious, idiotic humour that alternately hits and misses, such as sight gags, one liners and the really painfully dumb shtick that tends to glom onto all of Sandler's movies. But while that same shtick fits Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison, it seems to be the fat hairy mole on an otherwise appealing face.

On the other hand, there are also a few moments of genuinely amusing content — some of which shouldn't have been as funny as they were (particularly one touching scene in the rain, comically ruined when a certain linen shirt gets plastered to a certain pair of breasts). And really, what movie doesn't prosper from the presence of a penguin? (A real one, this time.)

But underneath the stupid surface is a romantic comedy that actually has some touching moments. The film makes an effort to sensitively address Lucy's condition. Aside from the Groundhog Day syndrome (Lucy only suffers memory loss during her sleep), there's a genuine attempt to capture the confusion and complications — either from allowing Lucy to relive the same day, or having to explain the sordid details of her condition every day. And the audience gets a taste of what it's like to live through Lucy's 50 first dates with Henry — introductions, first conversations and first kisses. But midway through, it feels more like 5000 First Dates — And When The Fuck Is This Movie Going To Move Forward?

Aside from some poor comic choices and the usual lame Saturday Night Live ass-kissing, 50 First Dates has a reasonable amount of charm and tenderness. It does require a certain amount of patience and the ability to tolerate some bad gags, but there's enough fibre to leave the movie feeling reasonably satisfied. (And at the very least, you'll spend the entire movie thinking, "Screw this winter crap. I'm moving to Hawaii.")

But this Valentine's Day, be warned — there is a hidden trap in this film. Invariably, couples will ask each other two questions: "Would you stay with me if I had no short term memory?" And "Would you cheat on me if I had no short term memory?" And of course, you have to lie like the devil. Because after all, who wants to get their ass dumped on Valentine's Day?