50 First Dates

2004 • 99 minutes
4.6
1.09K reviews
45%
Tomatometer
PG-13
Rating
Eligible
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About this movie

When he's not tending to the animals at Sea Life Park in Hawaii, marine veterinarian Henry Roth (Adam Sandler) is breaking the hearts of tourists in search of a vacation romance. But when his schooner suffers a mishap, he lands at the Hukilau Café, where he notices the beautiful young Lucy Whitmore (Drew Barrymore). Returning the following morning, he chats her up about waffles and sea mammals, and, ignoring his own rule about dating local girls, makes a date to meet her for breakfast the next day. But when he arrives and makes reference to their previous conversation, she thinks he's some kind of freak. Lucy has no idea who he is. And Henry realizes that if he wants to win her affections, he's going to have to start over again every day for the rest of his life. (c) 2004 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Rating
PG-13

Ratings and reviews

4.6
1.09K reviews
Kyle Vansteelandt
May 5, 2020
As you know, I did not like Happy Gilmore (Mad Gilmore) and I am not a fan of Adam Sandler, so if happy Gilmore is like a bully with some redeeming qualities, then 50 first dates would be an apology and having Adam revealing his softer side (almost). Compared to happy Gilmore, this film is pleasant, I laughed more times, it made me smile, and sometimes there are some really good funny stuff in this. But, I will acknowledge that I was brutally torn by the comedy, there are some moments of comedy that are very good and there are some that are disposable and unacceptable. Good Comedy: The swift/fast camera cuts and a boisterous comical tone that explodes like dynamite, some clever moments of script writing and timing, Sean Astin's character "Doug" can flex his pecks and make them dance, some moments of silly dialogue (although they some that are kind of forgettable because they were way too fast), very cute and funny moments with the walruses, and a foolish belly flop performed by Rob Schneider. Bad Comedy: Most of the jokes are clearly unacceptable (especially involving with animals and some facts, like references to drugs and privates), Rob Schneider needs to chill out with his very crude body humor and the lines for Rob, and I am done with this repetitive line: "Hi I'm Tom." The acting from the whole cast is just plain great, that is what makes the characters very well executed and believable. Henry Roth is a likable guy, he takes good care for his marine animals and loves them, and he has found clever ways to win Lucy Whitemore and get her to remember again, and he is careful about what he should say and not say to women, But as a marine biologist, the information about the animals is so wrong (sharks are not like dogs, sharks don't eat humans, and walruses are not the second largest mammals). Also, penguins don't quack like ducks (the sound designers used the wrong sounds for the wrong animal). The premise and the story is very original and very strong, the story does not lose focus on the main event and stays focused on the main characters we care about, The idea about a nice man who loves a beautiful woman with short-term memory lose is pure genius, the romance plot of the story is very well written; It does not dumb down (otherwise it would be boring and predictable), and it was handled very well with care, detail, and strategy. Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore seems to be having a great time together during the making of this film and they need to be together more often in movies in the future. What takes me into the movie is the colorful and touching music score composed by Teddy Castellucci, because his dynamic score is a superb fit for the culture of the film, the locations, and the emotion. This is a funny and adorable romantic comedy that barely succeeds as an Adam Sandler movie with great acting and a story that is sweet, strong, and smart. But it really needs a lot of improvement because of the dialogue, some of the humor and comedy, and Rob Schneider really needs to calm down. But all flaws aside, I had a decently good time watching 50 first dates.
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Sarah Elizabeth
December 20, 2017
Adam Sandler movies are always hit or miss for me. I'm not a huge fan of comedies in general but this movie I found very cute. There is something about Drew and Adam that I just love to watch. It being a Sandler movie, you get some of those crazy unnecessary characters that drive me crazy but as a whole I loved this story. I watch this maybe once or twice a year but I haven't let my boys see it yet.
18 people found this review helpful
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Spring Larkin
December 25, 2016
Somehow, I missed out on seeing this movie until just a few days ago. Wow. It was very affecting, because I have a disorder that makes me amnesiac concerning events and people, throughout my life. I could relate so much to the female, lead character played by Drew Barrymore. I wept so much while I watched this film, but I also laughed and appreciated the comic moments/scenes that lightened up the main plot. I think I will buy this film, now.
29 people found this review helpful
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