50 First Dates 4K review by Bobby Blakey
Throughout the 90s and early 2000s Adam Sandler was a box office powerhouse with films including The Wedding Singer, Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy, The Waterboy and so many more. In 2004 he teamed up with Drew Barrymore for one of their many collaborations in 50 First Dates from The Longest Yard, Anger Management and Tommy Boy director Peter Segal.
50 First Dates follows Henry lives an enviable life in a Hawaiian paradise, spending every night with a beautiful tourist in search of an island fling. It's a sweet life with no strings attached...until he meets Lucy. He and Lucy hit it off from the get-go, but the next day she acts like she doesn't know him. Has his karma come around to kick him in the butt or what? Actually, Lucy has short-term memory loss so every night all memory of her day is erased. But a man in love will go to any lengths to win over the girl of his dreams, and if that means having to find imaginative ways of doing it over again every day, then Henry's up for the challenge.
Like most I was a huge Sandler fan during this time, but remember when this film came out, I had zero interest. It just seemed more like a generic romantic comedy instead of the zany comedy fun I had gotten accustomed to from his films. To my surprise the clever story that takes the genre in a completely new direction brought everything I loved from his films and perfectly blended with the romantic comedy genre for something that still holds up today.
The story sets up all the usual tropes for the genre, before turning it on its head. It
could have easily been a disaster trying to maintain this ideal and had they tried to find some dumb way to reverse her condition it would have been. They pay close attention to the details with one of the best parts of the film getting to see how her father and brother keep the illusion going every night. You not only see this but also their exhaustion trying to live this life that shows their love for her and the struggles of how her life is from now on.
The biggest reason this film works then and still now is the chemistry between Sandler and Barrymore. They are sweet and believable with their real-life friendship shining through. Sandler is great here, but its Barrymore that has to carry the heaviest load to bring the surprise, emotions and constant renewal of her feelings through the entire story line right up until the very end. The supporting cast including Rob Schneider and Sean Astin carry most of the comedy and bring plenty of laughs in between this perfect romantic comedy.
This new 4K version doesn’t bring that much new to the film, but it still looks great and if nothing else brings this film to a new generation. Whether you have seen it a billion times or new to the film this new 4K is the perfect time to go on more first dates than you ever have before.
In addition to the film this release offers bonus content including a trailer, deleted scenes, music videos, blooper reel and so much more. Grab your copy of 50 First Dates available now on 4K for the first time from Sony Home Entertainment.