You know those movies where you see the trailer in the theater and then when you see the actual movie you discover all the good parts were in the trailer? Well, "50 First Dates" is not one of those movies. In fact, I can make the argument that while the trailer may indeed have most of the funniest moments in this film, it most decidedly does not have any of the best moments of the film. When you see the trailer about this movie in which Adam Sandler has to make a first impression on Drew Barrymore every day because she has no short term memory and wakes up every morning forgetting what happened the previous day, you would think that he discovers this the next morning when she wakes up in bed with a stranger and starts screaming. However, I am happy to report, "50 First Dates" is not that movie either.

I have been trying to think of last time a movie prompted tears in my eyes as often as "50 First Dates." We know that Lucy Whitmore (Barrymore) no longer has any short term memory because of a car accident, but what we learn before we meet Lucy is that Henry Roth (Sandler) is apparently the king of the love 'em and leave 'em of the Hawaiian islands. Thus the great irony is that he falls for the one woman who can forget him faster and more completely than any tourist he has ever dumped. What we also learn about are the extraordinary lengths to which Lucy's family and friends go make each day the same happy day for her. Lucy's brother Doug (Sean Astin) needs to lay off the steroids but her father (Blake Clark) is fiercely and lovingly protective of his daughter. Watching everything that he and his son do each night to reset the stage for Lucy's happy day got me big time.

Unlike "Groundhog Day," which only had a few minor flaws in logic (e.g., why does the music teacher claim Bill Murray as a student at the end?) there are giant holes in "50 First Dates" (e.g., how do the three guys manage to every day free to take care of Lucy?), but I do not care. The gaps are covered in just too many sweet and touching moments for me to object to George Wing's screenplay. The reason why I did not give "50 First Dates" is mainly because of the character of Ula (Rob Schneider), who represents the traditional "Adam Sandler" type of comedy in this film. There are a few moments where Sandler goes over the top (basically anytime his voice gets to the yelling level), but I could forgive most of those (the last song he sings redeems much), but every time Ula showed up it was like clips from another movie. The last time he shows up in the film I was really not happy to see him there because he was ruining a moment I had been eagerly awaiting.

One of the impressive things about this movie is that it does not cop out. Dr. Keats (Dan Aykroyd), Lucy's doctor, tells us repeatedly that Lucy is never going to get better and a lot of the power of this movie comes from the different ways in which Lucy and Howard deal with this hard reality. We also learn that for Lucy and his family there are what her dad calls "bad" days, and it because of them that Henry is inspired to try something different and provide another series of sweet moments in the film. As long as he refrains from going into overdrive, Sandler makes it totally believable that Henry would spend every day trying to get Lucy to fall in love with him. But it is Barrymore who is pitch perfect on both the comedy and the pathos of her role as Lucy. If Sandler did not know that he had found his perfect leading lady after "The Wedding Singer," then this film should do the trick.

The tagline for this film is "Imagine having to win over the girl of your dreams... every friggin' day" is a funny line, but it is as much misdirection as the trailer. Henry may treat his strange assistant Alexa (Lusia Strus) badly, but he could not possibly be more patient with Lucy. Even her skeptical father has to admit that he and Henry are kindred spirits. Because this is Adam Sandler we keep waiting for him to try and take advantage of the situation, but, to repeat myself, this is not that film. Yes, "Groundhog Day" is the better movie, but "50 First Dates" is also full of grace and more importantly the film finds of way of delivering on its promise. First kisses might be the sweetest of all, but in this film it is the last date that makes you surrender on the off chance you manage to hold off that long.

The idea behind this film is that in a successful relationship you have to fall in love over and over again. In this story it happens literally everyday.

The performances:

Adam Sandler as Henry Roth shows his vulnerable side in his best and most natural performance.
Drew Barrymore as Lucy Whitmore has never been better, and has great chemistry with Adam. She emerges as a fine actor.
Rob Schneider as Ula may fool you that he is really the character he is playing, I didn't know it was him for half the move! He is brilliantly funny.
Sean Astin as Doug Whitmore (better known as Sam from the Lord of the Rings) is funny in this comic role as Lucy's lisping brother.
Pomaika'i Brown as Nick (tattoo face) the cook, is great in his small role and deserves bigger roles in the future.

Shot in Hawaii, it has beautiful cinematography and vibrant color. The movie is a combination of humor and romance with more heart than you might expect.

Adam Sandler's previous track record has been shaky, with some underwritten comedies (Anger Management) and movies that failed to find a mainstream audience (Big Daddy). 50 firsts Dates makes an improvement by not only providing an original script that lends itself to both comedic double entrees and depth, courtesy of Drew Barrymore's stunning performance, with convincing pathos. Sandler brings another great character to the screen, especially since this story provokes just as many tears as guffaws. This is possibly Sandler's best film and boasts great comedic turns from Rob Scheider and Sean Astin. This film really does work on all levels, and considering I'm not a fan of the genre. Combining an impressive supporting cast with a sprightly running time and hip soundtrack, and you have one of the best comedies of recent years. Highly reccomended.