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	50 First Dates
	Peter Segal Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Rob Schneider, Sean Astin, Blake Clark, Dan Aykroyd, Lusia Strus, Maya Rudolph, Missi Pyle 2004		Artistically and commercially, it was smart to reunite Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore for the romantic comedy "50 First Dates." Ebullient, neo-hippie leading lady Barrymore was key to turning "The Wedding Singer" into the best movie of Sandler's uneven career. Round two isn't such a knockout. In "50 First Dates," Sandler is Henry, a marine biologist in Hawaii — and a bit of a cad. He hits on female tourists for one-night stands until he falls for Lucy (Barrymore), an art teacher with a troublesome mental disorder. Since an auto accident a year ago, Lucy has suffered short-term memory loss. Overnight, she forgets all the events of the previous day, and so, Henry must woo her anew each morning. The gimmick echoes the repeating-day motif of a better film, "Groundhog Day." Some of the humor in "50 First Dates" comes, organically, out of Lucy's situation. Sandler tones down the juvenile, simpering-moron character he's relied upon since his days on TV's "Saturday Night Live," and his warm interaction with Barrymore is the best thing about "50 First Dates." She provides genuine sweetness to counterbalance his coarse moments. But Rob Schneider as Henry's one-eyed, henpecked native buddy and Sean Astin as Lucy's lisping, steroid-pumped brother are cartoon figures on board to breed slapstick that doesn't mesh with the romance.