drsecond

I had seen the reviews and read some comments here on this film before I went (at the behest of my spouse), expecting the worst. I must admit that I enjoyed this film on a superficial level. George Carlin is hilarious as the father, Racquel Castro is a very good child actor and all in all, I would have to say this film is a good addition to the "Spouse dies leaving a single parent" genre of romantic comedies. Some here have commented on the "deeper" meaning of this film, but I don't think that is the point. This movie was designed as light entertainment, and it serve that role admirably. I rate this movie 6/10, nothing earthshattering, but an enjoyable two hours.

I went to this movie expecting to like it. I usually enjoy Drew Barrymore, and Adam Sandler had good chemistry with her in "The Wedding Singer". 50 First Dates starts with a sad premise (a person with short term memory loss), and then adds a ridiculous idea (that someone would try to meet this person and "reromance" her on a daily basis, after she forgets him) to attempt another "romantic comedy", which, as usual, was not romantic and not funny. Fortunately, Rob Schneider (who is usually weak) is quite hilarious in his sidekick role, to keep the film from being a total waste of time. The rest of the cast seems to realize this film is a lost cause and sleepwalks through the whole affair. I gave this film a 5/10 for Schneider's antics, plus some good performances by the trained animals (and, no, Sandler is not included as one of the animals). Probably best to wait for cable on this one.

Watching this film is like taking a 24 hour tour of an art museum. The cinematography, costumes, acting and sets are all absolutely first rate. The battle scenes and sailing sequences are just outstanding. Unfortunately, the plot is paper thin and only about 3 of the characters are developed at all. There is about 30 minutes worth of plot in a 120 minute movie, with the rest being semi-related filler material. A little editing would have made it much better. I rate this movie 6 out of 10 for the craft and beauty. I do recommend that you see this in a theater if you see, because most of the grand effects will be lost on the small screen.