A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: 50 First Dates

Date of original theatrical release: 2004

Details:

Adam Sandler

Drew Barrymore

Sean Astin

Blake Clark

Director: Peter Segal

Score: 1/2

The Review: What passes for humor in the first 15 minutes was not very appealing (Adam Sandler is an acquired taste), but persevering past this point yields something much more interesting: a romantic comedy with some neurological twists and a few (curiously) clever ideas. Not altogether bad.

Following a car crash, Barrymore's character has developed a curious short-term memory consolidation disorder. With near perfect recall of events up to the crash, she can function socially during the day, but overnight, sleep-related memory fixation fails -- and she wakes up the next morning back at the day of the crash with no memory of the previous (real-time) day's activities. This presents a serious impediment to courtship, but Sandler is up to the task. How do you create continuity and the trust to establish and grow a relationship when you have to start from scratch every day? Or do you?

(6-Nov-04)

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