A glossy, high-concept rom-com with a genuinely sweet center, but it leans hard on broad gags and a premise that can feel ethically awkward if you’re not already on board. The chemistry and the Hawaiian setting do a lot of the heavy lifting.
50 First Dates
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Comedy · Romance
Fri · 1h 39m
Director: Peter Segal
Starring: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Rob Schneider
Overview
Henry is a player skilled at seducing women. But when this veterinarian meets Lucy, a girl with a quirky problem when it comes to total recall, he realizes it's possible to fall in love all over again…and again, and again. That's because the delightful Lucy has no short-term memory, so Henry must woo her day after day until he finally sweeps her off her feet.
Director
Peter Segal
Cast
Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Rob Schneider
Curator Review
Verdict
A glossy, high-concept rom-com with a genuinely sweet center, but it leans hard on broad gags and a premise that can feel ethically awkward if you’re not already on board. The chemistry and the Hawaiian setting do a lot of the heavy lifting.
Best for
fans of early-2000s studio romantic comedies
viewers who like sentimental, high-concept premises
people open to broad Adam Sandler humor mixed with sweetness
audiences looking for an easygoing date-night movie
Skip if
you’re sensitive to consent issues in romantic comedies
you dislike crude slapstick or juvenile side characters
you want a more realistic or emotionally nuanced love story
you’re not in the mood for a movie that repeats its central joke a lot
Overview
50 First Dates is one of the more durable Adam Sandler rom-coms because it understands the assignment: make the premise simple, make the emotions legible, and keep the pace breezy. Drew Barrymore gives the movie its warmth, and the film’s best moments come from the repeated effort of trying to earn trust day after day rather than from the louder comic bits around the edges.
Worth noting
That said, the movie’s charm depends on how much patience you have for broad studio comedy. It swings from genuinely tender to aggressively silly, sometimes within the same scene, and the supporting antics can be hit-or-miss. The Hawaiian backdrop and the Beach Boys needle-drop energy help smooth over a lot, but they don’t erase the fact that the setup is inherently a little uneasy.
Bottom line
If you want a rom-com that is earnest without being polished, and you don’t mind a few cringe-y detours, it still works. It’s not the sharpest or most modern take on romance, but it remains an easy watch with enough heart to justify its popularity.
Top Letterboxd reviews
beck (3★) · 7095 likes
i would want to forget dating adam sandler too
lilian (5★) · 5709 likes
this movie is FUN you guys are just mean
Josh Lewis (3★) · 5287 likes
Adam Sandler's Memento.
anika (4★) · 4750 likes
good morning lucy 😄 here are some things you missed this year: april - snoop quits weed 🥳👍may - snoop back on weed 😊🙌
Vinny Thornburg (1★) · 4425 likes
Imagine you are waking up like normal. You are in your everyday world. No kids, but a fiance. Loving family. You like your life. Suddenly you are told by Adam Sandler that you are actually married to him, have had multiple children with him, and live on a boat with him in Alaska. Repeat this everyday for the rest of your life. Now what if I told you that this isn't a horror movie ending, but a romantic comedy ending?
Themes
romantic comedy, memory loss, courtship and repetition, second chances, commitment, family support, identity and routine, healing through patience
Topics
rom-com, memory loss, courtship, slapstick, sentimental, early 2000s, beach setting, broad comedy, second chances, feel-good