50 First Dates: Henry and his Chemistry

The hardest task for any young man is to win a woman's heart. Women love surprises and they expect men to love her bigger than the previous day. (That's why they call Love, a virus that multiplies rapidly) So the biggest challenge for any guy is to get his dream girl fall in love with him new every day. And that’s what the protagonist takes up in this movie, 50 First Dates. The ladylove is not an ordinary girl; she has a short-term memory loss. Her brain remembers the day she had an accident, by means, she can’t retain new memories. So our hero has to meet and woo her day after day; if he hit her today, she will forget him tomorrow. He teams up with heroine's dad and doffs brother, who sacrifices everything to keep her unaware of condition and be cheerful. Did he succeed in making her fall for him and did she remember who he is forms the rest of the story.

Adam Sandler slips comfortably in philandering Playboy Veterinarian role, Henry and provides a subtle performance. Drew Barrymore, as an amnesiac Lucy is charming and drives away all the sullenness with her smile. From the very first scene where Henry sees Lucy in a restaurant, till the end where Lucy looks into Sandler's eyes in his yacht, they share a terrific on-screen chemistry that lights the entire movie. The romance and sentiments between them are genuine offering plenty of feel-good moments.  The film doesn't end in a tragic note and though Lucy never remembers him, Henry ignores her imperfections and in his eyes, she is perfect. The film doesn’t switch gears to melodrama towards climax and Lucy getting cured all of a sudden, it would have sucked big-time. Watch the movie to know Lucy's state at the end. I describe it in adjectives- Simple and poetic.

The film is not a perfect either. It has its flaws like the first 15 minutes filled with crude humor. Hero’s friend, assistant and Lucy's brother characterizations are ridiculous. But if you think the director is going to build on the starting absurd premise, that’s where we go wrong. The sudden transition of Sandler's character from a one night stand womanizer to a devoted boyfriend is far from convincing. Even his friend jokes, "She is your kind of girl. You can hit her at night, the next morning she forgets you." But the following scenes where Henry works out his strategy though he can have sex with any woman he wanted and I mention once again, Henry-Lucy chemistry are more than enough to forgive any lack of logic.

It is neither a classic, nor an Oscar material. But it is cute, fun-filled and pleasant.

50 First Dates- Satisfying Date

Mr. Critic 5-Star: ***

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