50 First Dates Critic Reviews

The movie doesn't have the complexity and depth of "Groundhog Day" (which I recently saw described as "the most spiritual film of our time"), but as entertainment it's ingratiating and lovable.Read the full review

As a comedy, 50 First Dates is standard Sandler, but as a love story it left me pleasantly buzzed, if not quite punch-drunk.Read the full review

Perhaps the biggest surprise of all is that the film doesn't resort to an easy cheat at the end. It plays things straight, and still manages to satisfy, making this one of Sandler's most appealing outings to date. Read the full review

The unlikely sweetness of the story carries the day. What is most astonishing is the confidence with which the filmmakers push their premise to its logical conclusion, turning an ending that could have been either laughable or appalling into something so effortlessly heartfelt as to be nearly sublime. Read the full review

Wing and director Peter Segal and Sandler and Barrymore have built a comedy around the thrill of first attraction, the sadness that comes from knowing it can't last, and the challenge of finding something in the heart to hang onto. Read the full review

A chick flick for guys, with a pH balance in perfect equilibrium between the crass and the sweet.Read the full review

The plot -- it's inspired and ridiculous at the same time -- is best described as "Groundhog Day" meets "Memento." Read the full review

Possesses an undeniable heart. The bad news is that it will still be buried underneath layers of stale Sandlerisms tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. Read the full review

50 First Dates is working awfully hard to be romantic and not hard enough to be a comedy. Read the full review