50 First Dates

50 First Dates (2004) is a romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore and directed by Peter Segal.

Critical and audience reception

Critical response to the movie was decidedly mixed. Those major critics who enjoyed the film (such as New York Times reviewer A. O. Scott) praised the uplifting story while lamenting the seemingly excessive and incongrous amount of crude humor and drug references. Schneider and the character of Ula drew much ire from critics as distractions from the story (although a favorite scene was invariably the one involving the baseball bat).

Related Topics:
New York Times - A. O. Scott

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One common criticism of the film was the opinion that the first fifteen minutes (up to Barrymore's first appearance) were of lesser quality than the remainder, and gave a picture of Sandler's character that did not ring true to the sympathetic portrayal in most of the movie.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The final scene on the boat drew almost universal admiration for its subtlety and tone, and for pulling off a happy ending without cheating on the story's central premise.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Audience response to the film was overwhelmingly positive. Sandler and Barrymore won the award for Best On-Screen Team at the MTV Movie Awards. Both actors are said to regard the movie as one of their favorite personal efforts.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~