50 First Dates reminded me a little bit of the time back in the 80's when John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John tried to rekindle that magic of "Grease" in the misbegotten mess Two of a Kind? Well, Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore attempt to do the same thing with their first film together since the charming and successful The Wedding Singer. I'm exaggerating, I should say - The Wedding Singer is hardly Grease, and I must admit, that as painfully unfunny as 50 First Dates is, I'd sit through it 50 more times before I'd watch Two of A Kind again.

In 50 First Dates, Adam Sandler plays womanizing marine-veterinarian Henry Roth, whose days as a "playa" are jeopardized when he unexpectedly falls in love with Lucy, a lovely Hawaiian local played by Drew Barrymore. The catch in this romantic comedy is that (due to a car accident) Lucy suffers from short term memory loss. In other words, every morning when she wakes up, she's completely forgotten about everything that happened the day before. All of which represents something of a major challenge to Sandler who must win her over every single day - starting from square one. (Poetic justice, it would seem for a man whose made a career out of one night stands.) Of course this necessitates alot of wacky creativity on Sandlers part, as every day he pursues Lucy in the hope that one morning she'll awake and, at last, remember who he is.

If you're going to be remotely entertained by this film, you have to buy into this far-fetched premise and forget all about logic and common sense. Otherwise, you'll find yourself constantly knitpicking - "why wouldn't Lucy's father (a sweet-natured man with his daughter's best interest at heart) and brother (a lisping, muscle bound steroid gobbler) help her refresh her memory each day, rather than conspiring in a way that only serves to keep her stuck on the same day of her life, every day?" It's simple really - because if they did, there would be no movie. As much as I would've liked to, I just couldn't buy into this premise because the writing wasn't strong enough to make this suspension of disbelief possible. And without at least a little foundation of reality, everything built upon it seemed processed and false.

Sandler and Barrymore do have chemistry (they've proven this in The Wedding Singer), but the material here is undermined by way too much sophomoric humor. Now, I'm all for sophomoric humor, but it needs to make me laugh, and most of the jokes here are too broad and at times painfully unfunny. Rob Schneider is just annoying as Sandler's good friend - his accent gets on your nerves in record time. And Sean Astin, (Samwise, from LOTR) try as he might, can't rise above the embarrassing material as Lucy's loving but dimwitted brother.

Sandler is surprisingly restrained here in terms of his performance. And once again, we can see shades of something special beneath the surface (something that really came across in Punch Drunk Love). His scenes with an equally likable Barrymore do work in much the same way they did in The Wedding Singer. Sadly, the romantic possibilities in 50 First Dates are drowned in a sea of cheap gags and gimmicks.

This is to say nothing of the fact that this whole plot device is shamelessly lifted from Groundhog Day. Personally I wouldn't want to make a movie, that would undoubtedly be compared to a Harold Ramis-directed gem that featured one of Bill Murrays finest performances. Groundhog Day expected the audience to buy an even more outlandish premise, but it worked every step of the way because it was keenly scripted, and wonderfully subtle in it's depiction of a man who is gradually transformed from a self-absorbed creep into a man capable of sustaining an intimate relationship. Not to mention the fact that it was hilarious. Sandler's Henry lacks the depth of Murray's Phil Connors, and the gags wear out their welcome after about the second date.

So save for a few moments of nice chemistry, what does 50 First Dates have to offer? Well for starters, it's an easy movie to look at, it's hard to miss with these paradisical Pacific panoramas. And secondly, I loved the soundtrack, which was comprised mostly of reggae versions of 80's pop songs. And, to be fair, this is far from Sandler's worst film (it's much better than Little Nicky), but it certainly isn't on par with Happy Gilmore, nor did it manage to conjure up much of the charm of The Wedding Singer. With Punch Drunk Love Sandler demonstrated that he is an actor capable of great things, and we all know how hilarious he can be. I'm a fan of Adam's and I'm certain that one day he'll make a masterpiece.

In the mean time, 50 First Dates had the potential to be a nice little Valentine's treat, but it's recycled jokes (including walrus vomit and characters constantly flipping each other the bird), left a bad taste in my mouth. I've seen episodes of Gilligan's Island with more humor, heart and insight. Fortunately by tomorrow, I will have forgotten all about it.