50 First Dates, the second film of 2004 to take advantage of the natural beauty of Hawai`i, is far more respectful of the Islands than the exploitative The Big Bounce. One day, on her father's birthday, art teacher Lucy Whitmore (played by Drew Barrymore) breakfasted on a waffle diet and celebrated the birthday of her father Marlin (played by Blake Clark), but hit her head in an automobile accident in which her father swerved to avoid hitting cows on a rural road in Windward O`ahu near Kane`ohe. After three months in the hospital, with a diagnosis that her short-term memory suffered permanent damage, Lucy was released to the care of her father and bodybuilding airhead brother Doug (played by Sean Astin). As a result, the Whitmores arrange her life so that she will relive the day of the accident, from the same Sunday newspaper to the same breakfast at a local restaurant, to a drive with her dad, a birthday cake for him, and the same present. The Native Hawaiian proprietors of the café, are in on the ruse. They also keep enough Spam on hand to satisfy local customers. Meanwhile, Henry Roth (played by Adam Sandler) is a marine biologist/veterinarian at Sea Life Park, working alongside Alexa (played by Lusia Strus), whose gender is indeterminate. Henry enjoys entertaining female tourists who visit the park, romancing them for a week or so, and then dropping out of sight after they have sex; after all, they will return to the Mainland, and he wants no commitments. One morning, Henry sees Lucy at the restaurant. Believing her to be a tourist, he tries to befriend her with his charm through an innocent conversation. When he returns to the café the next day, he indeed learns that she cannot recall meeting him the day before. However, Henry is undeterred in his quest to make Lucy the love of his life. At first, he uses various zany ploys to get her attention, hoping that she will get her memory back, but her father and brother are not pleased that he appears to be bothering her. Then one day a police officer gives her a ticket for having an out-of-date registration sticker on her vehicle; although she protests that the month is October, the officer informs her that the current month is half a year later. Lucy is then very confused. Accordingly, Henry gets the bright idea to make a tape, filling her in on what she has missed in the intervening months, including a reminder that she has been meeting him each day. Her father and brother now hope that Lucy is onto the road to a cure, as she appears to realize how her brain has been damaged. Nevertheless, one afternoon she overhears Henry say that until he met a certain girlfriend he had been planning to study the wildlife in Alaskan waters, including building a boat for the trip, so she concludes that she has been interfering with his life ambition. She informs him that she plans to erase him entirely from her memory so that he will be free to pursue his dream. Obviously, the film cannot conclude in that abrupt manner, so 50 First Dates has a delightful happy ending. Even more enjoyable than the story is the comedy, both human and mammalian. For the first time in the history of Hollywood cinema, filmviewers are treated to Island humor, a contagious genre that prompted one North Hollywood patron from Thailand to remark upon leaving the theater, "When I retire, I want to live in Hawai`i." (Of course, most film critics cannot fathom the comedy, which often involves inside jokes that Hawai`i residents will especially appreciate.) The angelic, unforgettable voice of the late Israel Kamakawiwa`ole and other Hawaiian singers is an added bonus. Although Rob Schneider does a remarkable portrayal of a laid-back Native Hawaiian, many actors in Hawai`i could nevertheless have been cast in the part to lend more authenticity. Directed by Peter Segal, 50 First Dates is dedicated to Adam Sandler's father, who indeed must have been a wonderful parent. MH
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