It has been a long time, almost 20 years, since I last saw this movie. I loved it when it originally came out. I also was a big fan of Adam Sandler. Many of us were. He was a great talent on SNL. Adam did great films like Airheads, Billy Madison, and Happy Gilmore. He was a superstar. So was Coolio. We all remember these great things. Hell, Pepperidge Farm remembers these great things. There’s a lot of history down that road as Jud Crandall from Pet Sematary may say. That was all over 20 years ago. Let’s see how it holds up.
The Cast
The cast isn’t nearly as stellar or filled with the big names that other Sandler flicks may have, but the cast was really good for this one. Beyond Sandler and Drew, both of whom carried the film, they had great people to play off of. I should point out, I may have had a really minor celebrity crush on Drew in this film. Let’s discuss the supporting cast.
Supporting Cast
Christine Taylor played Holly, Julia’s skanky sister, and she looked great and really played the skank role perfectly. Allen Covert played the role of Sammy, Robbie’s limo driving buddy, and he was good at hitting so many 80’s cliches and in some ways was funnier than Sandler given their screen time. Matthew Glave was Julia’s fiance, Glenn Guglia, and he was really good. I admit, early on, I wished it Christopher McDonald, but this dude held his own. Ellen Albertini Dow played the lovable Rosie. Sandler loves to have older ladies in his films and they are usually really good. Angela Featherstone played Linda, Robbie’s fiance early on, and she existed. I don’t think the role was all that great and not sure what else she could have added.
Finally, I want to give props to the 2 best-supporting characters. Alexis Arquette as George was funny when I first saw it. Seeing it again so many years later, I have a whole new appreciation for her acting and I think she stole every scene that she was in. The other
The Big Names
With that out of the way, let’s talk about Adam Sandler. 20 years ago, I know I found so much of his lines and mannerisms to be hilarious. Now, I probably only laughed at 20% of what I used to find funny. He overkilled it for too many performances. There were still some great scenes, but it mainly had to do with the other person and not him. Sandler’s humor simply hasn’t aged well. I used to own his comedy CD’s and listened to then 50+ times. The humor doesn’t work anymore other than a quick jolt of nostalgia that quickly wears off when Adam makes a dumb face or does his angry or petulant scream. At the time, this was genius. It simply hasn’t held up.
The Story
I say all of that to say this. The story to this was very much a genuinely great romantic comedy, while still being an Adam Sandler film. This wouldn’t work with a different cast. It works and at times fails because of Adam, but mostly works for me. Drew was really key in all of this with a likable female character in a chick flick. They are pretty rare. This was really one long 80’s soundtrack playing over a film. I think it mostly worked. The “Love Stinks” scene still worked on every level. I am still unsure if that song that Robbie sings on the plane, Grow Old With You, was supposed to be that moment where women started crying. It seems likely.
Final Thoughts & Rating
Rating: 6.5 – I can’t give it higher because I certainly couldn’t rewatch this again for at least another year. It’s a fun trip back in time, but it lacks a ton of replayability. I am happy that I watched it again but am in no hurry to see it again.