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Reuniting with Drew Barrymore from his most popular crossover hit, The Wedding Singer, 50 First Dates should have been chock-full of cute banter, lovey-dovey silliness and Hawaiian-themed tomfoolery. Instead, we get a movie that literally grinds to a halt six or seven times over the course of its 99 minute running time. We don't meet Drew until a surprising long way in, and her mental "condition" (in which she loses her short-term memory and lives the same day over and over again - call it Groundhog Day in Paradise) is presented with a complete lack of explanation. From the get-go, nothing feels right with the film.

There are more miscalculations. Sandler as a marine mammal veterinarian? Yeah, it's a stretch, but for the purposes of this film it's not a completely ridiculous claim. Sean Astin as the self-obsessed muscle jock looking to woo any woman who will give him the time of day? Again, this isn't completely far-fetched, but his caricature is never granted any kind of payoff.

The only things that really pop through in 50 First Dates are a smattering of supporting players. Rob Schneider, responsible for one of the most odious SNL-esque stinkers of the last twenty years, The Animal, gives his resilient sidekick character here a ludicrously bizarre spin. Sure, some of the stuff he's forced to do is painfully unfunny, but the short shot of him doing a ritual Hawaiian dance covered in giant leaves on the beach is priceless.

There are a few other plusses in 50 First Dates even if as a whole it is a failure. The picturesque cinematography is striking, and at the very least provides a minimal respite from the cringe-worthy lunacy at the film's core. But even as a diehard Sandler fan and that guy who will stand up and earnestly defend pictures like Black Sheep to anyone who will listen, the thinness of this film's premise and execution is inescapable.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Fantastic! The 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation here is super. Color reproduction is astounding, boosted by excellent blacks and perfect contrast. Fleshtones are also very warm and natural, and make Drew look great. The print is also pristine, offering superb detail and a very three- dimensional appearance that is just about reference quality. Edge enhancement is also0 kept to a minimum and haloing is all but nonexistent. Nice job, guys!

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The 5.1 Dolby surround mix isn't quite as impressive as the transfer, but it is pretty good nonetheless. Dialogue sounds gloriously clean, and atmospherics and effects are presented with nice clarity. Channel separation, especially across the surrounds, is quite good for a comedy. The .1 LFE is also strong and tight. Unfortunately, the score comes in unbearably loud which is a drag, but that's the only major flaw in an otherwise nice soundtrack.

Also included is a French 5.1 Dolby dub, plus English and French subtitles and English Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

The Peter Segal and Drew Barrymore screen-specific audio commentary here is kind of a bust. It's interesting to hear Barrymore describe her work, and Segal obviously knows his beans about films like this, but most of the banter here is dull and repetitive. The highlight is Barrymore recommending her listeners to read Tom Robbins' Still Life With Woodpecker, one of this writer's favorite novels.(Editor: Pretty sad!)

Next up are three featurettes: the 20-minute "The Dating Scene," plus the short 5-minute "Talkin' Pidgin" and an excerpt from Comedy Central's "Reel Comedy" that runs 25 minutes. "Reel" is the best thing here, but along with "Pidgin's" discussion of Hawaiian slang and the relatively in-depth nature to "Dating Scene," these making-of docs ain't too bad at all. Then we have a 7-minute blooper reel and 5 minutes of deleted scenes with optional commentary by Segal, neither of which are hysterically funny or revealing, but worth a chuckle or two.

Rounding it out is a 30- second TV Spot for Adam Sandler's new album, as well as three music videos (all covers - Wayne Wonder's "Hold Me Now," and 311's live version of "Amber" and cover of The Cure's "Love Song"), filmographies for Segal, writer George Wing, Sandler, Barrymore, Schneider, Astin and Dan Aykroyd, and theatrical trailers for 50 First Dates, Spider-Man 2, Hellboy, 13 Going on 30, Secret Window, White Chicks, The Company, Anger Management, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, Big Daddy, Punch-Drunk Love, Mr. Deeds, Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights and the upcoming "Seinfeld" DVD release. Hmmmm.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

There are no ROM extras on the disc.

Parting Thoughts