THE WEDDING SINGER 1998
A film review by Timothy Voon
Copyright 1998 Timothy Voon
2 :-) :-) for Sandler and Barrymore
Cast: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Christine Taylor, Allen Covert, Matthew Glave, Angela Featherstone, Alexis Arquette Director: Frank Coraci Producers: Robert Simonds, Jack Giarraputo Screenplay: Tim Herlihy
There is something wonderfully, pleasant about THE WEDDING SINGER, rarely found in the overly sophisticated romantic comedies of today. Surprisingly, the acting leads are also played by two stars who are not well known for their romantic touch. Adam Sandler is probably best known as the golf abusing, amateur in HAPPY GILMORE. By putting away his usual hysterical antics and allowing normality to take over, he not only surprises the audience, but probably himself by creating a character (Robbie Hart) that the audience cares about. Drew Barrymore, also surprises us with a glowing smile that lights up the screen. She delivers the overly sweetened dialogue, with such heartfelt sincerity one almost believes her when she claims to dislike alcohol.
Set in the mid-80's and surrounding weddings (a popular Hollywood theme), two people fall in love in the most unusual of circumstance. Both are getting married to the wrong person. Robbie Hart (Sandler) is left standing alone at the altar, when his bride fails to show up for the occasion. This leaves him intensely depressed and deluded about life and love. How can he live down the humiliation and go on being a wedding singer? Julia Sullivan (Barrymore) has been waiting for two years for a proposal from a boyfriend. Now that she has been finally asked, is this the right man for her?
There is nothing sophisticated about the script or plot. Basically when Robbie and Julia meet, the audience is shown why they are right for each other. In this instance, screen chemistry is vital and both Sandler and Barrymore deliver. The ending is a tad cliché, but the journey to reach there is pleasantly entertaining, with enough 80's love tunes along the way, to make this an enjoyable nostalgic piece.
Timothy Voon e-mail: stirling@netlink.com.au Movie Archives http://us.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Tim+Voon Hugues Bouclier's Movies in Melbourne http://www.labyrinth.net.au/~bouclier/week/movies.html
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