Wedding Singer, The (1998)
a review by Christian Pyle
If the 70's nostalgia didn't make you feel old, the 80's nostalgia is bound to. One of the latter set, "The Wedding Singer," seems to be written by someone who did not experience the 1980's directly but only read about them in an article in Parade magazine. The wacky fashions are here . . . and the music . . . and references aplenty to celebrities and signs of the times, but it all seems tediously-and too obviously-inserted for the didn't-we-dress-funny-back-then chuckle.
The plot is standard romantic comedy with nothing original: Robbie (Adam Sandler) is a wedding singer; Julia (Drew Barrymore) waits tables at weddings. Both are engaged; however, Robbie's fiance (Angela Featherstone) dumps him at the altar, and Julia's fiance (Matthew Glave) is a skirt-chasing speculator in junk bonds. Robbie and Julia go through the expected ups-and-downs as they realize they were meant to be together.
I'll fess up-I've never found Adam Sandler funny. Whatever his appeal is, I've missed it. (Other comedians I don't get include Pauly Shore and Pee Wee Herman-make your own judgments).
The stupidity and artificiality of the whole project is summarized in a cameo by Billy Idol as himself. Idol looks like hell, and the ravages of his lifestyle are barely concealed by thick makeup. He's mocked by a photo of his younger self on a Rolling Stone cover in the same scene. We're not supposed to notice that, and we're not supposed to notice how silly it is that Billy Idol suddenly appears to play fairy godmother to Robbie.
Other cameos, by Steve Buscemi and Jon Lovitz, provide the only real laughs in the movie. Lovitz is especially good, playing a rival wedding singer plotting with the mania of a Bond villain to take advantage of Robbie's post-break-up depression.
Grade: D
© 1999 Christian L. Pyle
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