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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 48 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
13 Iffy for 13+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 75
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    As a comedy, 50 First Dates is standard Sandler, but as a love story it left me pleasantly buzzed, if not quite punch-drunk. Read full review

  • 75
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    The movie doesn't have the complexity and depth of "Groundhog Day" (which I recently saw described as "the most spiritual film of our time"), but as entertainment it's ingratiating and lovable. Read full review

  • 70
    Washington Post | Michael O'Sullivan

    A chick flick for guys, with a pH balance in perfect equilibrium between the crass and the sweet. Read full review

  • 70
    The New York Times | Dana Stevens

    The unlikely sweetness of the story carries the day. What is most astonishing is the confidence with which the filmmakers push their premise to its logical conclusion, turning an ending that could have been either laughable or appalling into something so effortlessly heartfelt as to be nearly sublime. Read full review

  • 50
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    It's a kick to see the adorably sexy Barrymore back in relaxed form again after the "Duplex" debacle and that calamitous "Charlie's Angels" sequel. Right now, she's the closest thing to sunshine you'll find at the movies. Read full review

  • 50
    The Hollywood Reporter | Sheri Linden

    Although its goofy high-concept premise won't bear much scrutiny, it offers a less predictable ride than their first pairing, and lush Hawaiian locations to boot. Read full review

  • 50
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    50 First Dates is working awfully hard to be romantic and not hard enough to be a comedy. Read full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    A mildly pleasing romantic comedy, a trifle held together by Drew Barrymore's charm and a decent high-concept gimmick. Read full review

  • 40
    Variety | Todd McCarthy

    Schneider hams it up as a paunchy middle-aged Hawaiian stoner in an eyebrow-raising ethnic caricature that more than once calls to mind Mickey Rooney's unfortunate Japanese turn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's." Read full review

  • 20
    Los Angeles Times | Kevin Thomas

    Has nothing going for it -- and much going against it. Read full review

View more reviews for 50 First Dates on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 13+ Silly, crude humor and a dash of romance.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that some of the male characters in this movie don't treat women with respect. They lie to get into bed with women, and talk badly about their wives. True to form, there are numerous sexual references along with some lewd language. But the leading bad- boy in the movie does an about-face by becoming a loving, devoted boyfriend to a woman with a disability.
  • Families can talk about the tape Henry makes for Lucy. If you had to make a similar tape of your family, what would you put on it?
  • When is it OK to laugh about a disability and when is it not? Were there any jokes that crossed the line? Can you think of movies that have crossed the line?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Though Henry starts out as a guy who lies to women he has one-night-stands with in order to keep himself unattached, he ends up being devoted to Lucy. In fact, he becomes so devoted that he helps her to overcome her disability. This is a comedy with some lewd and gross moments, as well as comedic portrayal of people with disabilities, but there is heart that beats beneath the surface.
  • rolemodels true2 Positive role models: Henry definitely starts out as the poster boy for bad behavior, but he shapes up into a stand-up guy by the end of the movie. Lucy is a model of compassionate and kind behavior. Henry does use knowledge of Lucy's soft side to his advantage, but she knows how to stand up for herself -- she even protects herself by wielding sports equipment when she needs to.
What to watch for
  • violence false2 Violence: Slapstick violence includes a character being beaten with a baseball bat by a woman (but he's not injured). Lucy is in a car accident and suffers from memory loss, which is a sadness that affects her family daily. A mention that Lucy's mother is deceased.
  • sex false3 Sex: From the start, we learn that Henry dates and has sex with many women. References to these escapades include comments like, "He pounded me like a mallard duck." Though crude references and gestures are made, there are no naked images. Some kissing and feeling up.
  • language false3 Language: Offhanded cursing, though pretty frequent: "s--t," "t-ty dance," "ass," "asshole," "balls," "bastard," "bitch," "boob," "booty," "butt," "damn," "dammit," "Goddammit," "hell," "jerk," "piss," "pissed," "crap," "slut," "nympho." Rude gestures like the middle finger show up a number of times too.
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Spam get a strong send-up.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Numerous references to smoking weed, including a scene where Ula is smoking pot and one where he is eating a pot brownie and feeding it to a dolphin. Characters drink beers or hard alcohol in almost every night-time scene. A woman drinks so that she will lose her inhibitions and have sex with Henry (he stops her). Lucy's brother admits to taking steroids.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

50 First Dates Movie Ratings + Reviews

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