‘50
      First
      Dates'
      Not
      a
      Bad
     
     
      Way
      To
      Spend
      An
      Afternoon
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Have
      you
      ever
      walked
      into
     
     
      a
      movie,
      thinking,
      “Man,
      I’m
     
     
      going
      to
      hate
      this!”
      Have
      you
     
     
      ever
      sat
      in
      a
      theater,
      waiting
      for
     
     
      the
      previews
      to
      roll,
      and
      contem-
     
     
      plate
      walking
      out
      right
      then
      and
     
     
      there
      to
      sneak
      your
      way
      into
     
     
      another
      movie?
      I
      did
      while
      wait-
     
     
      ing
      for
      Adam
      Sandler’s
      ‘SO
      First
     
     
      Dates’
      to
      begin.
      I’m
      not
      sure
      why,
     
     
      really.
      (Maybe
      it’s
      because
      I
      want-
     
     
      ed
      to
      go
      see
      Charlize
      Theron
      kill
     
     
      people
      in
      ‘Monster,’
      and
      my
     
     
      buddy
      didn’t.
      Yeah,
      that
      probably
     
     
      had
      something
      to
      do
      with
      it.)
      It’s
     
     
      not
      that
      I
      don’t
      like
      Adam
      Sandler.
     
     
      Sandler
      was
      great
      on
      Saturday
     
     
      Night
      Live
      and
      movies
      like
      ‘The
     
     
      Wedding
      Singer’
      and
      ‘The
      Water
     
     
      Boy’
      are
      always
      good
      for
      a
      couple
     
     
      of
      laughs;
      it’s
      just
      that
      after
      awhile
     
     
      you
      get
      tired
      of
      seeing
      Sandler
     
     
      playing
      a
      variation
      of
      the
      same
     
     
      lovable
      loser
      in
      every
      movie.
      But,
     
     
      you
      know
      what?
      Sandler
      isn’t
      a
     
     
      lovable
      loser
      in
      this
      one;
      he’s
     
     
      Henry
      Roth,
      a
      hot
      shot
      marine
     
     
      biologist
      living
      the
      life
      in
     
     
      Hawaii—
      by
      day
      he’s
      healing
      sea
     
     
      lions,
      walruses,
      and
      dolphins
      and
     
     
      at
      night
      he’s
      a
      player,
      romancing
     
     
      all
      the
      attractive
      tourist
      ladies.
     
     
      (That
      doesn’t
      sound
      like
      a
      bad
     
     
      life.)
      That
      all
      changes
      when
      he
     
     
      meets
      Lucy
      Whitmore
      (Drew
     
     
      Barrymore),
      an
      art
      teacher.
      The
     
     
      two
      hit
      it
      off
      instantly,
      but
      there
      is
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a
      catch:
      due
      to
      a
      car
      accident
      a
     
     
      year
      earlier,
      Lucy
      has
      had
      her
     
     
      short
      term
      memory
      erased.
      She
     
     
      remembers
      everything
      that
      hap-
     
     
      pened
      up
      to
      the
      moment
      of
      the
     
     
      accident,
      but
      nothing
      that
      fol-
     
     
      lowed
      afterwards
      (including
     
     
      Henry).
      The
      rest
      of
      the
      movie,
      has
     
     
      Henry
      trying
      to
      prove
      to
      Lucy
     
     
      everyday
      that
      the
      two
      are
      a
      couple
     
     
      while
      alleviating
      the
      suspicions
      of
     
     
      her
      protective
      father
      (Blake
      Clark,
     
     
      a.k.a..
      Farmer
      Fran
      from
      ‘The
     
     
      Water
      Boy.’)
      and
      her
      wannabe
     
     
      bodybuilder
      brother
      (Sean
      Astin).
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘50
      First
      Dates’
      isn’t
      a
      bad
      movie;
     
     
      it’s
      one
      of
      those
      movies,
      where
     
     
      you
      might
      not
      remember
      half
      the
     
     
      scenes
      in
      it,
      but
      you
      remember
     
     
      laughing
      a
      lot.
      It
      doesn’t
      hurt
     
     
      either
      that
      the
      cast
      is
      very
      likeable.
     
     
      Sandler
      is
      funny
      —
      gone
      is
      his
     
     
      usual
      hostility
      and
      anger,
      replaced
     
     
      with
      a
      more
      laid
      back
      sense
      of
     
     
      humor
      which
      suits
      him
      to
      a
      tee.
     
     
      Barrymore
      isn’t
      given
      a
      lot
      of
     
     
      laughs
      here,
      but
      she’s
      not
      boring
     
     
      either.
      The
      two
      have
      chemistry,
     
     
      and
      just
      as
      they
      did
      in
      ‘The
     
     
      Wedding
      Singer,’
      they
      play
      off
     
     
      each
      other
      really
      well.
      §
      Rob
     
     
      Schneider
      is
      also
      funny
      as
      Henry’s
     
     
      horny
      married
      best
      friend
      who
     
     
      lives
      vicariously
      through
      Henry’s
     
     
      one
      night
      stands.
      ‘50
      First
      Dates’
     
     
      isn’t
      anything
      out
      of
      the
      ordinary,
     
     
      but
      if
      you’re
      looking
      for
      a
      couple
     
     
      of
      laughs,
      it’s
      not
      a
      bad
      way
      to
      kill
     
     
      an
      afternoon
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Bottom
      Line
     
     
      On
      Cold
      Mountain
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Starring:
      Jude
      Law,
      Nicole
      Kidman,
     
     
      Renee
      Zellweger,
      Donaid
      Sutherland
     
     
      Directed
      by
      Anthony
      Minghella
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      have
      witnessed
      few
      movies
     
     
      with
      romantic
      plots.
      |
      have
      seen
      my
     
     
      fair
      share
      of
      amative
      subplots,
      but
     
     
      rarely
      was
      there
      an
      occasion
      where
     
     
      the
      romance
      took
      centre
      stage.
      Cold
     
     
      Mountain
      carries
      on
      this
      tradition.
     
     
      The
      film
      doesn't
      forget
      its
      sub-plots,
     
     
      but
      the
      romance
      between
      Inman
      (a
     
     
      thoughtful
      Jude
      Law)
      and
      Ada
      (A
     
     
      barely
      convincing
      Nicole
      Kidman)
     
     
      plays
      second
      fiddle
      to
      the
      action.
      The
     
     
      plot
      revolves
      around
      Inman,
      who
      is
      a
     
     
      resident
      carpenter
      of
      Cold
      Mountain,
     
     
      a
      town
      located
      in
      North
      Carolina
      (this
     
     
      was
      filmed
      in
      Virginia).
      War
      with
      the
     
     
      Yankees
      appears
      imminent,
      and
     
     
      Inman
      is
      determined
      to
      enlist.
     
    

    
     
      Then
      one
      day
      a
      preacher
     
     
      (Donald
      Sutherland
      being
      servicea-
     
     
      ble)
      and
      his
      daughter
      Ada
      move
      into
     
     
      Cold
      Mountain.
      Inman
      and
      Ada
     
     
      become
      well
      acquainted
      almost
     
     
      instantly
      after
      she
      arrives.
      The
      whole
     
     
      scene
      involving
      their
      introduction
      felt
     
     
      nothing
      less
      than
      predictable,
      which
     
     
      is
      how
      the
      film
      treats
      their
      relation-
     
     
      ship
      throughout.
      Despite
      the
      time
     
     
      they
      spend
      together,
      Inman
      still
      wish-
     
     
      es
      to
      enlist.
      Ada
      can
      appreciate
      his
     
    
   
   
    
     
      motives,
      and,
      before
      he
      leaves,
      she
      .
     
    
   
   
    
     
      makes
      him
      promise
      to
      "Come
      back
      to
     
     
      me
      one
      day."
     
    

    
     
      Cold
      Mountain's
      dedication
     
     
      to
      grim
      and
      gritty
      action
      is
      realized
      in
     
     
      the
      opening
      scene,
      in
      which
      a
      camp
     
     
      inhabited
      by
      Confederate
      soldiers,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      Cadre
      March
      2,
      2004
      page
      14
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Inman
      included,
      is
      torn
      apart
      by
     
     
      explosives
      set
      by
      the
      Yankees.
      Inman,
     
     
      seeing
      the
      after-effects,
      tires
      of
      the
     
     
      war
      and
      decides
      to
      desert
      from
      the
     
     
      army.
      His
      journey
      back
      to
      Cold
     
     
      Mountain
      is
      no
      less
      gory,
      but
      with
     
     
      fewer
      special
      effects.
      The
      film
      alter-
     
     
      nates
      between
      Inman's
      journey
      and
     
     
      Ada's
      struggle
      to
      survive
      in
      a
      town
     
     
      that
      is
      dominated
      by
      a
      man
      named
     
     
      Heig
      (Ray
      Winstone,
      providing
      vio-
     
     
      lence
      for
      violence'’s
      sake)
      and
      his
     
     
      band
      of
      deserter
      hunting
      cowboys.
     
    

    
     
      Cold
      Mountain
      is
      a
      pleasant
     
     
      enough
      escapist
      movie,
      but
      it
      didn't
     
     
      do
      anything
      that
      I
      hadn't
      seen
      before.
     
     
      I
      never
      got
      the
      feeling
      that
      I
      would
     
     
      feel
      rewarded
      or
      enriched
      for
      having
     
     
      watched
      it.
      The
      "surprise"
      ending
     
     
      was
      predictable,
      and
      despite
      the
      dia-
     
     
      logue,
      the
      acting,
      and
      the
      drama,
      |
     
     
      never
      really
      grew
      attached
      to
      any
      of
     
     
      the
      characters
      enough
      to
      care
      about
     
     
      what
      happened
      to
      them.
     
    

    
     
      In
      the
      end,
      I'm
      guessing
      that
     
     
      Cold
      Mountain
      is
      probably
      going
      to
     
     
      become
      a
      cult
      classic.
      However,
      |
     
     
      personally
      prefer
      to
      define
      ‘cult
      clas-
     
     
      sic'
      as
      being
      a
      film
      that
      is
      both
      under
     
     
      appreciated,
      yet
      innovative.
      But
      Cold
     
     
      Mountain
      is
      not
      innovative.
      It's
      more
     
     
      of
      the
      same.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Bottom
      Line
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Good
      acting
      and
      a
      cohesive
     
     
      plot
      can
      go
      a
      long
      way,
      but
      those
     
     
      hopeful
      for
      something
      new
      and
     
     
      inventive
      might
      want
      to
      look
      else-
     
     
      where.