‘50 First Dates’ should be Sandler’s last comedy

Peter Segal, who brought us “The Naked Gun” movies and “The Klumps,”

now tries his hand at another Adam Sandler film. Previously directing

“Anger Management,” Segal struggles to steer Sandler through a

convoluted, busy script by first-time scribe George Wing.

In the story, Sandler plays a man afraid of the “C” word

(commitment) who falls in love with a girl (re-teaming with Drew

Barrymore of “The Wedding Singer”) who has no short-term memory. The

pitch is excellent -- with tons of potential; the execution, however,

is quite lame.

The humor is like a series of “Saturday Night Live” skits,

interwoven yet mismatched -- complete with an annoying and culturally

repugnant guest performance by Rob Schneider. The only refreshing

moments come from the misused appearances of Sean Astin and Dan

Aykroyd, who breath some minor life into this many-times-rude farce

simply by the novelty of their presence.

The genuine laughs are few, since many of the gags are forced or

don’t even make sense. The last scene of the film contains romance

and chemistry, which should have been spread throughout the film. But

it wasn’t. What moviegoers are left with is a story and an

entertainment experience lower than they might achieve watching a

10th-grade homecoming night skit. Just because the last scene makes

your heart smile doesn’t excuse the 90 minutes of torment that

precedes it.

If you must see this film, rent it or borrow it from someone who

was unfortunate enough to have bought it when it becomes available on

video and DVD (which should be soon).

* RAY BUFFER, 34, is a professional singer, actor and voice-over

artist.