The Wedding Singer

Starring: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore
Director: Frank Coraci
Genre: Comedy
Year: 1998
Rating: 4 / 5

Adam Sandler may or may not be an acquired taste, but he is definitely not for everyone. Just as fellow recent Saturday Night Live alumni David Spade and the late Chris Farley have grown in cult stature, so too has Adam Sandler. As with past hits like Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer features Sandler in prime, over-the-top form, screaming and singing his way to the top of his 1985 world.

In The Wedding Singer, we find Robbie Hart (Sandler) proudly boasting of his status as the most popular wedding singer in his town, crooning out the best hits of the eighties. Robbie was a high school rock star who took up singing at weddings so he could continue to perform and make ends meet. Engaged to marry long-time girlfriend Linda (Angela Featherstone), Robbie is stood up at the altar, because, as Linda puts it, "I was about to marry a wedding singer!" To which Robbie responds, "This could have been brought to my attention YESTERDAY!" in a classic Sandler yell-fest. Robbie proceeds to sink into a fit of drunken depression, leaving the wedding circuit altogether.

Enter Julia Sullivan, a small town girl herself, who is engaged to Glenn Gulia, a wealthy playboy who has agreed to marry Julia because he does not want to break up with her. Julia is just a sweet girl who wants to get married, and as she slowly starts to get more upset with Glenn, she and Robbie begin to pull closer and closer together.

The Wedding Singer is by no means Sandler's best work, but it is definitely worth seeing for any true fan. For those who particularly enjoy Sandler's singing (ala Red Hooded Sweatshirt, Lunch Lady Land), this is the movie for you. There are some lulls in the movie, and, aside from some quick cameos by Steve Buscemi (Con Air, Desperado) and Jon Lovitz, there are not any overly strong supporting characters. The eighties references are hilarious, though, including some especially funny jabs at some of the decade's biggest musicians. All in all, when Sandler is on the screen, and in top-notch form as he is here, nothing else seems to matter. Sloppy joes, slop, sloppy joes...

Cast:

Adam Sandler..........	Robbie Hart
Drew Barrymore..........	Julia Sullivan
Christine Taylor..........	Holly
Allen Covert..........	Sammy
Matthew Glave..........	Glenn Gulia

Certification: Rated PG-13 for language.
Running Time: 95 minutes.

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