The Wedding Singer (DVD 1999)

This is easily my favorite romantic comedy of all time. My enjoyment never decreases no matter how many times I watch it. Adam Sandler may put out a mediocre movie now and again, but he proves his acting skills in The Wedding Singer. The adorable Drew Barrymore pretty much breaks the world record for cuteness, innocence, and preciousness in her performance. Robbie Hart (Sandler) is a wedding singer who is a week away from marrying his sweetheart Linda. Julia Sullivan (Barrymore) is a waitress who has moved to the city to be closer to her fiancée Glenn, whom she fears is never going to set a date for their wedding. Robbie loves his job and loves helping all sorts of people, but his world crashes down around him when his fiancée never shows up for the wedding and later tells him she cannot possibly marry someone who is just a wedding singer in a small town. Julia is overjoyed when Glenn finally agrees to get married, but she begins to question her feelings as she spends more and more time with Robbie, whom she helps bring out of his Linda-induced depression. Both Linda and Glenn are thoroughly shallow, unworthy people. Naturally, there are all kinds of complications involved in Robbie and Julia actually acknowledging and expressing their feelings for one another, and the movie culminates in Robbie's desperate attempt to find Julia before she gets to Las Vegas and marries Glenn.
The theme may sound rather commonplace, and it probably is, but this movie works wonderfully. The entire cast is wonderful, from an older lady who pays Robbie for singing lessons with meatballs as she learns a song to sing for her husband on their 50th wedding anniversary, to Robbie's strange friend who dresses like Michael Jackson and patterns his life after Fonzie. Robbie's androgynous, Culture Club-loving backup singer George is a real hoot, and Billie Idol (yes, that Billie Idol) ably adds his own unique touch to the movie. Not only is the storyline wonderful, refreshing, and touching, the whole film is a treasure trove of 1980s pop culture. The soundtrack is a veritable smorgasbord of 1980s music, featuring some of the decade's most popular and most distinctive songs. There are references to the pop culture of the time strewn everywhere, making The Wedding Singer a veritable tribute to my favorite decade. Hilarious, sentimental, and touching, this movie finds its way into my VCR every few months, and I enjoy it more and more every time I watch it.