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What’s the Story?

Reviewed by Charles Cassady Jr.

Set in 1985, THE WEDDING SINGER stars Adam Sandler as Robbie Hart, a mullet-wearing singer-songwriter in New Jersey who performs love songs at weddings with his band, which includes a cross-dressing Boy George impersonator. Robbie's great talent isn't his singing, however, but rather his peacemaking. At receptions he smoothly defuses embarrassing, alcohol-fueled blowups between angry in-laws, and he helps bitter best men sober up. Apparently Robbie's being orphaned at age 10 motivates his ideals of marriage and tranquility. Thus it's a shattering blow when his own fiancee is a no-show at the altar. Now it's responsible Robbie's turn to lapse into drunken bitterness. The friends he's made at the party center help him through the bad time, especially Julia (Drew Barrymore), a waitress engaged to junk-bond dealer Glenn (Matthew Glave). Robbie uses his business connections to help plan Julia's wedding, and in the process the two fall in love. Robbie sees clearly that the Miami Vice-fixated Glenn is a self-centered rat who cares more about his DeLorean auto than he does for Julia.

Is It Any Good?

3

The Wedding Singer never stops nudging viewers -- mostly via pop-music references -- that it's set in 1985. Fashions are inspired by Michael Jackson, unspeakable haircuts derive from the group Flock of Seagulls, Billy Idol cameos as himself, and a new $800 tabletop device called a CD player gives great sound (only nobody knows what CDs are).

Sandler is a perennial kids' favorite thanks to recurring shtick as a grown man who (mis)behaves like a little boy. This comedy nicely lets Sandler mature a little bit onscreen, partially by surrounding him with characters significantly dumber and less upstanding than Robbie is. Robbie isn't pretentious or stuck on his own gallantry. He's polite in turning down sexual overtures from a Madonna-wannabe (Christine Taylor), and he even tries to convince Glenn to treat Julia better, before he realizes that he himself and Julia are a perfect match. It's not the most original comedy, but it's cute, and Robbie's situation could inspire the start of a discussion about ethical choices.

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