50 First Dates

The commentary has no Adam Sandler, which is unfortunate, although director Peter Segal and co-star Drew Barrymore are informative enough, the latter coming across as air headed, yet quite intelligent. There are a few long gaps in dialogue, but on the whole it is worth a listen if you are interested in learning more about the filmmaking process. Don't expect anything specific in terms of special effects, as Segal clearly knows very little about this side of things.

The Blooper Reel is seven minutes long and features tasty treats that will entertain, as well as infuse the chemistry between Sandler and Barrymore, which seems very warm. Rob Schneider ad libbing is worth a look, too.

The Deleted Scenes are short and to the point, not comedic, but endearing nonetheless. The director delivers a commentary for all five scenes, which enhances your understanding of both the plot and the production, although at times he runs out of things to say and talks just for the sake of talking.

The first of the Featurettes is Talkin' Pidgin, a brief look at some of the Hawaiian phrases used in the film. Hawaiian people give translations of words such as howlie (white person) and puka (hole) that are spliced together with vaguely related clips. This is a nice idea stretched to its limit, providing a disappointingly weak extra.

The second Featurette is a programme from Comedy Central, featuring Schneider, in his role as Ula, interviewing Sandler and Barrymore, as themselves. This is a remorselessly long extra, which covers the film's plot and provides an abundance of clips. The Mumu (Ula's wife) joke turns sour after its fifth rendition and the whole thing is uncomfortable and relatively pointless. Don't waste your time.

The Dating Scene is a Making Of, beginning like a trailer and providing a long-winded synopsis, courtesy of cast and crew. It covers how the actors became involved in the project and gives a general feeling of life on the set, which comes across as being a fairy tale production process, in which Barrymore is in love with everyone. At 20 minutes, there are too many film clips, with a fair amount of on-set footage to make up for them.

Hold Me Now by Wayne Wonder is a nice track, but the music video is poorly made and plugs the movie shamelessly. There is some subversion of stereotype, in terms of the multi racial couples, but beyond that, it's mass-produced throwaway crap.

Alongside this are two videos from a band called 311, which is similar to Maroon 5 in terms of sound. The videos, however, are a triumph of mediocrity. The first is a live performance of an intimate gig, shot somewhere in America, and the second a series of film clips mixed with shots of the band performing in a Hawaiian bar. Disappointing.

The teaser for Sandler's upcoming album is a brief American promo for an album that we will never see unless we are in the mood to pay 20 quid for a HMV import. Pointless, and actually, pretty insulting.

50 First Dates DVD offers a disc of extras that drifts from average to bad, with nothing to enhance the quality. This is a missed opportunity, which pales in comparison to the Anger Management DVD.

A funny, charming film has been undermined by extra features that are less than satisfying.