Say what you will about Adam Sandler, but the man was a dynamite force in the 90s, starring in a bunch of movies that definitely ranged in quality. The Wedding Singer seems to be one that’s regarded fondly among a lot of people, with many calling it one of his best. It’s one that I’ve actually never seen until just recently, but have now thoroughly enjoyed.

I was surprised by how much of a simple rom-com The Wedding Singer is. It’s about a guy named Robbie who doesn’t have many prospects going for him. He sings at weddings because his dream of forming a band never worked out. Robbie is about to get married, but he unfortunately gets deserted by his bride on the day of the wedding. Down on his luck, Robbie begins to form a friendship with Julia, a hostess at the reception hall that he sings at. Julia is also about to get married, but the guy is extremely flaky, non-committal, and just kind of an all-around dirtbag. Through their hardships, Robbie and Julia begin to fall for each other.

It definitely follows a lot of rom-com conventions, so if you’re inherently opposed to the genre then you might not like this. However, I found that The Wedding Singer winds up being able to elevate itself above its conventions through the people involved in the movie. There are definitely a lot of fun side actors like Steve Buscemi that you’ll find in a lot of Sandler movies, but it really is the two leads of Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore that make this movie work. I liked their chemistry a lot, and so I found the movie to work more than it probably should.

If we’re being honest, though, I know that your enjoyment of the movie is going to hinge entirely on how you feel about Adam Sandler. The man is one of the most controversial figures in comedy in that he has both diehard supporters that love him, and the haters that think he’s one of the least funny people on the planet. With that being said, it kind of makes my review of The Wedding Singer (and most other Adam Sandler movies) useless. Chances are that you’re not going to watch the movie if you hate Adam Sandler, and if you do like him then you’ve probably already seen this, since it’s one of his most well-remembered movies. I just wanted to chip in my two cents that I think The Wedding Singer is one of his best movies from the 90s.

4/5