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The Wedding Singer
review by Zach B.
Rated PG-13
Starring Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Christine
Taylor, Jon Lovitz, Billy Idol
Running Time: 97 Minutes
Written by Tim Herlihy
Directed by Frank Coraci
Retail Price: 24.99
Features: Five 80's Karaoke Songs, 80's Music Mania
Trivia Game, Cast Biographies and Filmographies, Wedding
Album (Photo Gallery)
Specs: 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.33:1 Full Screen,
English 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital,
English, French and Spanish Captions, Chapter Search
Who could forget the 80s? All that classic music, the
hairstyles, the fashions, the events which happened, the
Brat Pack... it was quite a good decade (or at least I think
so). "The Wedding Singer" is a romantic comedy set in the
year 1985, and authentically recreates the time period
perfectly. Though the movie was not warmly received by most
critics, I was very excited about seeing this movie upon
viewing the trailer, and I was not disappointed at all. It's
the perfect date movie. It's very sweet and has some good
laughs. Released in February 1998, the film also took in
impressive box office numbers, taking in around 80 million
dollars during it's theatrical run. It was also a clear
indication that Adam Sandler's popularity was about to
rocket through the roof.
The movie follows Robbie Hart (Sandler), a shy but extra
sweet wedding singer. He still lives in the town he grew up
in, taking singing gigs for weddings and giving singing
lessons for meatballs. One night at a wedding party where he
is performing, he meets Julia Sullivan (Barrymore), a
wedding server/waitress, and they sort of hit it off. The
only problem is though, they're both engaged to be married.
Sadly though, Robbie is left down the aisle all by himself,
when his long time girlfriend does not show up to the big
day. She soon tells him off, and Robbie is heartbroken and
depressed. Yet Julia helps him overcome it, as he helps her
with her wedding to a really big jerk, by the name of Glenn.
He's a big man with stocks and a player with the ladies. Yet
Robbie sees right through him, and soon it's a race against
time for Robbie to confront Julia about his feelings, and
somehow show her what Glen really is.
Yes, I have to say, this plot is incredibly predictable
and nothing new. Yet the way the movie is done makes it very
enjoyable and fun to watch for repeated viewings. Frank
Coraci's (who then went on to direct Sandler's monster hit
"The Waterboy") good direction of the film really brings a
standard plot to life. Tim Herlihy's script is very solid,
and brings very good development to all of the characters.
The performances are really well done, Sandler and Barrymore
have great chemistry. This is the movie to watch if you want
to go back and remember the 80s. It's filled with some
classic songs, some nice references and the whole style of
it may make you feel like you're there. "The Wedding Singer"
is a great romantic comedy, and is probably going to be a
memorable one for years to cone.
"The Wedding Singer" is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic
widescreen. This transfer is really nice, like a very good
majority of New Line transfers. Colors are very solid,
though I felt at times some were oversaturated. Detail is
incredible, and the picture is very crisp. I noticed some
jaggies in a rare case, but it's not so noticeable. No signs
of grain, dirt or artifacts, it's really clean. Once again,
a well done transfer. A full screen version is included on
the other side of the disc.
The English 5.1 Dolby Digital goes perfectly with the
transfer. The movie is dialogue driven, but there are some
nice surrounds, but usually when bringing the excellent
musical score and those catchy 80s hits to life, which is a
very good thing, it fits correctly with the film and brings
more to it. I found the .1 LFE to be used every so often,
and when it was used, it was perfectly used and good.
Dialogue is clear and things are easy to hear. A great,
creative sound mix. A French 5.1 Dolby Digital track is also
included, in addition to English, French and Spanish
subtitles.
I was a bit disappointed this was not a full blown out
"New Line Platinum Series" disc, but there is still some
great stuff on here. First off, there's five 80's Karaoke
Songs. "White Wedding" by Billy Idol, "Do You Really Want To
Hurt Me" by Culture Club, "Rapper's Delight" by The
Sugarhill Hang, "Every Little Things She Does Is Magic" by
The Police and "Hold Me Now" by The Thompson Twins. These
songs can be sung with just the original background music,
or with vocals. A graphic from the movie is displayed as
well as the lyrics. A very interesting feature, could be
good for parties. A trivia game, entitled "80's Music
Mania", is chock full with questions and may just stump
those hardcore 80s music freaks. Rounding out the disc is
cast bios and filmographies, and the "Wedding Album", which
features still photos from the film. I was also sad that the
original theatrical trailer was not on the disc, because the
trailer really made me anticipate the film, oh well. The
movie also has some nice interactive menus, featuring some
computer generated props and 2-D backgrounds and characters
with some frames of animation, with music.
A very good movie which I felt the critics underrated,
"The Wedding Singer" is an excellent edition to anyone's DVD
collection. Though the features are nice, I could have used
a little more. The presentation is near reference, with some
great video and nice audio. Any fan of the movie is
encouraged to pick this disc up.
 (4/5, NOT included in
final score)
 (4.5/5)
(4/5)
 (2.5/5)
 (3.5/5, NOT an average)
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