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The Wedding Singer (1998)

tomatometer

67

Average Rating: 6.1/10
Reviews Counted: 60
Fresh: 40 | Rotten: 20

It's decidedly uneven -- and surprisingly sappy for an early Adam Sandler comedy -- but The Wedding Singer is also sweet, funny, and beguiling.

67

Average Rating: 5.8/10
Critic Reviews: 12
Fresh: 8 | Rotten: 4

It's decidedly uneven -- and surprisingly sappy for an early Adam Sandler comedy -- but The Wedding Singer is also sweet, funny, and beguiling.

audience

76

liked it
Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 676,826

My Rating

Movie Info

Mousse up your hair and pull your Missing Persons records out of mothballs for this romantic comedy set in that era of questionable fashion decisions, the '80s. In 1985, Robbie Hart (Adam Sandler) is a vocalist whose rock band stubbornly refuses to get off the ground. In the meantime, he makes a living playing wedding receptions, where his easy charm and ability to schmooze brings him a steady income. Robbie meets Julia Sullivan (Drew Barrymore) when she's working as a waitress at one of his

PG-13, 1 hr. 36 min.

Drama, Romance, Comedy

Tim Herlihy

Aug 5, 1998

New Line Cinema

Cast

All Critics (60) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (42) | Rotten (20) | DVD (23)

Supporting players are uniformly strong, and Coraci deserves much credit for exacting just the right degree of outrageousness without spinning into some wild orbit.

June 1, 2008 Full Review Source: Variety | Comment
Variety
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Finally, an Adam Sandler comedy that you can sit through without wanting to throw a mallet through the screen.

July 12, 2002 Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | Comment (1)
Globe and Mail
Top Critic IconTop Critic

As Robbie Hart, a former lead singer in a rock band reduced to performing at weddings, Sandler goes for more than the easy laughs.

June 18, 2002 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | Comment
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A sparkling romantic comedy, the kind of picture that glides by so gracefully and unpretentiously that it's only upon reflection that you realize how much skill, caring and good judgment had to have gone into its making.

February 14, 2001 Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | Comment
Los Angeles Times
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Hokey as Robbie and Julia's courtship turns out to be, Mr. Sandler really does draw some empathy for his character's lonely plight.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: New York Times | Comment
New York Times
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The movie is a tame affair, shot on calm, manicured streets; the interiors are decorated in pastels.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: New York Magazine | Comment (1)
New York Magazine
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Not the most original comedy, but many will enjoy.

December 15, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | Comment
Common Sense Media

The tone set by director Frank Coraci tends to the cartoonishly broad while making jokes at the expense of grotesques. [Blu-ray]

May 25, 2009 Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | Comment

Sandler and Barrymore make their characters vivid, alive, believable, and, above all, sympathetic. (Blu-ray Edition)

April 28, 2009 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis | Comment
Movie Metropolis

Although the movie is remarkably schmaltzy, it's sweet and affecting, too, with Sandler's character as genuinely nice as he can be.

April 28, 2009 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis | Comment
Movie Metropolis

Called on to replace some of his Happy Gilmore shtick with the emoting of a romantic lead, he does just that but in an unpersuasive on/off fashion.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | Comment
Boxoffice Magazine

Yes, it's sappy. It's also silly, utterly unironic, a sketch stretched out to feature length, and, if you're in the right mood, pretty darned cute.

June 1, 2008 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | Comment
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Barrymore and Sandler are lovely together, and the movie, set in 1985, was also among the first to tap into 1980s nostalgia.

February 17, 2007 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | Comment
Combustible Celluloid

The plotting is simplistic but cute and the gags are consistently funny, particularly for anyone who grew up in the 1980s.

May 19, 2006 Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | Comment

One big love song to the '80s--a sweet, by-the-numbers romantic comedy that still climbs the charts because of crisp writing, a solid soundtrack, and cute performances from Sandler and Barrymore.

April 25, 2006 Comment
Reel.com

You can't help pulling for the kids.

January 26, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out | Comment

It's charmingly bad and an excellent date film.

December 6, 2005 Full Review Source: Film Threat | Comment
Film Threat

Uneven and silly? Yes. Enjoyable? Most definitely.

April 9, 2005 Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | Comment
Reeling Reviews

An hour and a half of solid entertainment.

June 8, 2004 Full Review | Comment
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Fairly typical comedy, in that moments of genuine humor are spread out too thinly over a schmaltzy (sorry, "heartwarming") script. But how can you give a failing grade to a movie that spotlights silly early Eighties music?

August 11, 2003 Comment
AboutFilm.com

Besides music that harks back to the days when MTV was worth watching (Martha Quinn Forever!), The Wedding Singer is also a sweet, beguiling romantic comedy.

June 6, 2003 Full Review | Comment
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

This movie is great for a few laughs, especially if you fall into the right age category. But don't expect it to change your life.

February 8, 2003 Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | Comment
Film Quips Online

Too much of The Wedding Singer has a disconcerting reluctance, reigning itself in at unexpected moments and failing to capitalize on several potential jokes...

January 10, 2003 Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | Comment
Nick's Flick Picks
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for The Wedding Singer

Fun Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore movie set in the year 1985. TOTALLY AWESOME! :) Love that Billy Idol makes an appearance too lol (:

February 19, 2008
movieguru12
Cassie Hill

Super Reviewer

The Wedding Singer is a pretty funny Adam Sandler comedy, considering that I don't like him that much, that's a lot coming from me. However The Wedding Singer is a funny enough comedy to keep you interested, and if you don't like Sandler, then this is one of least awful works. The Wedding Singer isn't a great film, but

October 15, 2011
TheDudeLebowski65
Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski

Super Reviewer

    1. Billy Idol: Good afternoon, everyone. We're flying at 26,000 feet, moving up to 30,000 feet, and we've got clear skies all the way to Las Vegas. Right now, we're bringing you some in-flight entertainment. One of our first class passengers would like to sing you a song inspired by one of our coach passengers. And since we let our first class passengers do, pretty much whatever they want, here he is...
    – Submitted by Pepper W (3 months ago)
    1. Holly: God, I love David Bowie. He is SO sexy.
    2. Glen Gulia: You think the 'time to make the donuts' guy is sexy.
    3. Robbie Hart: Heh heh, that guy is funny.
    – Submitted by Pepper W (3 months ago)
    1. Rosie: [to Julia] He wants to make money. You know - live in a nice house with wide windows and locks. You can't expect him to live forever with his sister and the nipple-twisting that goes on there.
    – Submitted by Pepper W (3 months ago)
    1. Julia Sullivan: Not porno tongue. Church tongue.
    2. Robbie Hart: [laughing] Church tongue, I like that.
    – Submitted by Pepper W (3 months ago)
    1. Robbie Hart: See? Billy Idol gets it. I don't know why she doesn't get it.
    – Submitted by Susan T (8 months ago)

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