The Good

This is one of those movies that reminds us why we need Adam Sandler.

The Bad

This is a "Totally Awesome Edition"?

I originally saw The Wedding Singer in the movies on Valentine's Day. I thought the film was pretty good but apparently the world fell in love with it without me realizing this. Over time, it seems like the movie has become even more revered which would explain the release of The Wedding Singer - Totally Awesome Edition.

This film sees Adam Sandler portraying the lovable Robbie Hart. He is a wedding singer who manages to woo Julia Sullivan (Drew Barrymore) into leaving her life of security with her boyfriend and soon to be husband Glen, and take a chance on a relationship with Hart who has, other than his charm, very little else going for him. While this storyline and overall idea represents a fantasy that I am not even sure Happy Madison believes (afterall, why would they lampoon it so much in their other films?), The Wedding Singer - Totally Awesome Edition should still bring a smile to many faces.

Features

The Wedding Singer on Broadway

Yes, you read that right and purists of cinema must be up in arms by the mere mention of of Adam Sandler and Broadway. Personally, this is one of the few plays (and a musical at that) that I would actually like to see. All too often I think the theater can come across as high brow and it's nice to see a stage adaptation of The Wedding Singer crashing that party.

Five Minutes of Never Before Seen Footage

Truthfully, I don't think that this is anything that special but at the same time I don't want to ruin it for people that haven't seen the footage yet. Lets just say that I while I think The Wedding Singer is a good movie, I never thought of it as the kind of DVD that would contain treasure troves of material that might illuminate more about the characters.

'80's Mix Tape

This section of the DVD offers a "Jump to Song" navigation feature which allows people to jump from song to song within the film. I suppose this is a cool feature and I guess it might be good at a party, but I sort of expected a little more from a "Totally Awesome Edition" DVD.

Video

Aspect Ratio - 1.85:1. This movie looked really good on DVD. It isn't as if there is anything that amazing about the way this film was shot, but I don't remember the picture being this clear when I screened the movie in the theater. I didn't notice any hits on the print but at the same time, I can't fathom that people might not have enjoyed this movie if the picture hadn't looked as good as it did here.

Audio

English - Dolby Digital 5.1. As fan of the 1980s, especially the music, I really loved the soundtrack. Truthfully, I am such a fan of Daryl Hall and John Oates that when "You Make My Dreams" came on in the theater, I was literally smiling from ear to ear (which probably embarrassed the girl I was with). While I have since seen this film on DVD and now in this Special Edition, I have to say that all three times I thought the audio was fine.

Package

Not much has really changed from this DVD cover to the other releases. Sandler and Barrymore are shown with Sandler in the middle of singing a song. The back features some pictures from the movie, a description of what this film is about, a "Special Features" listing, a cast list and some technical specs. All in all, other than milking this film for some more money, I am not sure that this "Totally Awesome Edition" is really necessary.

Final Word

I know that there might be people that don't get Adam Sandler's humor. I also know that others might see his serious roles as hurting his comic relationship with his audience (which is why he seems to bring up other comedic talent and produce the films he no longer does), but at the same time one cannot deny that there is a reason why he has been as successful as he has. People like to laugh. Not all the time and not always at complex humor. People like to be entertained for various reasons. Where the studios get it wrong is thinking that there is a formula for comedy and someone like Adam Sandler shows that there isn't. Simply put, his movies are many different things but at their base they are comedies with situations that people want to see.

The Wedding Singer - Totally Awesome Edition, while not the greatest Special Edition I have ever screened, is certainly worth it if you don't already own this DVD.

The Wedding Singer was released February 13, 1998.