The 1998 Adam Sandler comedy “The Wedding Singer” was filmed in Southern California. Sandler plays Robbie Hart, a wedding singer who lives with his sister at this Pasadena home.
LOCATION: 1075 E Topeka St, Pasadena, CA 91104
Julia, played by Drew Barrymore, lives in the house in Sierra Madre.
LOCATION: 43 Sierra Pl, Sierra Madre, CA 91024
Robbie’s grandma lives at this West Hollywood home.
LOCATION: 1425 N Orange Grove Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90046
The 2004 comedy “50 First Dates” was filmed primarily in Oahu, Hawaii, with some additional scenes filmed in Southern California.
The Hukilau Cafe, where Henry, played by Adam Sandler, first meets Lucy, played by Drew Barrymore, was a set built for the film. Contrary to some information online, it definitely no longer exists. It was filmed near the Moli’i Fishpond, which is adjacent to Kualoa Ranch. The ranch in fact owns this land and it has been featured in many films, including “Jurassic World,” “Triple Frontier,” “Snatched,” “Tears of the Sun,” “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates,” “You, Me and Dupree” and the TV show “Lost.” There are some buildings there, but they were not used as the restaurant set, which was torn down after filming.
There are a couple ways to see this area. The local shops near the pond, which rent their buildings from Kualoa Ranch, offer tours of their own near the water for a small fee. However, the Premier Movie Site Tour offered by Kualoa Ranch itself stops at this area and covers it in detail, which is our recommended way to see it. Here is a view of the general area where the cafe set was built.
LOCATION: 49-243 Kuukama St, Kailua, HI 96734
Here is a small sign nearby marking it as the filming location.
It is a challenge to find the house of Lucy and even more of a challenge to photograph it. There is a lot of conflicting information about its location and GPS does not offer a definitive address. So the easiest way to pinpoint the general area is to find the Waikane Store on Kamehameha Hwy, located at 48-377 Kamehameha Hwy, Kaneohe, HI 96744. There is an unnamed road sitting right beside the store. That is the road that leads to Lucy’s house. You can in fact walk down this road, as we did, but the houses do not appear to have any registered addresses. From where the road dead ends, you still can’t see the house very well, as you’re facing behind it and from a distance. You would need to actually continue onto the property, which is private, in order to obtain a good view.
The best alternative we could find by land was traveling a bit down Kamehameha Hwy over to Waiahole Beach Park at 48-199 Kamehameha Hwy, Kaneohe, HI 96744. Despite the name, the area is quite grassy, with little sand. There is a small section around the trees that extends out from the shoreline a bit, offering the best view of the house. It’s still not ideal, but it is the closest point on public land to obtain a view of the actual house. If you have a long-focus lens, you can probably obtain a better view. It should also be noted there is no parking on Kamehameha Hwy at Waiahole Beach Park. There are some nearby side streets, however, where you can park and walk over.
LOCATION: GPS coordinates: 21°29’34.1″N 157°50’50.6″W (nearest registered address is 48-377 Kamehameha Hwy, Kaneohe, HI 96744)
Here is a wider view of the area. The pier, known as Waikane Pier, is also seen in the film, though only remnants of it exist now. The TV show “Lost” also featured the pier.
Further out in the water, you can see a small island known as Mokolii, or sometimes referred to as Chinaman’s Hat, which can also be seen in the film. It is a popular photo spot for tourists.
The road where Henry keeps finding creative ways to stop Lucy can be found on Kualoa Ranch. Countless other films have shot in this area, ranging from “Jurassic Park” to “Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle” to “Windtalkers.” If we have one complaint about the Kualoa Ranch tours (which are otherwise great), even on their Premier Movie Site Tour, they drive through this area rather quickly and do not stop. This makes getting decent photographs a challenge.
LOCATION: Kualoa Ranch, 49-560 Kamehameha Hwy, Kaneohe, HI 96744
Later in the film, Lucy is admitted to the Callahan Institute for Brain Injuries. This was filmed at the Cabrillo Beach Bath House in San Pedro, California. The same location was famously featured in the film “Face/Off.”
LOCATION: 3800 Stephen M White Dr, San Pedro, CA 90731
The Cabrillo Beach Bath House interiors were also used in the film. The staff is very friendly there and welcoming to the public, so don’t hesitate to visit.
The 2006 Adam Sandler produced comedy “Grandma’s Boy” filmed around Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. Alex, played by Allen Covert, lives here with his friend Josh.
LOCATION: 918 E Edgeware Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Dante, played by Peter Dante, lives in this Burbank home.
LOCATION: 5104 Ledge Ave, Burbank, CA 91505
Jeff, played by Nick Swardson, lives in this Toluca Lake home.
LOCATION: 4649 Sancola Ave, Toluca Lake, CA 91602
Grandma Lilly’s home can be found in the Angelino Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, just across the street from the houses from Michael Jackon’s “Thriller” music video and the TV show “Charmed” (this house was also used in the film “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo”).
LOCATION: 1324 Carroll Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90026
The boys grab a bite at the original Tommy’s hamburgers, a popular and long-running L.A. establishment.
LOCATION: 2575 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90057
Samantha, played by Linda Cardellini, lives at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. While the address is on S Grand Ave, the side seen in the film faces S Olive St near Pershing Square.
LOCATION: 506 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90071 (rear entrance facing S Olive St)
Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2002 romantic drama, much like his previous films, was shot largely around the Valley, north of Los Angeles, where the filmmaker grew up. However, some key sequences also took place in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The film begins at Eckhart Auto Body in Chatsworth, CA, where Barry, played by Adam Sandler, houses his offices.
LOCATION: 10101 Canoga Ave., Chatsworth, CA 91311
The view when Lena, played by Emily Watson, approaches and introduces herself.
Standing at the driveway, looking to your left out onto Canoga Ave., you’ll see the spot where the car crashes at the beginning of the film.
At the driveway entrance is where the harpsichord is dropped off.
Perhaps the film’s most iconic location and the one immortalized on the movie poster is far away from Southern California, on the beaches of Waikiki, Hawaii. The Royal Hawaiian Hotel is where Adam Sandler and Emily Watson embrace for their kiss, with the backdrop of Waikiki behind them. Despite being a fairly upscale resort, access to the lobby is easily available to the general public. If you’re coming from Kalakaua Ave., the hotel is behind a large shopping plaza and housed on the beaches, right next to the Sheraton. Entry from the beach is also possible. Just make your way to the Mai Tai Bar of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel (same address as the hotel itself, only facing on the beach), which is where Barry and Lena enjoy a meal together in the film, with the band singing and the beautiful Diamond Head peak in the background at sunset. From there you can easily see and enter the hotel lobby where the pair kiss. We’ve opted to exclude photos of the Mai Tar Bar here, because the layout has changed a bit from how it appeared in the film. There is no band performing at the real beach restaurant, in case you had your hopes up for that. It was added by the production. Just do a quick google search if you’re looking for pictures of Diamond Head, Waikiki Beach or the Mai Tai Bar (just make sure it’s the Royal Hawaiian one, as Honolulu has a couple other bars by the same name).
LOCATION: Royal Hawaiian Hotel, 2259 Kalakaua Ave., Honolulu, HI 96815
Back in California, Barry and Lana have dinner at this table at Le Petit Chateau in North Hollywood. The specific table can be found through the main entrance, on the opposite side of the wall. There is a painting and plaque on the wall above the center of the table.
LOCATION: Le Petit Chateau, 4615 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91602
Barry excuses himself to the bathroom, where he quickly proceeds to destroy it, after Lana repeats an embarrassing story about him that his sister told her. The scene really was filmed inside the actual restaurant’s bathroom, which has changed only slightly since filming.
Barry is confronted by a staff member here and subsequently gets kicked out of the restaurant for destroying their bathroom.
Barry and Lana make their way out of the restaurant through this entrance way.
The couple then walks out of the restaurant, which is seen in a night shot.
Elsewhere in the the Valley, in Sherman Oaks, you’ll find Barry’s apartment.
LOCATION: 14926 Moorpark St., Sherman Oaks 91403
The reverse view out onto Moorpark St. is where Philip Seymour Hoffman’s thugs crash into Barry and Lana’s car.
Near the end of the film, Barry supposedly travels to Utah to confront Dean Trumbell at his mattress store. The real building can be found in Pamona.
LOCATION: 390 W Foothill Blvd, Pomona, CA 91767
Last, but not least, we leave you with a quick shot of Paul Thomas Anderson and Adam Sandler discussing the film.
Related articles: Hard Eight (1996), Boogie Nights (1997), Magnolia (1999), There Will Be Blood (2007), The Master (2012), Inherent Vice (2014)
