We can’t talk about great love stories without talking about “50 First Dates.”
This week is Valentine’s Day and along with eating a ridiculous amount of chocolate, it gives me the excuse to talk about one of my favorite romantic comedies of all time.
“50 First Dates” is set in Hawaii and is about infamous playboy Henry Roth (Adam Sandler) who has one-night stands with multiple tourists. Henry is a vet and has plans to set sail and study under sea pacific walrus behaviors in Alaska.
His plans have to wait when his boat has to get fixed and fate allows him to stay in Hawaii longer to meet Lucy (Drew Barrymore). He meets her and uses his charm to attract her, but he comes to realize she’s definitely not like other girls.
Lucy got in a car accident and has what in the movie is called Goldfield Syndrome, which is a condition where she’s unable to convert short term memory into long term memory. The character is inspired by Michelle Philpots, who has a severe case of anterograde amnesia from car crashes that doesn’t allow her to create any new memories.
Lucy remembers everything before the accident, but she’s stuck in the previous year and wakes up thinking it’s October 13^th every day. She’s unaware that she does the same thing everyday, and her father and brother as well some of her friends help recreate the day over and over again.
Henry tries to get over her and move on, but he slowly begins to fall in love with her. He tries to convince her to talk to him everyday, and it doesn’t always work out, but it’s always funny. He pretends to be unable to read, to be kidnapped and a bunch of other ridiculous things to get her to notice him.
Lucy wakes up and begins to find Henry there, but of course when she finds out about her accident, she’s heartbroken. Henry then goes as far as making a video for her to watch everyday, so it’s easier for her to here the news.
Henry comes up with these elaborate scenes trying to get her attention every day when most guys don’t even open the car door anymore, which Maya Rudolph’s character points out in the movie.
He says he loves her more than someone can love another person, and I believe it. Anyone who is willing to go to those lengths for anyone is truly in love. Henry always tried to brighten her day and made the experiences she had magical even if she wouldn’t remember them.
Lucy found a guy that truly makes her fall in love every single day, and I think that’s every girl dream–at least I know it’s mine.
This movie is a really cute comedy, and I think Barrymore and Sandler are perfect for their roles. Movies about love can be tricky to sell to me because I don’t typically like cheesy love stories and crazy overdone story lines like Hallmark and Lifetime specials. However, this movie is different and every time I watch it, I find something else I love about it.
Even though it came out when I was 4 years old, and I’ve probably seen it about 50 times, “50 First Dates” is a must watch on Valentine’s Day.