Peter Segal’s, 50 First Dates is a classic romantic comedy that is perfect for Valentine’s Day. It is based on a true story of a woman named Michelle Philpots, who suffered two head injuries which prevented her from making new memories.
Lucy Whitmore, played by Drew Barrymore, is a sentimental girl from Oahu, Hawaii. Her character is based on Michelle Philpots, a woman who suffered two major head injuries. The first one was in 1985, which was a near-fatal motorcycle accident. The second one was in 1990, which was a near-fatal car accident. The accidents gave her anterograde amnesia, which is a condition that prevents new memories from moving to long-term storage in the brain.
Plot
The movie starts by showing Henry Roth, played by Adam Sandler, trying to find tourists to date so he won’t have to get into a committed relationship. One day Henry was on a boat ride and his boat broke down. He stopped at Hukilau Café to wait for the coast guard to pick up his boat. As he walks in, he sees Lucy Whitmore making architecture art with her breakfast. He decided not to talk to her due to his rule of not dating locals, but he couldn’t get her out of his mind. The next day he goes back to talk to her and shows her how to make a door with her waffles. As they were leaving, he said he wanted to have breakfast again the next day.
But the next day he sits down across from her and she looks confused. Lucy calls the worker, Nick, to help her get him away from her while Susie gets Henry. Susie was Lucy’s mom -who passed away- best friend. Susie told Henry about a car accident that happened involving Lucy on her father’s birthday. She said the crash resulted in her developing a condition where she has no short term memory. Lucy now believes that every day she wakes up and it’s her father’s birthday.
Her father, Marlin, and brother, Doug, set up everything that happened the day of the crash to really make it believable. The football game playing that day, the pineapple that she got her dad, the cake, the newspaper and the wall she painted in the garage. When Henry meets them, they realize they have to tell her.
They went to a doctor to see if there was a cure for her condition, but there wasn’t. Henry then realized that he had to make her fall in love with him again everyday. The movie ends showing them married and Lucy is pregnant.
Director and Actors
50 First Dates is directed by Peter Segal. Stars Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Rob Schneider, Sean Astin, Lusia Strus, Blake Clark and Dan Aykroyd.
Why 50 First Dates is Perfect for Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is considered to be a cringe holiday, which makes 50 First Dates perfect for it. This romantic comedy is a funny yet heart-warming movie that really gets you into the lovey-dovey feels. The ending really ties this movie all together to give us the idea that when you love someone you will go the extra mile for them. Seeing that they got married and Lucy is pregnant, means that Henry really puts in effort everyday for her. Her condition clearly isn’t going to get better which means that everyday must get harder and harder for him. But he is willing to put in all of that effort because he is in love with her.
