50 First Dates Gets a 50 Out of 10 in My Book

Because all tickets were sold out to see Passion of the Christ, I decided to see 50 First Dates, and I don’t regret it one bit. Here are the leading characters:

Adam Sandler: Henry Roth in the movie. A Marine Vet that dates tourist girls. Hence, there’s no room for commitment.

Drew Barrymore: Plays the lovable Lucy Whitmore, the girl that Adam Sandler falls in love with.

Rob Schneider: Plays Adam Sandler’s friend, Ula. A true idiot in the movie, but the reason this movie did so well. He stole the show many a times.

THE PLOT:
We first learn that Henry Roth (Adam Sandler) is a marine vet. This job allows him to meet tourist women that aren’t staying in the area for long. A player in the beginning of the movie, Henry dates every women he sees and doesn’t take any of them seriously. He gives women false information about himself, and the women fall in love with him only to realize he’s a player.

Henry’s womanizing ways change unexpectedly when he meets the sweet Lucy Whitmore at a local restaurant. They both fall in love with each other, but then things get complicated for Henry.

When Henry goes to meet Lucy a 2nd time at the same restaurant, Lucy acts as if she never met him yesterday, and calling him a pervert when Henry tries to crack an inside joke that they had the previous day about his “smelly hands.” You will find that out later.

Henry is finally informed by the waitress in the restaurant that Lucy suffered brain damage from a car accident that her and her father were in, causing Lucy to lose her short term memory, and that’s why she had no recollection of meeting Henry the previous day. The waitress knows all of this information because she was a friend of Lucy’s family, promising to take care of Lucy.

This is when the title of the movie finally makes sense. Because of Lucy’s short term memory loss, Henry has to win Lucy over, and over, and over again, every day! He does this by being a prankster and creating a good relationship with Lucy’s disapproving (only at first) father and brother.

The sentiment kicks in when we see the lengths a man will go for a woman when he is truly in love. Unlike other men such as Ula (Henry’s friend), Henry makes a promise to love and take care of Lucy, and since he found Lucy, no other woman will ever compare. He shows his love for Lucy by making memory-filled video tapes for Lucy to watch every morning, so she can remember what happened to her, and most of all, so she can remember who Henry is on a daily basis.

Although Lucy can’t remember anything from the previous day, her father and brother notice that Lucy acts different when she comes home. Lucy sings after seeing Henry, something she hasn’t done in a while. She also keeps a journal, writing down everything that she and Henry have shared so she doesn’t forget (the next day, and the next day) what a wonderful man she has in her life.

All of that comes to a halt when Lucy gives Henry the dreaded news. Lucy breaks up with Henry because she’s afraid for their future. She is confused as to why he loves her, a woman that can’t even remember what happened yesterday, and a woman, that she believes, will not give him a normal life. Feeling like a burden to Henry, Lucy calls off what Henry worked so hard for, what he lives for; Lucy. Their relationship ends.

Until…A gift from Lucy’s father is given to Henry as a goodbye present. Henry sees this gift as a sign from Lucy, so he decides to go back to where Lucy teaches and see if he can get one more chance at love.

When he finally reunites with Lucy, Lucy doesn’t even remember who he is, but Henry soon finds out that Lucy admires the man she doesn’t even recall. He knows this because Lucy has hung many self-drawn sketches and pictures of Henry and displayed them in her studio. Henry knows that they are meant to be, now all he has to do is prove this to her, all over again!

The ending is worthwhile, bringing Lucy and Henry together for the rest of their lives, and the ending really teaches us what one man had to do to finally be with the girl of his dreams.

MY REACTION:
I was eager to see this movie because I love Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler together (ie. The Wedding Singer). Although I knew the movie was a comedy, it really contains humor, sentiment, and a slightly unpredictable plot. 50 First Dates also brings a whole new meaning to the word “love,” making its main ingredients commitment, patience, and persistence, all of which Adam Sandler has remarkably displayed for Lucy. His compassion and strength make all of the other men in the movie just seem like a**holes!

Film length: normal
Appropriate age viewing: ~13
Rated: PG-13

THE END FEELING:
As I walked out of my theatre seat, I felt refreshed and inspired, refreshed because of the “feel good” quality that this movie gave me, and inspired by the strength of Lucy and Henry’s love for one another.

I would recommend this movie to anyone who wants to laugh and simply have a good time with the characters. It’s a modern, comedic version of a sweet girl next door and a bad boy turned good movie.

Thanks so much for reading.
Enjoy!
-Ana (anae428)