50 First Dates


Whoever thought Adam Sandler could be so charming? Certainly not me.

Admittedly, I've watched several of his movies and he never failed to make his viewers laugh at his antics. Of course some of them are slapsticks like the things he did out of anger when he played Happy Gilmore or the way Winona Rider's friend got beaten up when she pretended she was being mugged.

Then there's Drew Barrymore whom I have admired when I was a kid and I saw firestarter (I wanted to be a firestarter!). It never fails to amaze me how she went through all the things she did and came out with her own production company and being one of the sought after actresses in this day and age (particularly after playing the heroine in Ever After).

These two actors have done at least one film together although I didn't get to watch it.

This time around, I was in for a surprise. I had thought I'd be laughing my heart out as I watched this film. I never thought that this was one of those very few films these days that would prove me wrong.

For those who haven't watched 50 First Dates, please be mindful that there will be spoilers if you read on...

I never quite got the importance on how the film started. Of course the numerous women talked about Henry (Adam Sandler) and how this guy made their visit to Hawaii memorable. At that point, I thought I'd see Sandler as a jerk who loves one-night stands and fooling women. The film tried to establish that and it seemed that they did. Except for the part that the character build up wasn't able to live up to my expectation. There should have been an epiphany when Henry met Lucy (Drew Barrymore). But the film failed in emphasizing this. Instead, Henry immediately turned from a one-night stand kind of guy into a guy who likes Lucy. In any case, the failure to establish Henry's womanizing days wasn't all that bad although it did make the opening scene quite irrelevant.

The parking lot scene where both Lucy and Henry caught each other dancing after flirting with each other the whole morning, was a good prelude to what was to come. Since there didn't seem to be anything wrong with Lucy, I expected some accident to occur as she drove home.

There wasn't.

In fact, it wasn't until the next day when Lucy gave Henry the cold shoulder did I get any idea on how the writer wanted the story to go. As was the case, Lucy called onto the chef-cum-Lucy's-bodyguard to get the pervert Henry out of the place. It was then that I got to know all about Lucy's day and how her family loves her.

Some questions arose, though. How many copies of the Sunday paper did Lucy's dad had the printer make. If her short-term memory was to be permanently impaired, then how much of the Sunday paper would last during Lucy's lifetime? Then, how does her family ever get to work? If they do the same thing over and over again, I don't suppose her dad and brother could afford to go out of the house to catch fish and make a living. And by God, if I were the one watching Sixth Sense over and over again, I'd probably puke at the sight of it.

As the story went along, you'd wonder why (if Lucy's brother and dad were that dedicated to her) they didn't bother to have her car's registration renewed. And why her mom's best friend would allow current newspapers to be stacked just outside her restaurant. And the age old question, why didn't Lucy's dad and brother or even her doctor ever try to do what Henry eventually did - make a video for her to remember some important events on a daily basis so she could watch it in the morning when she wakes up.

In any case, the way Henry admitted his feelings for Lucy and the way Lucy asked was really romantic . It wasn't the roses nor the place although the beach is considered as a romantic place. But Lucy was shooting a video. Then she asked - it was a serious question asked in an off-hand manner - the way some people tend to ask important questions as they try to hide their embarrassment. It was perfect! And kuddos to Drew and Adam for doing a great job in capturing the sentiments of the characters in that scene.

I have to admit that I cried. Right from the moment that the doctor told Henry that Henry only thinks Lucy remembers him because Henry wants to think of it that way. After all, in watching such movies, we always want the Happily-ever-after, right? It was here that the movie finally established that under no condition would Lucy improve. It was here where the hope that I still had (even after the doctor said it's permanent) of Lucy getting cured was crushed. It was final. Even though I expected a cure or even henry being a cure, it was establish that the injury was permanent. no cures. I was crushed!

From then on, things went into expected turns - Lucy breaking up with Henry so Henry could live a fuller life. Henry helping Lucy erase her memory of him as she went about recording and printing her journal. Henry leaving her place after one last first kiss. Henry deciding to leave Hawaii and go after his research dream since there wasn't anything for him… Lucy's dad and brother saying goodbye to Henry.

But then, the music from the CD given by Lucy's dad told Henry something that I, likewise never saw coming. When Henry decided that Lucy's dad was telling him indirectly that Lucy can remember him, he went back and rushed to the Callahan Institute. When he finally came face-to-face with Lucy adn asked her about him, I thought Lucy would say she remembers him. After a few suspense-filled moments, I was again put down by Lucy's response. She does not know Henry. Henry's response was realistic enough, "This sucks!" But Lucy took him to her studio and showed him her work. It was the first time in my life that I was ever grateful about all these talks on the sub-conscious.

I don't personally adhere to believing and banking too much on the sub-conscious nor do I know much about the medical field to know if this can happen to someone with a damaged temporal lobe, but I do know that it was one time in my life that I was hailing the sub-conscious.

In the end, they lived happily ever after. Lucy's face, when she saw her kid, was priceless.

I was captured by the story, not because it was any unique plot (i don't think that after Sophocles and Eurepedes and several Greek and classic writers a unique plot can ever exist). I was taken from my seat and guided towards quick unexpected twists and turns and brought back down to end up wishing I could find a guy like Henry.

I have to two things to say to the cast and crew of 50 First Dates

"You did a great job!"
"Thank you for surprising me! Very few films, no matter how good, can do that to me these days."

Some questions still remain, though. How many hours would Lucy have to spend in front of the tv when she reaches 65 just to update herself on her life?

Another thing I noticed, the person after whom the sickness was made published his research findings after four years because he, himself, was suffering from damage in his temporal lobe. Ergo, I'd conclude that any short term memory could still have been converted to long term memory. It may take a while, but it could happen. if the good doctor was able to finish his study, it could happen.