The romance-comedy movie, ‘50 First Dates’, belongs to the category of films that feel like summer on a cold day. A classic saga known for its weird yet endearing plot evolving between the leads.
A woman with short-term memory loss and her lover devoting his life to bringing her memory back. What a hopelessly romantic plot!
But behind this beautiful story, people are still wondering if it is based on a true event or not. Therefore, we decided to go back to the golden days of Hollywood and explore the hidden truth behind the heartwarming narrative.
The movie ‘50 First Dates’ premiered in the year 2004, featuring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. The concept of the film is based on a woman who is suffering from amnesia, causing her to forget her lover. But the story was inspired by a real couple living in Lincolnshire, Michelle Philpots, whose story was covered by Cosmopolitan in 2017. The report stated that Michelle has a condition of amnesia that wipes out every single day, forgetting each day she continues to live.
What Is the Plot of ’50 First Dates’?
“50 First Dates” is a romantic comedy film released in 2004, starring Adam Sandler as ‘Henry Roth’ and Drew Barrymore as ‘Lucy Whitmore’. The supporting roles were played by Rob Schneider, Sean Astin, Lusia Strus, Blake Clark, and Dan Aykroyd.
The story is set in Hawaii and follows the extraordinary love story between the two main characters. The female lead forgets her each day, and the male lead brings her memories back to her.
The picture starts with Henry Roth, a marine veterinarian and infamous womanizer. He only follows the approach of dating tourist females to avoid commitments. But he soon falls head over heels for Lucy when he meets her at a local cafe. He went to the cafe in hopes of meeting Lucy again, but she didn’t show any sign of remembering him.
Soon enough, Roth finds out that Lucy suffers from short-term memory loss caused by a car mishap a year earlier. The issue was caused by a car mishap a year earlier. She wakes up every morning with no remembrance of the previous day. The only day she remembers is the day of the accident.
Unshaken by this challenge, Henry embarks on a mission to win Lucy’s heart every new day. He finds various ideas to help her recollect her memories.
Henry creates a journal and makes videotapes for Lucy to relive the previous day, including the day she falls in love with him. As the two spend time together, Lucy’s family and friends start supporting Henry’s efforts.
At the end of the movie, Lucy wakes up to the voice of a video recorded by Henry. She recalls each day of her life up to her wedding. She soon joins Henry on the deck along with their daughters, marching towards Alaska.
Is ’50 First Dates’ Based on a True Story?
The film consists of a composition of love, perseverance, and dedication for those they care about. It is a blend of humor with heartfelt moments, making it heartwarming. But is there any link to reality? Is the film based on a true story?
Well, yes! Cosmopolitan covered the story of Michelle Philpots in Lincolnshire in 2017. She was suffering from a condition named ‘Anterograde Amnesia’, inflicted by two crashes in 1985 and 1990. Four years later, Michelle was diagnosed with epilepsy, leaving a deep trauma on her brain. Anterograde amnesia is a condition where the patient can never make new memories and gets stuck in the loop of living the same day again.
Just like Lucy in the movie, Michelle is unable to remember the days she lived. The condition impacted her life so badly that she was fired from her job, and her life was stuck on that eventful day in 1994. Lucy in the movie had a better life than Michelle, didn’t she?
What do you think about such characters and real-life incidents? Comment down your thoughts!
Source: The Cosmopolitan
