How could a hopeless romantic who can’t even commit to the shoes he’s wearing that day and a woman with short term memory loss possibly fall in love? Although the situation seems far fetched, it wasn’t impossible for Lucy and Henry in the film 50 First Dates. 50 First Dates is a romantic comedy that follows the love story of Henry Roth and Lucy Whitmore. This film conveys various aspects of societal conflicts: whether it be a new found respect for women, the shift from dealing with to embracing others differences, or mental challenges.
Henry is the typical bachelor who spends his days working as a veterinarian at Sea Life Park, located in Hawaii, as well as picking up local tourists for casual flings. Lucy is a local that Henry meets at the Hukilau Cafe. What Henry doesn’t know about Lucy is that she has suffered from a brain injury caused by a car crash that left her with a condition similar to Anterograde Amnesia, which can be defined as “ a partial or complete inability to form new memories after an event e.g an accident ” (Agresz 1). In the film, this is known as “Goldfield’s Syndrome”. She is unable to retain any new information that occured after the accident, and there is no way to reverse this. Thus, unfortunately for Lucy, every day is the same as the day of her accident. Since this information is unbenounced to Henry, he is confused as to why she doesn’t remember him when he returns the next day. He is later informed of the situation by the cafe owner, Sue. In the movie, every day Henry goes to extreme lengths to try to get Lucy to remember who he is because he is slowly falling in love with her. His solution is to make a home movie of everything that they had done together. At first this works, but eventually Lucy feels as though she is a burden to Henry, and is keeping him from his dream to sail to Bristol Bay. She decides to “erase” him from her memory by destroying all of the tapes that he made for her. Henry leaves and then returns two weeks later to win Lucy back.
In the very beginning of the film the audience receives crucial insight on the current state of Henry’s life at that time. The first few scenes are Henry with multiple different women, whom he hardly even knows. He goes on a few dates and then never speaks to them again after they return home from their vacations. This makes him out to be a bit of a womanizer, who has never fully committed to a relationship. This characteristic of Henry plays into the stereotype that is typically associated with men in modern times. Men are stereotyped as cheaters and are only in it for the sexual encounters, which Henry portrays perfectly. That all changes once he meets Lucy. Meeting her gave Henry a new understanding and respect for women.
To most people, living with someone with short term memory loss is a chore. This is true for Lucy’s Marlin, Lucy’s father, and Doug, her brother. Everyday they are burdened by the task of making each day seem just like the last. These precautions are done out of love, so that they don’t upset Lucy by having to explain her accident to her again. This is not the case for Henry, however. Lucy’s family has to deal with her illness because they are family, but Henry chooses to do so. Henry falls in love with Lucy and would do anything to make her life better. He wants her to have a normal life just like any other woman her age and will do whatever he possibly can to
make that happen, even if it means he has to give up his dream. Henry embraces Lucy’s differences while the rest of the world tolerates them. This idea speaks to many people that live with others that have mental disabilities and disorders. It is hard for many to be able to comfort and help others, when they themselves have no idea what it is like to have the disability itself. The movie conveys two different scenarios pertaining to how the family and friends of a person with amnesia handle the disability. Lucy’s family felt a moral obligation to shield her from learning about her accident and the effects of it. On the other hand, Henry thought that it would be better for Lucy to be aware of her condition, with the intention that the knowledge would positively impact her life, and allow her to move past the tragedy. The audience understands how both parties justify how they deal with Lucy’s disorder. This allows the viewer to empathize with the characters, creating a more engaging experience.
Everyday life for someone with amnesia has its challenges. Thinking about a life with no ability to remember even the simplest things seems impossible. How does someone have the ability to function as a member of society, without being able to remember something as simple as what year it is? Imagine not knowing how old you are, or that the same TV show that had come out ten years ago just hit theaters. These are common challenges that someone with amnesia faces. Despite this, there are things that can be done to try to make this difficult task a little easier. Things such as written reminders, which could be something like Lucy’s journal in the film, or even a video like the one that Henry made. While all of the reminding and patience that it takes for the friends and family of the individual is a lot of work, it is worth it for their loved one to have a normal life and be able to be a part of society.
As scary as it seems, the fictional film 50 First Dates is reality for many people across the globe. What is described to the audience as “Goldfield syndrome” in the film is really a combination of two real memory loss syndromes. One being Organic Amnesia, which is caused by brain injury. “New information fades from memory within a few minutes. Old memories, such as those from childhood, are retained as well as they are in people normally” ( Juan). The other type is called Psychogenic Amnesia: “the loss of one’s identity and personal history without obvious brain injury” (Juan 1). These two syndromes perfectly describe Lucy. She still has the ability to walk and talk, so the part of her brain that allows her to do that was untouched. However, she still does not possess the ability to create new memories, and her condition is irreversible.
Lucy’s condition and the way that her family and friends stepped up to handled it can be applied to real life, when thinking of people that have amnesia. I was personally interested in the movie,not only is it a heartwarming romantic comedy, but because the overarching topic about mental disabilities is one I have always been fascinated by. Henry went from being a womanizer who showed little respect for women to dropping everything for the girl of his dreams. I feel that most viewers would be interested in the movie for a feel good movie, but I’m sure that some people came away from the movie with a newfound respect for those who face memory loss, and mental disorders in general.