50 First Dates,Drew Barrymore reveals original ending of Adam Sandler rom-com 

Even after twenty years, Drew Barrymore still remembers the moment when one of her beloved romantic comedies nearly didn’t make it.

In a recent episode of “The Drew Barrymore Show,” Barrymore—who co-starred with Adam Sandler in the 2004 romantic comedy “50 First Dates”—disclosed that the movie’s original ending was different.

Hawaii is the setting for Peter Segal’s film, which revolves on star-crossed lovers Henry Roth and Lucy Whitmore. Whitmore’s short-term memory loss keeps her from remembering her relationship with Roth, which hampers their romance despite their strong chemistry.

During an interview with “Drew’s News” writer Ross Matthews, Barrymore said that “50 First Dates,” which was formerly called “50 First Kisses,” was originally conceived as a “drama set in Seattle.”

In the film’s final cut, Whitmore regains her memories and subsequently reunites with Roth and their daughter after viewing a movie he recorded. Barrymore claimed that the previous resolution wasn’t as romantic.

“You should go and live your life because this is no life here,” Whitmore says Roth, according to Barrymore’s memory. And (Roth) leaves, like he always does, and returns. This time, he enters the restaurant, takes a seat, and introduces himself as Henry. The movie concludes.”

Matthews expressed his relief that the suggested conclusion ended up on the cutting room floor, seeming astonished.

“May I just say, honestly, thank you,” Matthews said to Barrymore. “I appreciate you adjusting it.”

“50 First Dates,” which debuted in February 2004, brought in $198.4 million at the worldwide box office. Barrymore and Sandler took home the People’s Choice Award for best on-screen chemistry for the movie.

In 2020, Barrymore and Sandler returned to their respective roles for a sketch on “The Drew Barrymore Show” with a coronavirus pandemic theme.

To be honest, the original ending of 50 First Dates would have been much better—though still sad.

 

• The first 50 First Dates took place in Seattle and had a more depressing conclusion.
• In the end, a terrible circumstance is presented as having a happy resolution.
• The initial resolution would have resolved agency concerns and opened up a constructive dialogue.

One of Adam Sandler’s most well-known romantic comedies, 50 First Dates, had a very different ending in the original script that, while sadder, would have been far better. Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore reunited six years after their initial film The Wedding Singer to star in 50 First Dates. 50 First Dates, one of the most well-liked Adam Sandler romantic comedies, has undergone multiple remakes and was a box office triumph despite receiving mixed reviews.

The plot of 50 First Dates transported viewers to Oahu, Hawaii, where they met Henry Roth (Sandler), a commitment-averse marine veterinarian. He eventually becomes close to Lucy Whitmore (Barrymore), an art instructor, whom he meets one day.

He finds out, though, that Lucy suffered an accident the previous year and is suffering from anterograde amnesia, which causes her to remember everything up until the night before the accident but nothing beyond that. Henry puts a lot of effort into making their relationship work, but even if 50 First Dates ends happily, the original would have been a better, sadder story.

50 First Dates was originally a drama with a Seattle setting.

The initial concept for 50 First Dates had a completely different tone, location, and plot. The initial design had the movie situated in Hawaii and had a contentious yet hopeful finale, but it is now regarded as a romantic comedy. In an interview with Variety to mark the film’s 20th anniversary, Drew Barrymore revealed that she had always associated with the original 50 First Dates (then known as 50 First Kisses) conclusion.

After Sandler made several modifications to the original script, including numerous sequences at the café, the drama 50 First Dates—which was originally set in Seattle—was rewritten to take place in Hawaii (via EW).

According to Barrymore, Lucy told Henry that “this is no life here” and that he should go live his own life in the original 50 First Dates epilogue. After leaving, Henry returned, entered the restaurant, took a seat, introduced himself, and left. Though the previous ending would have been sadder, it would have been much better.

It’s unknown how long it would have been between Henry leaving and his return, or if there would have been a travel involved like in the final version of the movie.

When Henry fell in love with Lucy, he was put in a difficult situation since he wasn’t just forcing her to accept him every day and hoping she would eventually fall in love, but he also wasn’t giving her much of an option. When Henry arrived, he assumed Lucy would remember him and they reconciled. Lucy had even gone on with her life and was teaching painting at the hospital.

 

The original ending would have meant that they would never have met again, but Henry would have moved on and continued with his own plans, and Lucy would have moved on as best she could given her condition and without having to endure the shock of seeing a video of a life she doesn’t remember every morning.