There are a lot of movies that are based on something that happened in real life. 50 First Dates isn’t one of them. But while 50 First Dates didn’t draw inspiration from a true story or someone Adam Sandler met while researching for one of his rare dramatic roles, the film did inspire some real-world medical treatments.
Speaking of movies, the GOAT team talk about the awkwardness of ‘Kissing Booth 2’ on ‘It’s Been A Big Day For…’ below:
For those who need a reminder or haven’t seen 50 First Dates, the film is basically two hours of Drew Barrymore suffering from a fictional medical condition that causes her to forget everything every 24 hours and Adam Sandler going to increasingly comedic measures to win her over every single day.
The premise of Adam Sandler having to come up with new ways of flirting with Drew Barrymore every day is a great premise for a comedy movie, even if it’s pretty messed up when you think about it.
Now while the medical condition in 50 First Dates isn’t based on any true story or real form of amnesia, there have been real documented cases of documented memory impairment makes one wonder if life had just ripped off the movie.
There was a woman in 2010 who suffered a car accident that left her being unable to retain memories overnight, and there were two cases in 2015 where the patients wake up every day believing it is a specific date.
But perhaps the most interesting legacy left behind by 50 First Dates is how Adam Sandler’s solution to Drew Barrymore’s fake medical condition is to show her a video every morning explaining what’s going on somehow inspired a real-life treatment.
The Hebrew Home in Riverdale, Bronx started an experimental program where patients suffering from early dementia would watch a video every morning in which they would see loving messages and reminders from their family and loved ones whom they may still know.
While this method isn’t recognised as a proper cure for dementia, anecdotal evidence suggests that this 50 First Dates treatment has been positive in helping those with early dementia.
Huh. Adam Sandler movies aren’t exactly rooted in reality by any stretch of the imagination, but who would’ve thought that 50 First Dates of all films would have such an impact on real life? Reality is indeed stranger than fiction sometimes.
Always be in the loop with our snackable podcast breaking the biggest story of the day. Subscribe to It’s Been A Big Day For… on your favourite podcast app.