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'50 First Dates' Almost Had a Different Title, Plus More Little-Known Facts About the 2000s Rom-Com

Including why Drew Barrymore refused to rehearse the singing scene with Adam Sandler.

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When we think about some of our favorite cinematic duos, Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore top our list. After all, the pair have made three hilarious romantic comedies together: The Wedding Singer (1998), 50 First Dates (2004) and Blended (2014). Don't tell the others, but our favorite has to be 50 First Dates, which features an unconventional love story, a stunning Hawaiian setting and countless laugh-out-loud moments.

Henry, played by Adam, is a marine veterinarian living in Hawaii. Although Henry usually dates tourists to avoid committing to a long-term relationship, that changes when he meets Drew's character, Lucy. After the pair spend an incredible day together, Henry begins to think that she could be the one, until he learns that she suffers from a condition that causes her to lose her memory every time she falls asleep.

While reminiscing on the movie, we couldn't help but dive into the behind-the-scenes details that make it such a special watch. Read on for some surprising secrets and stories, from the sweet reason why Drew didn't want to rehearse the singing scene to details about the original script, which was completely different from the movie we know and love today.

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1

The movie didn't always take place in Hawaii.

a man and a woman holding a bird
Columbia Pictures

Can you imagine this movie taking place anywhere other than Hawaii? Well, the film's first script took place in Seattle, the screenwriter George Wing's hometown. Director Peter Segal said the location change gave the movie a new personality. "I can't imagine the movie not having been filmed there because the island and the people became very unique characters and an innate part of the film that was never originally planned," he told Entertainment Weekly.

2

Drew didn't want to rehearse the singing scene.

a couple sitting on a bench by a body of water
Columbia Pictures

And the reason is very sweet! "Whenever [Adam] sings to me in his movies, like he did in 50 First Dates and The Wedding Singer, I don't want to hear it or see it until we shoot the first time," Drew told HuffPost. "I want that reaction to be genuine. I don't want to fake it. We want something more spontaneous."

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3

Lucy's condition was made up for the movie.

a woman sitting at a table
Columbia Pictures

Most of the movie's plot hinges on Lucy's condition, Goldfield Syndrome, in which every time she falls asleep, she loses her memory. But it was entirely made up for the film. Although there are various forms of amnesia, falling asleep has no known negative effects for people with memory loss. In fact, sleeping has been proven to help improve memory.

4

Drew and her production partner almost passed on the project.

premiere of warner bros going the distance arrivals
Kevin Winter//Getty Images

According to Nancy Juvonen, who co-founded Flower Films alongside Drew, they received the script for what was then called 50 First Kisses (more on that soon!) about four years prior to filming. While they liked the movie, Nancy revealed in The Dating Scene, a behind-the-scenes documentary, that the script ultimately got lost in the shuffle and was forgotten about for several years.

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5

But the possibility of Adam's involvement reignited their interest.

a man and woman sitting on a couch
Columbia Pictures

Nancy added that once they learned that Adam had merely read the script, it sealed the deal for her and Drew. All they had to do was convince him to commit. "We pretty much stalked Adam the way we did for The Wedding Singer," she joked.

6

Drew wrote Adam a letter on a typewriter to persuade him.

a woman smiling in a field
Columbia Pictures

Adam said that while he initially read the script and thought it was "sweet and nice," it took some convincing from Drew to finally move forward with the project. "I sat down at my typewriter and typed Adam a letter. I just believed in my heart that we were supposed to do this film," Drew said in The Dating Scene. We're all thanking our lucky stars that the letter worked! "Once Drew was psyched, I got psyched," Adam said.

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7

Henry and Lucy's first kiss took place on a famous beach.

burt lancaster and deborah kerr in from here to eternity
John Springer Collection//Getty Images

The film's scenic Oahu shoot wouldn't be complete without taking advantage of the beach made famous by From Here To Eternity, the Oscar-winning war romance released in 1953. Henry and Lucy sealed their budding romance with a kiss at Halona Beach Cove, the same spot where Montgomery Clift and Deborah Kerr's iconic lip lock (pictured here) was shot.

8

The movie has been used in couples counseling.

a man and woman kissing
Columbia Pictures

Peter told Bustle that the movie has been used by counselors "as a tool to show how much you would do for your spouse or your significant other." He also shared that therapists considered Henry's response to Lucy's condition "pretty admirable," dubbing his actions "something you should try in your own relationships — to do whatever you can."

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9

Adam wrote one of the movie's sweetest songs.

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Columbia Pictures

The song "Forgetful Lucy," which Henry sings to Lucy to tell her that he loves her despite her amnesia, was penned by Adam. "It's very sweet," Peter told Bustle. "It's funny, but I think they're at a stage in that story where you're really falling in love with those characters in that relationship." Let's be honest, it wouldn't be an Adam Sandler song without a joke or two!

10

The cast couldn't get over one comedy star's cameo.

a man talking to another man
Columbia Pictures

Although there are cameos from several comedy legends in the movie, casting director Roger Mussenden told Bustle that everyone on set was over the moon about working with Dan Aykroyd. "I'll tell you who was the superstar when he walked in the room that even Adam bent a knee: Dan Aykroyd," he said. "[He] came in and couldn't be a sweeter guy, he was just a lovely, lovely man."

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11

Ula was based on people Adam met in Hawaii.

a man with long hair
Columbia Pictures

In The Dating Scene, Adam revealed that he wrote the character of Ula after meeting several fearless watermen in Hawaii. These men were not afraid of sharks or Hawaiian aquatic life and sported the scars to prove it, giving Adam inspiration for the character. He also said that writing the character into the film gave him the perfect excuse to work with Rob Schneider, one of his close friends and frequent collaborators.

12

The first draft featured a lot of café scenes.

a woman sitting at a table with a plate of food
Columbia Pictures

We adore the movie's restaurant scenes, and if you can believe it, the first draft included even more of them. Peter told Entertainment Weekly that one of the first things he did when he agreed to take on the project was work with Adam to "open the movie up because it [felt] very claustrophobic." Adam's new scenes incorporated a lot more physical comedy: He was responsible for the hilarious penguin decoy scene, as well as the moment when Lucy saves Henry with a baseball bat.

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13

The movie originally had a different name.

a man and woman kissing
Columbia Pictures

When the movie was first shopped around Hollywood, it was called 50 First Kisses. Peter told Entertainment Weekly that they ultimately decided to change the name because "marketing found that the term 'kisses' was turning off guys."

14

And it wasn't always a comedy.

a woman sitting on a couch
Columbia Pictures

According to Drew, the original script she read was much more of a drama. Although she told HuffPost that she "loved the writing" in the original, Adam was already hard at work infusing the script with the comedic bits it's now famous for.

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15

Lucy's story almost ended very differently.

a woman with a flower in her hair
Columbia Pictures

The movie's ending is notably not the happiest, which is unique for a rom-com. Peter told Entertainment Weekly that the production company originally wanted to cure Lucy to give the movie a happy ending — but we all know that didn't happen. "I'm so glad everyone supported this bittersweet ending because that's what was so heartbreaking about it, that she has to re-experience this every day," he said.

16

Speaking of the ending...

a person painting a picture
Columbia Pictures

In the original script, the movie ends with Lucy waking up to see a mural intended to jog her memory with a timeline of their entire relationship painted on her bedroom ceiling. Peter told Entertainment Weekly that while this finish worked well enough, they decided to take things to Alaska instead. The new ending not only depicts the end of Lucy's story, but shows Henry fulfilling his lifelong dream of studying walruses in their natural habitat. "To this day, it's the best ending to any movie that I've done," he said.

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17

Two of Adam and Drew's rom-coms end with covers of the same '80s hit.

a man and woman holding hands
New Line Cinema

Both The Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates feature the Spandau Ballet ballad "True," although the versions are performed by different acts. The Wedding Singer has Steve Buscemi belting out the song in character, while the cover in 50 First Dates was sung by will.i.am and Fergie.

18

The film's video technique has been used for memory loss patients.

a man in a blue shirt
Columbia Pictures

In the movie, Henry films a video reminding Lucy of their love story so she can watch it every morning. In 2015, the Hebrew Home at Riverdale in New York took this approach by having the families of dementia patients record videos designed to help them break through morning mental fog. Charlotte Dell, the home's director of social services, told NBC that the idea was directly inspired by 50 First Dates. "It was fluff, but it made me think, 'How could that translate to our residents with memory loss?'" she said.

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19

The director didn't have much downtime before the shoot.

motion picture premiere of 50 first dates
Vince Bucci//Getty Images

Although production had long wrapped on Anger Management — Peter's 2002 flick in which Adam also starred — Peter was deep into post-production edits on the film when Adam approached him with the script for 50 First Dates. "It was nearly the death of me because I had literally 48 hours off before we started shooting," he said. "I wouldn't do it again, but I wanted to see if I could because I'd heard about other directors [who had done it]."

20

The movie was the start of a forever friendship.

a person talking on a cell phone
Columbia Pictures

50 First Dates not only marked the first time Kevin James and Adam worked together, but it was also Kevin's first movie role. After James appeared in the montage featuring Adam's character's ex-lovers, the pair hit it off. They've since worked on several films together, including the Grown Ups franchise and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.

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Madison McGee
Lifestyle Editor

Madison McGee is a commerce editor at Hearst Magazines. For the past year, she has contributed shopping content, gift guides, product testing, and deals coverage across Hearst’s portfolio, which includes Good Housekeeping, Women’s Health, Men's Health, House Beautiful, Elle, Town and Country, Esquire, Country Living, Oprah Daily, and more. Prior to joining Hearst, she was a staff writer at BuzzFeed and worked in book publishing. Madison is a graduate of the University of Mississippi’s journalism program, and holds a Masters in Publishing from New York University. When she’s not scouting out the best deals, she can be found reading, cheering on the Baltimore Ravens, or exploring New York City’s indie bookstores.  

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