Day 25 - 50 First Dates
First Impression:
"50 First Dates" is a touchstone rom-com because it draws from the genesis of rom-com, "The Notebook". The videos are basically Noah's notebook as is Lucy's personal journal. The writers took a fraction of "The Notebook" and created an entirely new movie with as much concentrate as the source. If Rom-Com 101 were a class, the syllabus would be all about "The Notebook". "The Notebook" is Chaucer and "50 First Dates" is Shakespeare.
As we crack the final five rom-coms of the list, we are in the midsts of movies with multiple votes. As far as I'm concerned, these are the criterion choices, the ones that speak to us forever with infinite re-watch value. I am surprised by the Rotten Tomatoes critical review of "50 First Dates" versus the audience score, 44% to 65%. Audiences watch with their heart and get it where critics seem to see only the deflective 'gross-out humour' missing the point entirely.
Lucy's waffle tee-pee/wigwam/long-house is absolute genius.
Personal Reflections:
"So every day you help her to realize what happened and you wait patiently for her to be okay with it... then you get her to fall in love with you again?"
Beneath the playful exterior are all sorts of answers about how to love another person. Henry Roth is a vet who is professionally preoccupied with what walruses do under ice; apparently they spend two-thirds of their life beneath the ice and we have no idea what they do. Well, the human psyche is not much different. His choice of research is no coincidence; I believe this is a nod to Freud's Iceberg Model of Consciousness which posits that two-thirds of one's mind operates on the subconscious and unconscious levels.
"50 First Dates" is an exploration of this theory; chiefly, that Lucy has suffered a trauma that has her conscious mind deny parts of her memory. Similarly, Henry has suffered a trauma of being cheated on and left for an academic advisor.
Lucy and Henry have their days re-set and re-live the same day over and over again. The movie focuses on Lucy's family re-creating the day before the accident over and over; every time she watches "The Sixth Sense" she doesn't know Bruce Willis is a ghost. However, Lucy's trauma exists subconsciously. She sings every time she meets with Henry, which demonstrates that memories exist but are unacknowledged by the conscious mind.
Henry's trauma, I would argue, is more severe and less conscious, as the audience is only given glimpses, and those around him do not point out he has a problem; in fact, Ula encourages his patterns. His trauma is alluded to but like what walruses do underwater, is relegated to the deep unconscious. All we know is that he was cheated on and engages in short non-committal relationships with tourists. He has his own mechanisms like serving a girl non-alcoholic beverages to make her believe she is drunk. This is no different than Lucy's father re-wrapping the same birthday gift.
Similar to "What Happens in Vegas", we get two imperfect halves creating a more functional whole. What draws Lucy and Henry together is their shared trauma. Henry is Lucy's Noah. He will not let her go and Lucy as much as she tries to follow Mia of "La La Land", will never forget Henry. They exist in the space of an hour. The work to get to that hour is just that, work, yet both Henry and Noah are happy to oblige. Henry could very easily jet completely guilt-free whenever he chooses. This is what tugs at our collective heartstrings and tear ducts the most - undying commitment given complete freedom. Even more so in our world of revolving conveniences.
I remember coming across the term, 'The Art of Forgettery'. When I Google it, the first item is a Washington Post article from the Clinton-era. My definition of 'the art of forgettery' differs from that going on vis a vis Monica Lewinski. The art of forgettery is forgetting things that no longer serve us (or maybe it's no different than the Clintonian definition). I arrived at this conclusion thinking about why so many people intoxicate themselves. The answer: to forget their pain.
What if we could edit our memories as easily as Lucy rips pages from her journal? What if we could erase that hurtful (and maybe inadvertent) thing our partner said or did? Lucy's condition reminds us how easy it can be to let go. I am, of course, reminded of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" in which professionals can get the job done with a simple procedure. But, what if we can do the same each day through the practice of presence before bed, letting that hurtful thing fade without the nourishment of attention?
The other side of forgettery is supplanting new memories. In "50 First Dates" the new memories are old memories, nothing as nefarious as Soviet brainwashing here. Remembering each day who each person is in your life is a supremely beautiful practice. What if everyday you consciously re-visited each relationship you have and who this person is in this moment? What if you then told that person what you came up with? This is how Lucy and Henry keep their relationship alive. They have no choice but to really see the other person and keep an updated document for Lucy.
Rom-Com 101 Homework: Think about someone in your life and paint a portrait of them, whether in words, a picture, or some other way. Then show them.
Rom-Com Tropes:
1. Ends with marriage.
Soundtrack:
The soundtrack alludes to previous Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore collaboration "The Wedding Singer." The songs are '80s classics re-purposed with a Hawaiian or reggae vibe ("Friday I'm in Love" and "Melt With You" in particular stand out for me).
There are some newer songs by Gwen Stefani and 311 too. Like "The Wedding Singer", Adam Sandler plays an original ukulele piece for Drew Barrymore <3
"50 First Dates" is a touchstone rom-com because it draws from the genesis of rom-com, "The Notebook". The videos are basically Noah's notebook as is Lucy's personal journal. The writers took a fraction of "The Notebook" and created an entirely new movie with as much concentrate as the source. If Rom-Com 101 were a class, the syllabus would be all about "The Notebook". "The Notebook" is Chaucer and "50 First Dates" is Shakespeare.
As we crack the final five rom-coms of the list, we are in the midsts of movies with multiple votes. As far as I'm concerned, these are the criterion choices, the ones that speak to us forever with infinite re-watch value. I am surprised by the Rotten Tomatoes critical review of "50 First Dates" versus the audience score, 44% to 65%. Audiences watch with their heart and get it where critics seem to see only the deflective 'gross-out humour' missing the point entirely.
Lucy's waffle tee-pee/wigwam/long-house is absolute genius.
Personal Reflections:
"So every day you help her to realize what happened and you wait patiently for her to be okay with it... then you get her to fall in love with you again?"
Beneath the playful exterior are all sorts of answers about how to love another person. Henry Roth is a vet who is professionally preoccupied with what walruses do under ice; apparently they spend two-thirds of their life beneath the ice and we have no idea what they do. Well, the human psyche is not much different. His choice of research is no coincidence; I believe this is a nod to Freud's Iceberg Model of Consciousness which posits that two-thirds of one's mind operates on the subconscious and unconscious levels.
"50 First Dates" is an exploration of this theory; chiefly, that Lucy has suffered a trauma that has her conscious mind deny parts of her memory. Similarly, Henry has suffered a trauma of being cheated on and left for an academic advisor.
Lucy and Henry have their days re-set and re-live the same day over and over again. The movie focuses on Lucy's family re-creating the day before the accident over and over; every time she watches "The Sixth Sense" she doesn't know Bruce Willis is a ghost. However, Lucy's trauma exists subconsciously. She sings every time she meets with Henry, which demonstrates that memories exist but are unacknowledged by the conscious mind.
Henry's trauma, I would argue, is more severe and less conscious, as the audience is only given glimpses, and those around him do not point out he has a problem; in fact, Ula encourages his patterns. His trauma is alluded to but like what walruses do underwater, is relegated to the deep unconscious. All we know is that he was cheated on and engages in short non-committal relationships with tourists. He has his own mechanisms like serving a girl non-alcoholic beverages to make her believe she is drunk. This is no different than Lucy's father re-wrapping the same birthday gift.
Similar to "What Happens in Vegas", we get two imperfect halves creating a more functional whole. What draws Lucy and Henry together is their shared trauma. Henry is Lucy's Noah. He will not let her go and Lucy as much as she tries to follow Mia of "La La Land", will never forget Henry. They exist in the space of an hour. The work to get to that hour is just that, work, yet both Henry and Noah are happy to oblige. Henry could very easily jet completely guilt-free whenever he chooses. This is what tugs at our collective heartstrings and tear ducts the most - undying commitment given complete freedom. Even more so in our world of revolving conveniences.
I remember coming across the term, 'The Art of Forgettery'. When I Google it, the first item is a Washington Post article from the Clinton-era. My definition of 'the art of forgettery' differs from that going on vis a vis Monica Lewinski. The art of forgettery is forgetting things that no longer serve us (or maybe it's no different than the Clintonian definition). I arrived at this conclusion thinking about why so many people intoxicate themselves. The answer: to forget their pain.
What if we could edit our memories as easily as Lucy rips pages from her journal? What if we could erase that hurtful (and maybe inadvertent) thing our partner said or did? Lucy's condition reminds us how easy it can be to let go. I am, of course, reminded of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" in which professionals can get the job done with a simple procedure. But, what if we can do the same each day through the practice of presence before bed, letting that hurtful thing fade without the nourishment of attention?
The other side of forgettery is supplanting new memories. In "50 First Dates" the new memories are old memories, nothing as nefarious as Soviet brainwashing here. Remembering each day who each person is in your life is a supremely beautiful practice. What if everyday you consciously re-visited each relationship you have and who this person is in this moment? What if you then told that person what you came up with? This is how Lucy and Henry keep their relationship alive. They have no choice but to really see the other person and keep an updated document for Lucy.
Rom-Com 101 Homework: Think about someone in your life and paint a portrait of them, whether in words, a picture, or some other way. Then show them.
Rom-Com Tropes:
1. Ends with marriage.
Soundtrack:
The soundtrack alludes to previous Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore collaboration "The Wedding Singer." The songs are '80s classics re-purposed with a Hawaiian or reggae vibe ("Friday I'm in Love" and "Melt With You" in particular stand out for me).
There are some newer songs by Gwen Stefani and 311 too. Like "The Wedding Singer", Adam Sandler plays an original ukulele piece for Drew Barrymore <3
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