Drew Barrymore reveals original ending of Adam Sandler rom-com '50 First Dates'
It's been 20 years, but Drew Barrymore can’t forget how one of her rom-com classics almost didn’t come to be.
Barrymore, who co-starred with Adam Sandler in the 2004 romantic comedy “50 First Dates,” revealed the film originally had a different ending during a recent episode of “The Drew Barrymore Show.”
The Peter Segal-directed movie, set in Hawaii, centers on star-crossed lovers Lucy Whitmore and Henry Roth. Despite their great chemistry, the couple’s romance is repeatedly thwarted by Whitmore’s short-term memory loss, which causes her to forget her relationship with Roth.
When asked by “Drew’s News” contributor Ross Matthews if any of her films had an ending that was later changed, Barrymore shared that “50 First Dates” – originally titled “50 First Kisses” – was written as a "drama set in Seattle."
The final version of the film concludes with Whitmore regaining her memory after watching a videotape made by Roth and later reuniting with him and their daughter. But Barrymore said the original ending wasn’t so sweet.
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Whitmore tells Roth, “'You should go and live your life because this is no life here,' " Barrymore recalled. “And (Roth) goes away, as he does, and he comes back and he walks into the restaurant and he just sits down and says, 'Hi, I'm Henry.' And the film ends."
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A shocked Matthews shared his relief that the proposed ending wound up on the cutting-room floor.
"Honestly, can I just tell you: Thank you,” Matthews told Barrymore. “Thank you for changing it."
Released in February 2004, “50 First Dates” grossed $198.4 million at the global box office. The film won Barrymore and Sandler a People’s Choice Award for favorite on-screen chemistry.
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Barrymore and Sandler reprised their roles for a coronavirus pandemic-themed sketch on “The Drew Barrymore Show” in 2020.