Summary

• Drew Barrymore shared on her show that 50 First Dates originally had a dramatic ending, diverging from the heartwarming final version.
• Originally a Seattle-set drama called 50 First Kisses, Barrymore reveals the first ending ambiguously kept Lucy and Henry in their pattern.
• Despite its initial dramatic direction, 50 First Dates found success as a romantic comedy, showcasing the chemistry between Barrymore and Sandler.

Drew Barrymore reveals that Sandler's best movies, with its unconventional love story between Lucy Whitmore (Barrymore) and Henry Roth (Sandler) and the happy ending being among its many strengths.

On The Drew Barrymore Show (via Variety), Barrymore discussed how 50 First Dates initially had a dramatically different ending. She described how the film, which was originally called 50 First Kisses, had another setting entirely and was more dramatic than comedic, all of which led to a different conclusion for Lucy and Henry. This ended their story in a tonally different manner than in the final version of the film. Check out Barrymore's comments below:

Something that always sticks in my mind is the original ending of "50 First Kisses," as it was called at the time. Yeah, it was a drama set in Seattle. The original ending was her saying, "You should go and live your life, because this is no life here." And he 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.

50 First Dates' Original Ending Wouldn't Have Worked

It Would Have Changed The Story For The Worse

While the ending was not the only thing different about this earlier version of 50 First Dates, it definitely would not have fit with the final version of the film. Even though there is plenty of Sandler's trademark crude humor, 50 First Dates is ultimately a hopeful story about the power of romance and human connection. The ending is genuinely happy and rewarding when it is revealed that despite her anterograde amnesia, Henry never gave up on her, and they found a way to make their dreams come true and build a family of their own.

The original ending would have done a disservice to the relationship and individual arcs of both Lucy and Henry and concluded on a far less satisfying note.

Instead of being uplifting, the original ending leaves Lucy and Henry trapped in their old cycles, and would have concluded on an ambiguous note of what happens to them next. Ambiguous endings can work well in many stories, but not in 50 First Dates or other Sandler-led comedies. This ending may have worked with 50 First Kisses initially being a drama, which sounds like an almost entirely different story in of genre, tone, and characterization.

From Sandler's critically acclaimed performance in Uncut Gems and Barrymore helping the dramatic Donnie Darko become a beloved cult classic, both actors have proven themselves capable in other genres. Nevertheless, 50 First Dates worked best as a romantic comedy and would have been fundamentally different as a romantic drama. The original ending would have done a disservice to the relationship and individual arcs of both Lucy and Henry and concluded on a far less satisfying note.

Source: The Drew Barrymore Show (via Variety)