50 First Dates, Part II
In the last post, I took a look at Lucy Whitmore, her father, Marlin, and brother, Doug. They make up one mind-body-spirit triad in the movie 50 First Dates.
Today, I will look at the male lead, Henry Roth (Adam Sandler) and the characters who surround him.
It's been a while since I explained this, so I will review it here - I do not intend for these posts to be a review of the film or book about which I am writing. I will not, generally, go deep into the plot of the story, except where it helps in the character analysis. I will assume the reader has some familiarity with the book or film being analyzed. If you feel like you need a little more info, then please leave a comment. I'll be glad to fill in any gaps I might leave in my effort to keep these posts relatively short.
Henry is a veterinarian at a local aquarium, but he has a dream to sail to Alaska where he plans to study the underwater habits of walruses. He is passionate about animals and has developed a close friendship with a walrus at the aquarium named Jocko. Until he meets Lucy, he is closer to the animals than to anyone else in his life.
At first, Henry comes off as a womanizing body character, but upon closer examination, there's a little more to his story. While it is true his relationships with women are built upon casual sex, he does not focus the relationship on himself. Instead, he changes his personality in order to give the women what they want, as well. He tries to fulfill their fantasies rather than his own.
This truth about Henry's character comes into play when his friend, Ula, suggests he take advantage of Lucy. Henry says it would be evil to take advantage of a girl with a brain injury like that. In other words, he has a moral code by which he lives. It may not be as 'moral' as many people would like to see, but he has a sense of right and wrong that drives his actions.
Henry shows his commitment to his moral code when Marlin asks him why he is interested in Lucy. Lucy can be heard singing (very poorly) in the background, and Henry replies, 'Wouldn't you want to spend an hour a day with that?" suggesting Lucy made him happy, and that was enough for him to want to spend time with her.
As with a lot of Adam Sandler movies, this film has more than its fair share of body humor. Subsequently, it has a lot of characters who might be considered body characters. I chose to focus on Ula because he has the closest and most influential relationship with Henry.
Ula says he likes to live vicariously through Henry and, as a result, likes to 'pimp tourists' for him to sleep with. He suggests Lucy might be the perfect girl for Henry because of her condition, which Henry equates to 'her plane leaves every night.' When Henry is making a tape to help Lucy remember her life since the accident, Ula interrupts constantly by making sexual gestures and comments.
Ula would rather smoke pot or eat 'special' brownies than work. In one scene, Ula is in the pool with the dolphins eating a brownie and Henry scolds him for not working and warns him to make sure the dolphins don't get high.
Ula also has a little issue with pride. He can't stand having a group of little kids be better than him, whether it's hitting a golf ball or doing 'flippies' off the dock. When he tries to show he is better, he ends up getting injured.
There are actually several characters who make mind-character input into Henry's life. Sue, the cafe owner, tells him about Lucy's brain injury. Alexa, who is actually another body character, tells him how to avoid direct conflict with Lucy's family. Even Jocko, the walrus, plays a mind-character role in one particular scene.
I chose Dr. Keats because his impact on Henry's life is the greatest. He is introduced at the midpoint in the film and gives greater detail about Lucy's condition. He introduces 'Ten Second Tom,' to show that Lucy's condition is not as bad as it could be. He also explains which parts of Lucy's brain were not affected by the accident and what that means to her quality of life.
Dr. Keats is very clinical in his assessments of both Lucy (when it comes to the accident) and Doug (when it comes to Doug's steroid use). He assures everyone Lucy will never be able to remember Henry, but because he is so clinical, he overlooks the spiritual connection that forces Henry into Lucy's dreams.
Today, I will look at the male lead, Henry Roth (Adam Sandler) and the characters who surround him.
It's been a while since I explained this, so I will review it here - I do not intend for these posts to be a review of the film or book about which I am writing. I will not, generally, go deep into the plot of the story, except where it helps in the character analysis. I will assume the reader has some familiarity with the book or film being analyzed. If you feel like you need a little more info, then please leave a comment. I'll be glad to fill in any gaps I might leave in my effort to keep these posts relatively short.
The Spirit Character: Henry (Adam Sandler)
Henry is a veterinarian at a local aquarium, but he has a dream to sail to Alaska where he plans to study the underwater habits of walruses. He is passionate about animals and has developed a close friendship with a walrus at the aquarium named Jocko. Until he meets Lucy, he is closer to the animals than to anyone else in his life.
At first, Henry comes off as a womanizing body character, but upon closer examination, there's a little more to his story. While it is true his relationships with women are built upon casual sex, he does not focus the relationship on himself. Instead, he changes his personality in order to give the women what they want, as well. He tries to fulfill their fantasies rather than his own.
This truth about Henry's character comes into play when his friend, Ula, suggests he take advantage of Lucy. Henry says it would be evil to take advantage of a girl with a brain injury like that. In other words, he has a moral code by which he lives. It may not be as 'moral' as many people would like to see, but he has a sense of right and wrong that drives his actions.
Henry shows his commitment to his moral code when Marlin asks him why he is interested in Lucy. Lucy can be heard singing (very poorly) in the background, and Henry replies, 'Wouldn't you want to spend an hour a day with that?" suggesting Lucy made him happy, and that was enough for him to want to spend time with her.
The Body Character: Ula (Rob Schneider)
As with a lot of Adam Sandler movies, this film has more than its fair share of body humor. Subsequently, it has a lot of characters who might be considered body characters. I chose to focus on Ula because he has the closest and most influential relationship with Henry.
Ula says he likes to live vicariously through Henry and, as a result, likes to 'pimp tourists' for him to sleep with. He suggests Lucy might be the perfect girl for Henry because of her condition, which Henry equates to 'her plane leaves every night.' When Henry is making a tape to help Lucy remember her life since the accident, Ula interrupts constantly by making sexual gestures and comments.
Ula would rather smoke pot or eat 'special' brownies than work. In one scene, Ula is in the pool with the dolphins eating a brownie and Henry scolds him for not working and warns him to make sure the dolphins don't get high.
Ula also has a little issue with pride. He can't stand having a group of little kids be better than him, whether it's hitting a golf ball or doing 'flippies' off the dock. When he tries to show he is better, he ends up getting injured.
The Mind Character: Dr. Keats (Dan Aykroyd)
There are actually several characters who make mind-character input into Henry's life. Sue, the cafe owner, tells him about Lucy's brain injury. Alexa, who is actually another body character, tells him how to avoid direct conflict with Lucy's family. Even Jocko, the walrus, plays a mind-character role in one particular scene.
I chose Dr. Keats because his impact on Henry's life is the greatest. He is introduced at the midpoint in the film and gives greater detail about Lucy's condition. He introduces 'Ten Second Tom,' to show that Lucy's condition is not as bad as it could be. He also explains which parts of Lucy's brain were not affected by the accident and what that means to her quality of life.
Dr. Keats is very clinical in his assessments of both Lucy (when it comes to the accident) and Doug (when it comes to Doug's steroid use). He assures everyone Lucy will never be able to remember Henry, but because he is so clinical, he overlooks the spiritual connection that forces Henry into Lucy's dreams.
Comments
Post a Comment