25 things you didn’t know about your favorite rom-coms

50 First Dates: A cute idea, but not a real disease

In the second of three romantic comedies starring Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler, we find a young woman named Lucy who suffers from Goldfield Syndrome, a condition that affects her short term memory.

After meeting Henry (Sandler), the two fall for each other. Lucy wakes up the next day and forgets who he is, even though Henry still remembers and thinks that she’s the perfect girl for him, thus resulting in 50 First Dates.

Every morning, Lucy has to be reminded who Henry is. At the end of the movie (spoiler!), Henry makes a heartfelt video for Lucy to watch every morning to fill her in on everything she forgot, from important moments in pop culture to the accident that caused her memory deficit and their wedding. It’s a very romantic way of learning to cope with her illness, right?

Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but that neurological condition doesn’t exist. If someone has true anterograde amnesia, it would affect either their short-term memory, lasting seconds to minutes, or intermediate-term memory, which lasts from days to weeks.

A patient falling asleep would not play a part in this condition. In fact, falling asleep would be beneficial. Sleeping helps intensify chemicals that help your memory!

But in this movie, it definitely makes the story that much sweeter. And in the end, who cares if it makes sense? It’s a romantic comedy. They go against all the rules of real life in order to give us that perfect fairy tale ending.