Communication Concepts in 50 First Dates

Throughout the first half of Communication 101: Introduction to Human Communication we have been introduced to and discussed a lot of new concepts, ideas, and terms. All of this new material has been pertinent to how humans interact with one another, while also informing us of the why and how behind these interactions as well. The amount of new information we have learned would be impossible to cover and apply to one piece of pop culture, but a lot of what we have learned is relatable to the movie 50 First Dates. This 2004 movie featuring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore features numerous examples of normative relationships and key concepts that we have learned about in class. In this paper I will not only introduce communication terms but I will also put them in context and apply them to the movie.
50 First Dates is a movie that is centered around the relationship between two people, Henry (Sandler) and Lucy (Barrymore). Their relationship is however a breeding ground of communication concepts and terms, and the application of these terms makes the movie as good as it is. One of the most applicable concepts to the movie comes from the seven axioms of communication. Although all seven axioms are present in 50 First Dates, I chose Communication is Functional as the most present in the film. Communication is functional because there is always a purpose or interactional goal behind it, and this is true of all communication ranging from small talk to deep conversations. Moving on from the axioms, the seven steps of a establishing a new relationship were also very applicable to the movie and I thought that many of the steps were very easily detected and evident. Assessing Availability, or in other terms figuring out if someone we want to approach is available, or not with anyone else. Also assessing availability includes the detection of avoidance or approach cues (ex’s: avoiding eye contact, smiling, etc.). Another step present in establishing new relationships is