50000 First Dates: A True Love Story Review: Light-Hearted, Entertaining, Scary!

In this documentary series on Prime Video, we watch a whirlwind romance unfold between Nesh Pillay and her fiance JJ Jakope. However, this isn’t just another love story — Nesh suffers from memory loss and every morning she wakes up as a 17-year-old again, unable to remember her fiance, her daughter and her life. Dubbed “The Real-Life 50 First Dates Couple,” the series showcases JJ’s journey of trying to woo the love of his life over and over again in this story of love and resilience.

The series has 2 episodes, each with a runtime of 50 minutes.

50000 First Dates: A True Love Story Review

This Prime Video documentary is a shocking watch and then some. There are two parts to this story — the medical part and the romantic part. The medical part is a fascinating and fear-inducing watch that makes us walk a little more carefully, while the romantic part gives us butterflies. However, both of these distinct parts will leave viewers a little traumatised and remind us that real life isn’t like the movies as it highlights how confusing and scary it is to go through an illness that potentially has little to no cure.

The series brings forth medical professionals and Nesh’s family and friends who all discuss her life before and after her life changed forever. It’s an emotional watch and will leave you anxious in the pit of your stomach. The series discusses these situations with a lot of empathy and brings forth the happy and sad memories surrounding Nesh. It highlights her as an individual separate from this odd illness that she has and humanises her struggles quite a lot. I found myself feeling rather empathetic for all of their struggles, particularly that of Nesh, who is constantly in a state of confusion and unable to understand what is happening to her.

The series also brings forth comparisons with the very famous Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore’s film 50 First Dates and mentions that it’s not as romantic in real life as one might expect. Moreover, it brings forth the discussion surrounding how the public has perceived their situation, with most reacting with disbelief and accusing her of faking it. Although viewers might find it a bit difficult to believe such an out-there phenomenon, I think reality is truly stranger than fiction and the brain can do some really surprising things that human beings can ever comprehend. Now whether or not we believe Nesh’s story is personal, I think we all can agree that it’s a fascinating story to watch.

50,000 First Dates: A True Love Story wins because, well, the brain is simply one thing that we might never fully understand. Aside from the funky music and the funny anecdotes, this is a heartwrenching story of a woman’s life getting upended. It’s an entertaining and amusing watch, sure, but it’s also a frightening look at what a slight change in our brains can do to our lives. It’s scary to know that we are so vulnerable and the things that we don’t give a second thought to might end up changing our lives forever.

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The series is light-hearted and Nesh and her family are truly champs. Although there are a few dramatic moments that seem unnecessary, I think in the spirit of the series, it works out somewhat well. The other side of it all is JJ, Nesh’s fiance, who feels like such a breath of fresh air after watching too many true crime shows. He’s a rock beside Nesh, caring for her day in and day out, and the series does a good job of highlighting how exhausting yet rewarding that can be — caregiver burnout is a very real thing.

Final Thoughts

50000 First Dates: A True Love Story is a warm and scary watch at the same time and will leave viewers hooked. It’s brings forth this traumatic story in a light-hearted and entertaining way that will inform viewers of the medical issue and its fallout in an accessible and interesting way.

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