Movies: 'Love and Other Drugs' Review
Movie:
Love and Other Drugs
Genre:
Comedy, Drama
The Verdict:
A perfect remedy to the contemporary romantic comedy - Always read the label!
Rating: 4 Stars
STARRING:
Jake Gyllenhaal
Anne Hathaway
Oliver Platt
Hank Azaria
Josh Gad
Judy Greer
Gabriel Macht
Kate Jennings Grant
Set in 1996/97, Gyllenhaal stars as Jamie Randall, a handsome young womanizer who finds his
calling when he moves from being an electronics salesman seducing women
in the back room to being a pharmaceutical rep for Pfizer. Coming from a family with high end jobs, super slacker Jamie is dying to get his teeth into something he can prove to at least himself, won't have a below average outcome. He takes his younger brother Josh's advice and joins Pfizer as a sales rep. After an initial transition, he picks up speed and soon learns the ropes once a new high demand product (viagra) is launched which he uses his womanising ways to sell it too! Jamie has no problem getting women to go to bed with him, but after meeting an attractive patient of one of the doctors he's trying to schmooze, he's left a little off-balance and off his game. He feels a real connection with this brash, straight-talking beauty who wants sex but not a relationship. In Maggie Murdock (Anne Hathaway), Jamie's found a female version of himself. Maggie always has her guard up and this is because she has something that most other attractive women her age don’t have. Parkinson’s disease. This doesn’t stop Jamie and eventually Maggie allows him inside…literally.
The story really takes off from here like a bullet, the two lead actors, Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal are terrific in their performances, Hathaway in particular gives some oscar-worthy ones, you won't know whether to laugh or cry! I hated Gyllenhaal's shallow character at the start but when he begins to grow I endeared to him, though you are pushed out on an emotive ledge by both main characters' plights, you begin to understand them. All this is cushioned by Jamie's brother Josh's (played by Josh Gad) intermittent comic quips throughout, a few awkward nude moments thrown in and a viagra fuelled pajama party which ends in an hilarious cock up! Bada-boom!! I don't know why I was a bit taken aback by some of the nude scenes but have to say they were tastefully shot and all had purpose to the story. Miss Princess Diaries Anne Hathaway really went out on naked limb here but giving her character depth, vulnerability, power and sass, she is excellent. Jake Gyllenhaal as always was brilliant and gorgeous! Although initially a hard pill to swallow (excuse pun), very palatable towards the end.