Love & Other Drugs - Nebenwirkung inklusive

Jamie Randall (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a womanizing stereo salesman who got fired for sleeping with the bosses' girl. He's the black sheep of a successful family, and turns to selling pharma for Pfizer in 90s Pittsburgh. During a visit to a doctor, he meets Maggie Murdock (Anne Hathaway) who is suffering from early onset Parkinson's.

The backdrop of pharmaceutical sales may not be the best for a comedy. There are attempts at jokes especially some Viagra montages, but it's more eye opening than funny. Jake Gyllenhaal is a great actor who is trying to give humanity to this relatively unlikeable guy. Anne Hathaway adds on a layer of cynicism and anger. It's not an easy silly rom-com. Although I try to like this movie, the tone changes are just too difficult to take.

This is one of those movies that have a weird marketing campaign, the studio wants to sell it like a romantic comedy when its more like a drama with complex and real characters. Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyleenhaal have good chemistry on screen and secondary characters help to bring equilibrium to a movie that other way could turn to be a little depressing. I also think that this movie doesn't deserve the R rating just because it deals with sex ( I live in Mexico and here we have something like PG-15)hopefully people don't feel to uncomfortable with the sex scene because it gives more credibility to the story.In the end the film works better than others of its genre and its worth a look ( probably not for a first date) but if you are already on a relationship it will give you something to think and talk about.

Love and Other Drugs (2010)

*** (out of 4)

Director Zwick will probably always be known for his big-budget epics but this small comedy-drama is actually a return to the likes of his earlier films like the underrated ABOUT LAST NIGHT... Jamie (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a pharmaceutical salesman who just wants to build his career and ride it as high as he can. Maggie (Anne Hathaway) is a free-spirit suffering with Parkinson's who doesn't want to be tied down or have anyone actually help her. The two meet up, become sex buddies and soon other emotions start to sneak in. LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS isn't a classic movie and it's certainly far from a good one. I was really shocked to see how many issues there were in this movie including the fact that the first hour is pretty much a raunchy comedy and then out of no where we get thrown head first into a very deep drama. I don't mind movies that jump around from laughs to drama and then back to laughs but the first half of this thing really don't lead you to believe we're going to get some heavy drama so when it comes and then stays you really wonder what happened in the screenplay and why such a drastic change comes out of no where. This is an incredibly uneven movie but at the same time the two lead performances are so great that you're willing to overlook the flaws because their characters are just so irresistible. There's no question that the main reason to watch this film would be for Gyllenhaal and Hathaway who are both fabulous and you can't help but feel with any other actors this film probably wouldn't have worked at all. I really thought Hathaway was the stand out here as she dives head first into this troubled character and I thought she nailed every aspect. She has no problem playing the loose, free-spirit and she doesn't have any issues when the character is suffering from her illness. The way Hathaway goes through her emotions was very believable and she made you feel as if this was a real character with these real problems. Gyllenhaal is just as good in his role as he's the one who plays the immature guy who eventually gets a dose of medicine and has to wake up from his little play world. I thought the actor handled the raunchy stuff extremely well but he was also believable during the more dramatic moments. The two stars have a lot of chemistry together and they really do come across like a real couple. Oliver Platt and Hank Azaria are both good in their roles but the screenplay doesn't offer much for either of them. The same is true for Josh Gad who plays Gyllenhaal's brother who has a porn addiction. Gad's performance is just fine but his character and his issues really seem out of place and especially when the drama aspect of the story hits. The film takes place in 1996 just as Viagra was about to take off and this drug war has a big part to do in the screenplay but this here is just another aspect that felt tacked on and in the end it really wasn't needed. The film is very uneven and there are many flaws but I think the performances make it worth viewing and the non-stop nudity by the two stars will probably make it a high rental for years to come.

The movie starts out as a generic and even pedestrian romantic comedy and appears to be headed in the typical cliché driven direction but, fortunately, evolves in to something more. Jake Gyllenhaal's character and his alleged "funny" fat side kick are established almost purposefully as illustrations of what's wrong with most romantic comedies. It's Anne Hathaway's character that is the catalyst for the transformation from two dimensional rom-com to something deeper and more enjoyable. As she is fleshed out (pun intended because the more Anne Hathaway nudity the better) her character forces both Gyllenhaal's character and the film itself to grow (almost Viagra like). What follows is a deep, sometimes moving and genuinely interesting film. Commentary about battling illness, life and enjoying the moment are all relevant and poignant. Even supporting characters are given moments to shine. Oliver Pratt's drug rep has a wonderful scene delivered over dinner and there's even a smart drunken ramble explaining what is wrong with being a doctor and a commentary on the state of the Hippocratic Oath. From an emotionless and even tedious start, this film surprised me and is worth the price of a ticket.

I enjoyed the chemistry between Gyllenhaal and Hathaway quite a bit. It's definitely the selling point of this film and makes it watchable. The story involving pharmaceutical companies and the healthcare industry is interesting, as is the late 90s setting. The film ultimately falls into typical rom com conventions though. However, the chemistry of the two leads and the focus on the struggle of Parkinson's help make this one slightly rise above the pack.