Customer Reviews

Love & Other Drugs [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

I was very surprised to find this movie to my liking. I went (rather grudgingly I'll admit) to see this movie and I was blown away, it wasn't just a comedy, it wasn't just a romance, it was a deep, intricate experience that mirrors (to the best of hollywood's ability) the real relational component that we never really know what will come next with any of our relationships. This movie throws you for several unexpected twists and turns but this is one not to miss! Do be warned it's rated R for a reason, you see just about everything Hathaway and Gyllenhaal have to offer. This movie also packs some pretty good comic value. Ultimately its a heartwarming story about a man who had never found a desire to approach anything with all of his heart and/or ability until he meets Maggie, then everything changes. This will definitely be added to my personal collection just as soon as it comes on DVD.

I loved this movie. It had me laughing, and crying, and it was sexy, and poignant, and very, very well acted. Jake and Anne are wonderful together. Very believeable. I could have done with a little less of the "brother" character, played by Josh Gad, and I wish Jake had more scenes with Hank Azaria and Oliver Platt, but I really did love it. When it ended, I just wanted to go right back to the beginning again!

LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS is based on Jamie Reidy's highly regarded novel 'Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesmen' and as adapted for the screen by Charles Randolph, Marshall Herskowitz and Edward Zwick (who also directs). It is a little jewel of a film. If the portion of the film that deals far too long with a silly Radio City Music Hall show of Pfizer Pharmaceuticals training program bores the audience (it should have been severely edited for many reasons), it is worth the wait for the actual romance story that follows.

Jamie Randall (Jake Gyllenhaal) can't hold a job, preferring to focus on womanizing, much to the disdain of his wealthy obese brother Josh (Josh Gad), and his parents (George Segal and Jill Clayburgh in a role that was to be her last). Jamie best friend Bruce (Oliver Platt) joins Jamie in becoming a pharmaceutical rep for Pfizer and the two are placed on the road to push Zoloft and Zithromax, finding that the market is hoarded by Trey Hannigan (Gabriel Macht), an Eli Lily salesman selling Prozac. Jamie encounters Trey in the office of Dr. Knight (Hank Azaria), studies Trey's success and his own failure, and in the process encounters a patient of Dr. Knight, the free spirited gorgeous Maggie Murdock (Anne Hathaway) who has been with both Trey and Dr. Knight. Jamie's lack of success pushing Zoloft suddenly reverses when Pfizer comes out with Viagra: Jamie is a natural to be the leading salesman for this new enhancing drug - or is he? There is a strange chemistry that develops between Jamie and Maggie and despite their unlikely qualifications as relationship candidates, each finds in the other the qualities that turn wild one nighters into a solid love affair. Maggie has Parkinsonism and that aspect alters the way each approach the relationship. But it is the magic of how this blossoms into one the screen's best romances that is the gift of the film.

The story is frequently disrupted with sidebars that are supposed to provide comic relief but in the end simply take up too much space away from Jamie and Maggie. Had the film been edited to clean its shelves the way Jamie cleaned the physicians' sample shelves of Prozac the total product would have been even better. What the film brings into focus is the enormously maturing talents of Gyllenhaal and Hathaway: they may just be the next great Hollywood silver screen couple. This is 'a fine (and sensitive) romance' and well worth watching. Grady Harp, March 11

Jake Gyllenhal's and Anne Hathaway's performances and charisma made this a great watch for me. They are both compelling and beautiful to watch. I liked the story too, it was different from your standard Rom-Com fare, with Hathaway's character struggling with Parkinson's disease, and Gyllenhal's good-time boy having to grow-up to deal with it. The drug company sub-plot got a little heavy-handed, as did some of the psycho-babble speeches ("tell me 4 good things about yourself" she says to him at one point - a little too self-help-workshoppy to feel real.) But still a good movie, and certainly a step above your average romantic comedy.

I was very surprised to find this movie to my liking. I went (rather grudgingly I'll admit) to see this movie and I was blown away, it wasn't just a comedy, it wasn't just a romance, it was a deep, intricate experience that mirrors (to the best of hollywood's ability) the real relational component that we never really know what will come next with any of our relationships. This movie throws you for several unexpected twists and turns but this is one not to miss! Do be warned it's rated R for a reason, you see just about everything Hathaway and Gyllenhaal have to offer. Ultimately its a heartwarming story about a man who had never found a desire to approach anything with all of his heart and/or ability until he meets Maggie, then everything changes. This will definitely be added to my personal collection just as soon as it comes on DVD.

I'm not a big fan of movies that just haven't quite determined what they want to be. They begin one way and then suddenly do a 180 and I find myself watching a movie that is totally unlike the one I started with. Granted there are times this works, most notable in mysteries. But a movie that begins as a romantic comedy that turns into heavy drama is not a combination that works. Thus is the problem with LOVE & OTHER DRUGS.

Jake Gyllenhaall is Jamie Randall, a smooth talking operator with an eye for beautiful women but on the short stack when it comes to handling a successful career or future. His brother Josh (Josh Gand) is a successful investor and his parents are two top people in the medical field. So what is Josh's problem?

Put in touch by his brother with the folks at Pfizer, Jake takes on the improbably job of pharmaceutical sales man. He goes to classes, beds the instructor and is assigned to another agent (Oliver Platt) to help him along. Jamie applies his own knowledge and skills to get him into the good graces of Dr. Stan Knight (Hank Azaria), a doctor whose approval would result in other doctors following suit and choosing Jamie's drugs over those of his competitor.

In his attempt to sway the doctor, Jamie passes along cash for the chance of following him through a single day. During that time he sits in on a patient consultation. Her name is Maggie Murdock (Anne Hathaway) and she's there just to get her prescriptions filled. She knows her problems, symptoms and likelihood of success but has little hope. She has Parkinson's disease. She's unusually young for this, but knows what to expect.

When Maggie catches Jamie as a salesman instead of the intern he claimed to be, she gets angry. Then she finds herself attracted to him. And then the pair becomes full time lovers with no attachments. Until Jamie finds himself drawn to Maggie.

The movie to this point has seemed like a combination romantic comedy and straight out romance story with quite a bit of nudity tossed in to appease the guys dragged to the movie so their girlfriends can check out Gyllenhaal's butt. And then it suddenly changes.

Maggie understands what to expect in the near future but does Jamie? At a pharmaceutical convention, Jamie mingles with the crowd while Maggie finds a meeting of a support group for Parkinson's patients. The group inspires here, makes her feel alive for the first time in ages and makes her appreciate Jamie for being there for her. Except perhaps he isn't. At the same meeting he talks to one of the husbands of another patient who tells him if he had to do it all over again he would have run right away. This of course leads to the pair parting ways.

But remember this is movieland. The odds of them getting together again after this are pretty good. Then again the movie changed from what seemed a comedy to a rather intense drama too so it's anyone's guess how the story will end.

Is it any good? Not particularly. The lighter moments are tinged with quite a bit of cynicism. For those easily offended there is, as mentioned, plenty of gratuitous nudity and raunchy humor to boot. But the biggest problem is that with the exception of Maggie (due to her gut wrenching disease) there are not many sympathetic characters to be found here. Just single minded self interested people. How entertaining can that be?

The acting is good, the cinematography well done and the general feeling of the film fine. With the exception and a story that feels schizophrenic and that doesn't involve the viewer as much as it should have.

I will say that one thing that has bothered me in recent years is how women, in particular actresses in film, seem to have to remove their clothing before they will be considered actresses. If you want work, you have to take off your clothes otherwise you're designated uncompromising. The same doesn't hold true for male actors (though many are doing more partial nude scenes). So why is it that the value of a female actress is judged by the amount of clothing she's willing to remove but not men? Especially when actresses seem to be more involved with women's rights groups? Who knows?

Some will enjoy the film for the sake of the nude scenes. Some will enjoy it because they find the leads attractive. And some will find the romantic storyline just what they're looking for. It just would have been nice if this movie were more focused on what it wanted to be from beginning to end. The way it stands, it feels more like a jumbled flick than an enjoyable one.

A prescription drug salesman falls in love with a woman who is not as together as she seems. After meeting Maggie (Hathaway) in a doctor's office, Jamie (Gyllenhaal) tracks her down and the relationship begins. This is not at all what I expected, it was so much better. Going in all I heard about it from the interviews was...Anne Hathaway is naked alot, there is rampent nudity and sex. This movie is much, much more then that. This is a movie about two, for lack of a better work, selfish people who start a relationship based solely on sex. They begin to develop real feelings for each other, and thats when they start to have problems. Much like "Get Low" this is another movie that got passed over at the "Oscars". I'm not talking best picture, but Anne Hathaway was fantastic in this and to not get nominated is a huge oversight. Gyllenhaal and Hathaway have great chemistry and it really helps you get more involved with the characters. This was a great film, full of laughs, tears and it makes you think. I highly recommend this movie and I guarantee you will not be dissapointed. I give it an A.

Would I watch again? - Absolutly

The main problem with "Love and Other Drugs" is that, throughout the duration of the film, it seems to be suffering from a constant identity crisis. The film can't seem to decide if it wants to be:

a) a conventional romantic comedy
b) a Judd Apatow-style comedy about an overgrown man-child who finally grows up
c) a serious drama about falling in love with someone with a degenerative illness or
d) a satire of the health care industry

What salvages the film are its two leads. Anna Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal first appeared together in "Brokeback Mountain" playing two people stuck in a passionless marriage of convenience. In "Love and Other Drugs," the two play a couple madly in lust, and, despite their better judgment, love with one another. Both Hathaway and Gyllenhaal are talented, charismatic, and very sexy actors and each give their characters the depth the film desperately needs (especially since all of the supporting characters are hopelessly two dimensional.) Gyllenhaal plays Jamie as a lothario whose superficial charm masks a deep-seated emptiness. Hathaway's Maggie is full of sexual bravado and sharp-tongued wit, but scratch the surface and her character's anger and bitterness about her young-onset Parkinson's comes raging to the surface.

The film is worth a watch just for the great performances and chemistry of its leads. But much of the film comes across as trite, especially since it deals with such heavy subject matter, and the ending is just an embarrassing Rom-Com cliché.

I just watched this last night and I really enjoyed it. Jake and Anne are so talented they make you care about the characters they play. The storyline really makes you hate lawyers and the drug companies (they are the problem along with the current administration); but I digress. Jamie (Jake) is a self-centered hedonist who's only goal is to put another notch on his belt or even better...put a notch on the belt while making money. Maggie (Anne) is a former artist who can't bear to get close to any one because she's scared to death she'll be left alone so she believes if she just shuts off her feelings she never get hurt. Jamie falls hard for Maggie and Maggie finally opens her heart. We know that the "true" ending will not be happy but we, as an audience, are willing to watch the present fairytale and be happy for them in the moment. One line that really hit me hard was "I need you more than you need me."...How many times have you felt like that? I have!

This is one of those 'formula' movies. Did I really just say that? Well, trust me it is. And all the characters are here too. I mean, you have the cocky handsome guy--insert Jake here. Along with the gutsy, independent girl (who happens to be a knockout)--see Anne there.

I mean, who wouldn't go for this coupling? They're two very attractive and likeable people. And they have chemistry pouring out of...well, their pores. (Note to Jake and Anne: Are the two of you guys SURE you don't want to go out on a date? I think I'm seeing something here that could very well possibly translate to real life.) Just a thought?

Anyway, my thoughts on this film is that it's very likeable in that 'sweet light-hearted' way that you'd want a 'sweet light-hearted' film like this to be.

Oh yeah, and the Anne Hathaway character has Parkinsons.

Don't worry, it's not dealt with in the serious way that a movie like this wouldn't even deserve. It's just put out there to show Anne as this really 'aw shucks' determined kind of person. Who no matter what, is going to be beautiful and strong and sexy and everything else that everybody on the planet wishes they could be too.

And I think as the movie goes along, it does a good job in showing the growth in the characters. I mean at first Maggie (Anne's character) only wants to have all this 'free sex' with none of the strings because I'm guessing she doesn't want her potential suitors to be around when her illness starts to go south.

And you get to see the Jamie character (Jake) slowly turn into this person who just doesn't want to have mindless sex either. Because as the story goes along, it's like they only want to be together. And in the movie, you can see how this relationship is slowly forged. Even if it's in spite of itself.

All in all, this is a really nice movie with really nice actors. What I appreciated MORE than anything, is the chemistry that the characters Jamie and Maggie had. The chemistry I'm thinking that Jake and Anne gave them. [This is what I'd call good acting or maybe it wasn't--OK, so I'm pushing for the Jake Gyllenhaal/Anne Hathaway pairing again. : ) ]

Anyway, I think if you're looking for a nice, romantic 'dramedy', then this is the one to see. I know I'm glad I did!