Love and Other Drugs

Jake Gyllenhaal stars as pharmaceutical drug rep Jamie Randall, a slick and handsome womanizer who has never been in love.  Until one day he meets the beautiful Maggie (Anne Hathaway) at the clinic of one of his doctor clients.  At first, Jamie and Maggie decide to keep their relationship superficial and purely physical, which works out well for both of them since Jamie can't commit and Maggie - who suffers from early-onset Parkinson's disease - would rather keep men at a distance so she doesn't get hurt.  But soon, the couple have to face the fact that they have fallen for each other, and decide whether their love is enough to keep them together.  Directed by Edward Zwick ("Legends of the Fall", "Blood Diamond"), this is essentially a love story set upon a backdrop of the 90's drug industry right before the introduction of Viagara to the market.  Zwick exposes the seedy underbelly of the relationship between physicians and drug reps, and the strain it can put in a relationship when one of them is the patient and the other is the sleazy salesman.  Gyllenhaal is the perfect actor to play Jamie; one flash of that dazzling smile and it's no wonder why nurses are falling over themselves to let Jamie into their drug storage room.  And Hathaway, with her gorgeous doe eyes and winsome personality, plays Maggie with a flippant attitude belying the anger that nearly consumes her and threatens to destroy her relationship with Jamie.  But the two are at their best during the rare moments Jamie and Maggie allow themselves to be vulnerable in front of each other; that's when both actors really shine.  "Love and Other Drugs" may be a bit sappy and contrived at times (which is to be expected in a love story where one half of the couple suffers from a debilitating, incurable illness), but its heart is in the right place, and the film is elevated by its adept directing and great acting.  It's part romance, part social commentary, and all heartwarming entertainment.


4 out of 5 stars

The Resident

Hilary Swank stars as Juliet, a young NYC doctor in need of new residence after a rough break-up from her long-term boyfriend.  When she stumbles upon an ad for a huge, gorgeous apartment in a desirable Brooklyn neighborhood with a below-average rent, Juliet thinks she's hit the jackpot.  On top of that, the building owner, Max (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), is friendly, handsome, and available, and may be just the romantic rebound she needs.  But soon, Juliet starts noticing strange happenings in her apartment and starts to wonder if maybe she's not alone in her new home.  What starts off as a thriller with an interesting premise quickly disintegrates into a ridiculously unentertaining pile of garbage.  This straight-to-DVD movie reveals pretty early on why it never came to theaters despite its two high-profile leads.  Morgan is convincingly creepy as the landlord with an unhealthy obsession over his new tenant, but Swank is flat and boring, taking yet another misstep in her two-time Oscar-winning career.  The acting is substandard, the plot is weak, the directing is messy, and the thrills are nonexistent.  Don't waste your time with this one; it's an hour and a half of your life that you'll never get back.

A Gisella's Flick Picks first:
0 stars (SKIP IT)

127 Hours

From Academy Award winning director, Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire") comes the true story of outdoor enthusiast, Aron Ralston.  James Franco plays Ralston, who one weekend goes out for a climb in the beautiful Utah desert.  The day starts off great, as he bikes down scenic mountain paths and unexpectedly befriends two vacationing young women who he spends the afternoon with sight-seeing and cliff-diving.  Then his excursion takes a harrowing turn when he falls from sliding rock and gets his arm pinned between a cliff wall and a large boulder.  Now, Aron must fight to stay alive long enough to figure out a way to free himself.  I found this film to be quite a departure from Boyle's other work, in that his movies tend to be either colorful, larger-than-life tales with triumphant endings (a la "Slumdog" and "Millions"), or gritty/thriller/horror stories with astute observations of modern-day society (a la "Trainspotting" and "28 Days Later").  This story (adapted from an autobiographical book), while quite fascinating, doesn't really translate well into a movie.  Ralston's story is gripping, and it's absolutely amazing what he has to resort to in order to save his own life.  But being trapped down in that dark crevice with Ralston for 94 minutes borders on the obscene.  I could see this story as a short segment that is redramatized on a "Ripley's Believe It or Not" type show (narrated in a Robert Stack-like voice), but can't really find any justification for it as a feature-length film.  Franco, to his credit, portrays Ralston as a goofy and likable guy, and when he is experiencing this trauma you are right there with him squirming uncomfortably in your seat.  And the cinematography is beautiful, with amazing wide shots of the gorgeous, photogenic Utah landscape.  But unless you're up for the grisly climax, filmed in all its shockworthy, gruesomely gratuitous glory, then I'd say skip the movie and maybe read the book instead.

2 out of 5 stars

It's Kind of a Funny Story

This sweet and quirky dramedy centers around a young teen, Craig (Keir Gilchrist) going through a crisis of sorts.  Lately, life just seems to be too much for Craig - school, girls, family life - and his bouts of depression have led him to consider taking his own life.  Craig realizes he needs help, so he checks himself into a psychiatric hospital.  But when the teen ward is unexpectedly closed, Craig winds up on the adult treatment floor instead, and immediately starts second-guessing his decision to admit himself when he's surrounded by adults with much bigger problems than his.  Gilchrist - who has acutely nailed the role of the awkward, intelligent, sensitive gay teen on "United States of Tara" - once again nails the role of the awkward, intelligent, sensitive straight teen in this film.  He portrays Craig as a kind-hearted and endearingly confused young man, succeeding in making you actually relate to him rather than finding him whiny.  The surprise turn for me here was Zach Galifianakis, who plays a man in mental anguish and instability over losing custody of his daughter.  Galifianakis shows an emotional depth that was only hinted at in the movie "Due Date", and proves he's got serious acting chops.  The journey Craig takes as he discovers himself and his true potential, and the friendships he forges with his fellow patients are stirring and heartfelt.  "It's Kind of a Funny Story" is funny at times, but mostly it's an uplifting story of genuine characters who are a little lost and a lot troubled, but who manage to find comfort and cameraderie in each other.


4 out of 5 stars

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

The final installment of the Millennium trilogy picks up right where the last sequel left off with Lisbeth being flown to the hospital after a harrowing battle for her life.  After spending the last film on the lam and clearing her name of murders she did not commit, our sociopathic protagonist is now being charged with attempted murder of her own father - despite all the evidence to the contrary that Lisbeth was only acting in self-defense.  Now, it's up to her journalist pal, Mikael Blomkvist, to once again crusade for Lisbeth's innocence and endanger his own life to get to the truth.  While the last film delved deeper into Lisbeth's sordid past and revealed key events which explain why Lisbeth is who she is today, this film uncovers more detail as to the true identity of her father and his far-reaching political connections.  When Lisbeth is put on trial, we learn how her father was the one behind her being institutionalized as a child and see the abuses she suffered at the hands of the head psychiatric physician.  This film really explores the exploitation of young girls and the moral corruption of high-ranked government officials with secrets to hide.  Lisbeth is truly one of the most engrossing and enigmatic characters of the literary and film worlds because the more you find out about her, the more mysterious her thoughts and actions seem.  As for Mikael, he again comes off as the real hero of the story, as he works tirelessly behind the scenes (along with his very pregnant sister who graciously agrees to act as Lisbeth's defense attorney) and doesn't let attempts to his life get in the way of protecting Lisbeth.  It was never exactly clear to me what Mikael's intentions were - was his battle to free Lisbeth from jail a crazy overture of his romantic feelings for her that he hoped would win her heart?  did he do it purely out of kindness for an old friend?  or was he just doing his job as a journalist and got lost in the excitement of the quest for the truth? - but it never made him seem any less noble in my eyes.  "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" is an extremely satisfying culmination to a dark, thrilling tale of murder, depravation, revenge, and the pursuit of justice.


4 out of 5 stars