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