Review: Love and Other Drugs

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Slightly different label, same old medicine.


Love and Other Drugs is a romantic drama/comedy that disguises itself as something different. They want you to look past those rom com cliches (and oh, there are a few) and see the performances.

Jamie (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a womanizer who gets a job as a prescription medicine salesman. He woos nearly every woman in sight while he's shilling Zoloft. (and later Viagra) Eventually he meets Maggie, (Anne Hathaway) a free spirited artist who happens to have stage 1 Parkinson's disease. Neither of them want a relationship, they just want the sex. They start out that way, but it eventually forms into something different.

The film's main marketing campaign was that this film is "raunchy." There are a few nude scenes with our leads and some off color jokes, but I didn't think this film was nearly as raunchy as they made it sound. It suffers from the same old formula used in many other romantic films, ie: friends with benefits that turns into something more. Slow, cheesy music at the most vulnerable of scenes. That annoying brother that's simply there for comic relief. Someone is sick, could they be dying? It also thrives on making those situations watchable. Gyllenhaal and Hathaway give excellent performances, they have tons of chemistry and really make you feel for their characters. They take all of the simplicity of a romantic comedy and add a few layers. I was disappointed in the film, because I was expecting more, but I didn't hate it. It's worth seeing if your a fan of Gyllenhaal and Hathaway.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: C+

Memorable Quote: "Oh, that's just a spider bite." - Dr. Knight (Frank Azaria)

Comments

  1. Candice FrederickNovember 28, 2010 at 5:42 PM

    yawn. this movies looks so predictable. i think i know what happens without having even seen it. this is a rental for me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. CastorNovember 28, 2010 at 11:46 PM

    Bad reviews and a depressing rom-com = box office flop. I will wait for the Netflix but even then, the trailer really put a bad taste in my mouth...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sean Grey HansonNovember 29, 2010 at 11:05 PM

    I like this movie and I'm sure that should be the best comedy romance movie of 2010.

    ReplyDelete
  4. CMrok93November 30, 2010 at 2:35 PM

    It gets muddled by the end, but the first couple of acts have enough, heart, raunch, and comedy to make it all better.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love And Other DrugsDecember 16, 2010 at 3:47 AM

    Almost all Hollywood romantic comedies get muddled by the end. Take How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, for example - a great beginning, a super funny middle and a lousy, kitsch ending (in my opinion). Gyllenhaal is a safe bet for hotness, though, so I was glad to go see that one if only just for him. :)

    ReplyDelete

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