“Love and Other Drugs” is an adult romance, not to be confused with a formulaic romantic comedy and although there are some light-hearted moments, it’s a drama, an honest, sometimes brutal, examination of a complicated relationship. The issues Jamie (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Maggie (Anne Hathaway) encounter are those faced by any number of real couples where emotional honesty and open communication is essential but not always present. And while Maggie’s Parkinson’s is a factor, this is not a movie that builds its emotional impact on contrivance and artificial sentimentality. “Love and Other Drugs” has a definite view of sexuality as it is the initial bond between Jamie and Maggie. So there’s a lot of nudity early in their relationship, but later, as the focus shifts from physical to emotional, there’s less. Working together again as romantic partners (after Brokeback Mountain), Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway exhibit enough passion and chemistry to believe in them as a couple and care about what happens to them. And they demonstrate a breadth and depth that takes you by surprise. Not so much Anne Hathaway if you saw last year’s Rachel Getting Married, but surprising for Gyllenhaal, whose most recent movie was Prince of Persia. Director Edward Zwick shows a firm hand at the controls, especially with the shifts in tone from almost slapstick comedy, mainly handled through Jamie’s younger brother, Josh (Josh Gad), to scenes that border on tragedy.
The movie takes place between 1996 and 1999, when Viagra entered the American scene. Patented by Pfizer in 1996 and approved by the FDA in 1998, Viagra became not merely another drug, but the drug for many Americans, whether they needed it or not. Jamie Randall (Gyllenhaal) starts out a career as a Pfizer rep at this time. Initially, he has trouble meeting his quotas, but when Viagra hits the market and with influential Dr. Stan Knight (Hank Azaria) wanting it, Jamie becomes an instant star. Meanwhile, Jamie starts a relationship with one of Dr. Knight’s patients, the free-spirit Maggie (Hathaway). At age 26, she has experienced early onset Parkinson’s and, as a defense mechanism, she has decided to stay away from serious relationships. “Love and Other Drugs” is a solid entry into the awards line-up and worth seeing. 11/27/10
1 comment:
Although I had my doubts before seeing this film it is surprisingly well made and well acted. If you like to see Anne Hathaway bare her body on the celluloid as she apparently likes to do, go see this adult love story.
Post a Comment