Love and Other Drugs

So I had the pleasure of actually seeing a movie in the theater thanks to this cute little one near my apartment.  It only cost about 7.50 and the film was well worth it.  Love and Other Drugs, however, was only nominated for two Golden Globes; Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical (Anne Hathaway) and Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical (Jake Gyllenhaal).  

Gyllenhaal and Hathaway prove they still have great on-screen chemistry, although this relationship is completely different, in Love and Other Drugs, based on the book Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman by Jamie Reidy.  Hathaway mentioned in an interview that when they were filming sex scenes in Brokeback Mountain Gyllenhaal pretty much asked permission to touch her but while filming LAOD he just did what he wanted.  When she asked why he acted differently this time, he said he already asked permission and figured it still applied.  I thought that was a little funny.  Jake's so cute!  This genre was a little different than what director Edward Zwick is use to, directing such action films as Blood Diamond, The Last Samurai, and Courage Under Fire, but I think he did a great job.  I am a little indecisive about this film.

  Everyone knows the story, playboy meets girl, they both try to keep it casual, boy falls in love with girl, they have a falling out and blah, blah, blah.  Love and Other Drugs does a good job of following the cliched romantic-comedy, love story, but there is some originality. Hathaway's character, Maggie, is a 26 year old with Parkinson's Disease and Gyllenhal's, Jamie Randall, is a pharmaceutical representative during the rise of Viagra.  Love and Other Drugs has a great cast and is definitely  funnier than most romantic comedies.  Most critics complain about too much going on during the film, but it didn't seem to take away from the main storyline so it didn't bother me. Of course I could have done without the nudity. It was, in my opinion, vulgar and tasteless, but I knew that going into the film so I wasn't caught off guard.  The amount of nudity made me wonder if the director put it in the film just to sell tickets, which the poster for the film verifies that as true.

Personally, with all the hype it received before it was released into theaters, I didn't think it needed the nudity, but what do I know? 

 I enjoyed the movie but the ending was a little unrealistic, that might be my bitterness speaking though.  Ask my opinion again in a couple of years.  I would recommend it to everyone, and I don't know if I would say that had the casting been completely different.  Sweet and cute are words used to describe most romantic comedies, and although it tries to be different (in some ways it is) it still has similar qualities of a romcom, but sweet and cute just don't do it justice.  Whatever adjective best describes this film, maybe inspiring or awe-spiring, it just makes sense.  Going into this blog I was indecisive about what I thought of the film, it took me over a week to write this review, but as I struggled and thought about the film I decided I liked it.  Because of these new found feelings I have for the film, I wish I could come up with a word that will make you want to see Love and Other Drugs, but I can't think of anything so just see it please.  Its worth the price you'll have to pay to see it in theaters, but its also worth the wait, your choice.  And don't worry, its not too much of a tear jerker.