Feb
15
Ok, here is another sexually intrepid date movie of which appeal depends on how high you are on drugs. While Anne Hathaway stars as a woman suffering from stage one Parkinson’s disease, Love and Other Drugs has a medical condition of a confusing and delayed main theme introduction. Nonetheless, the pairing of Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway in this film proved to be hotter than any pepper or chilli out there, considering their raucous and rampant sexual intercourses won’t leave their entertainment dignities the same (not that Gyllenhaal hadn’t done that before in Brokeback Mountain). Their chemistry will give them an A+, although sad to say, that is the only A+ the film can boast.
With the movie set in the 90’s Viagra blast, Jake stars as Jamie Randall, a slick, young and money-driven pharmaceutical representative of Pfizer. Determined to sell his products effectively, he shadows a highly recommended doctor (Hank Azaria) for sales and practice. In his course of pursuit however, he meets Parkinson’s disease-staggered Maggie Murdock (Hathaway) in a medical breast check up encounter (one hell of a way to meet). After several cheesy calls and charming effects, he won Maggie over (otherwise we won’t have a love story) and they instigated a purely sexual relationship – no strings attached. But eventually, that relationship turned to something much deeper, and both of them were placed in a struggle to find the answer on how to keep a relationship when an incurable illness is in the way – something that requires more than love to bear.
Love and Other Drugs has three nominees for the attention revolver awards: First, the character development of Jamie Randall (surprisingly taking up a big portion of the movie), second, the medical factor of this film featuring the boom of Viagra, and third, of course the drama of being in a relationship with a sick woman. With Parkinson’s disease being incurable, the viewer’s are given a clue as to where the rest of the movie might lead, and that is keeping up with an illness-ridden relationship. But it’s a bit confusing to determine the main theme because the first two aspects seemed to be given more attention than the third one, which is supposed to be what we’re looking for. For a film that spent much time focusing on the establishment of the relationship, it didn’t give much on its keeping. The first two aspects were a big factor in the movie, and then suddenly they disappeared. It’s like a stapled transition of unconnected stories. Also, the genres darted from self-search to romantic comedy to drama, all happening at different times in the movie.
Although Pfizer allowed its name to be used in the film, there was somehow a hint of ridicule and mockery on their products and way of selling things. Want a clue? Here, Jake seduces women to utterly sell Pfizer’s products (actually that’s the answer). The supporting characters like Jake’s brother Josh and Azaria’s character also weren’t given much depth; they were like the rest houses of the film, visited only when the movie tends to lie low. They come and go, then come and go again, serving as a distraction instead of character support. If they didn’t exist, Love and Other Drugs would’ve been a better film.
Conversely, the film boasts an A+ performance by the two central actors in this film. If the sex scenes didn’t satisfy you, I don’t know if this movie has something else to offer. Anne Hathaway did a commendable job of being forthcoming in taking her clothes off and engaging on sexual intercourses while the camera rolls. Jake didn’t appear as a lousy jerk in this film, considering his character was tainted with the “soon you’ll be mine” personality – again, a commendable performance.
Love and Other Drugs is ridiculous in its own ways but somehow, it doesn’t leave you empty handed. It was still able to exude a profusion of charm, especially if you’re fans of Gyllenhaal and Hathaway, only that the film could have been so much more with the right focus, the correct track choice and the doing away of a duplicable story.
You can check other Movie Reviews HERE.
Comments