Blu-ray Review Love and Other Drugs
Directed by: Edward Zwick Cast: Jake Gylennhaal, Anne Hathaway, Hank Azaria, Josh Gad Running Time: 1 hr 50 mins Rating: R Due Out: March 1, 2011
PLOT: A hotshot pharmaceutical salesman (Gyllenhaal) falls for a charismatic insecure young woman (Hathaway) with Parkinson’s.
WHO'S IT FOR?: Any romantic of proper age could enjoy Love and Other Drugs, but this one is especially for the couples. Love and Other Drugs provides a perfect amount of body heat for a cold night.
MOVIE:
Gyllenhaal and Hathaway have great chemistry, and both are best in the movie when they are working together. The biggest problem of Love and Other Drugs is that it can’t decide if it wants to put these characters in a cruel reality, or just in a cushy romantic comedy that happens to have strong bits of seriousness. It has a couple of scenes that give a Thank You For Smoking-like look into the business, but on the other hand it also has typical romantic comedy elements like a spunky side character (Jamie’s brother, played by Josh Gad), a downfall to a relationship followed by a weepy regret-filled montage, etc.
The indecisiveness of the script undermines either story option, and leaves the whole of the film somewhere in between the two. Love and Other Drugs is best taken in its metaphorical form, with the relationship of this couple meant to represent the fickle relationships we have with drug companies and healthcare when it comes to getting what we really need for life.
MOVIE SCORE: 6/10
EXTRAS
Deleted Scenes Love & Other Drugs: An Actor's Discussion Beautifully Complex: Anne Hathaway Is Maggie Reformed Womanizer: Jake Gyllenhaal is Jamie Selling Love & Other Drugs Digital Copy