Even though I had heard that this movie was only so-so, I was expecting more from it, maybe because it has two major A-listers starring in it, but also because the trailer looked really cute. Unfortunately, although the movie has its moments, it ended up just being another ho-hum romantic movie - not even a romantic comedy, actually.
The year is 1996, and Jamie Randall (Jake Gyllenhaal, "Prince of Persia") has just quit his job as salesman at an electronic company, and is looking for something new. His brother, Josh (Josh Gad, TV's "Woke Up Dead"), has a contact at Pfizer, so he hooks him up with a job as a Pfizer sales representative. Jamie is already charming, and he soon puts his charms to work, coaxing nurses and doctors alike to stock the shelves with Pfizer's products, especially once Viagra is released. He soon meets Maggie (Anne Hathaway, "Alice in Wonderland") at a doctor's office, however, and although they both swear that they aren't looking for a relationship, they soon begin to fall in love with each other.
Gyllenhaal and Hathaway do quite well in this movie - especially Hathaway, as she is faced with the difficult task of playing a woman who suffers from Parkinson's Disease - but unfortunately, the script has cheesy moments and a lot of tangents. There are also some noticeable supporting actors, such as Oliver Platt (TV's "The Big C") as a co-rep of Gyllenhaal's; Hank Azaria ("Year One") as one of the doctors that Gyllenhaal interacts with; and Judy Greer (TV's "Glenn Martin DDS") as a woman Gyllenhaal strings along for a bit, as she is a nurse who works for Azaria's character (and thus can give Pfizer samples to his patients).
Maybe see this movie. I felt that it dragged in some parts, and as it's about 2 hours long (a little long for a "fluff" movie), this was not good. The film is rated "R" for "strong sexual content, nudity, pervasive language, and some drug material," but it's mostly the sexual content/nudity that probably gave this movie its "R" rating, as there is a lot of it, mostly of the female variety. If you are looking for a "fluffy" romantic film, then this might fulfill you, but otherwise I would suggest seeing "Tangled" or "Burlesque" instead.
"Love and Other Drugs" is currently showing in theaters.
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Liz Parker is a 2009 graduate of the University of Michigan. She currently works as an Assistant Medical Editor for a pathology website. Visit her at her movie blog Yes/No Films
