Love & Other Drugs (2010)

If you want to see a lot of naked Anne Hathaway or a lot of nudity in general, and over-long sex scenes that don't add anything to the film (I can't say I didn't anticipate it though, I mean, look at that title!), and you want to listen to plenty of unfunny jokes, then Love & Other Drugs is the perfect film for you. If not, I doubt you will enjoy this clichéd romantic dramedy. 

The year is 1996. After losing his job selling electronics, Jamie Randal (Jake Gyllenhaal) becomes a drug rep. While trying to "sell" his drug, he meets Maggie (Anne Hathaway), a young woman suffering from Parkinson. Needless to say, they end up having a lot of sex. He eventually falls for her, but dealing with her illness while trying to do his job won't be easy.

I didn't know anything about the film other than the title and the leading actors, so the Parkinson card caught me a little by surprise and it made me believe I'd watch a more deep movie --if that even makes sense. Unfortunately, the plot is contrived, shallow and boring too, there are too many subplots that are introduced but never explored as they deserve, and the love story between Jamie and Maggie has the storyline of any other clichéd romance. 

What's worst though is that Love & Other Drugs using Maggie's illness as nothing more than a plot device. The whole Parkinson part is handled in such a shallow, almost silly way, it insults people suffering from these kinds of diseases and couples going through it.

20th Century Fox

On the other hand, there are the characters. The character, actually, Jake Gyllenhaal's Jamie. He is not the most complex character ever, but he has a nice development --watching him grow up was perhaps the only nice thing about the film-- and though he is a selfish playboy, he is likeable. The credits entirely go to Gyllenhaal who gives another solid performance --is this guy even able to give a shitty performance? Anne Hathaway too does a nice job as Maggie. She really shines in a couple of scenes. Her character is still quite unlikeable though. Also, Gyllenhaal and Hathaway have a nice chemistry.

The humour, as I mentioned above, doesn't really work. It has the American Pie kind of humour, the type of humour that does not fit a film touching an important issue such as chronic diseases. Most of the jokes (about penises and viagra) fall flat. I chuckled a few times. Definitely not enough for a comedy.