No, it’s not about Viagra…
Edward Zwick (Legends of the Fall (1994) and The Last Samurai (2003)), in Love and Other Drugs (2010), brings together two high-quality actors, Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway, but the movie nevertheless remains as ‘another romance in the American style formulated on the background of the US pharmaceutical sector’ satire.
Full of clichés, the film tries hard to be a serious drama and presents sexy Jamie Randall (Gyllenhaal) as a Pfizer representative who has made his fortune with Viagra and who falls in love with the gorgeous, smart and sensitive Maggie Murdock (Hathaway), who also happens to be the dying Maggie Murdock.
The couple are great on the big screen; funny, sexy and a real match for each other. But oh, this is far from being Love Story (1970). He remains as The Prince of Persia (2010) who cannot rescue the girl from from her Parkinson’s Disease, but who still decides to stick around and prove his love.
Emotional, tearful and quite instructive as to the early stages of Parkinsons, the movie is eventually sweet and leaves a good impression.
Never seen Gylenhaal in such a Casanova-type role – it suits him and, overall, if you are in the mood for a soft romance, the movie might just be worth your time. Do not expect deep analysis, just enjoy the humour and tears.
112 mins.