BLOG # 3: A Movie Review

"Love and Other Drugs"

Movie Review by Sarah Detruz
Director: Edward Zwick
Writers: Charles Randolph, Edward Zwick, Marshal, Herskovitz and  Jamie Reidy
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway

The movie "Love & Other Drugs" starring Jamie (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Maggie(Anne Hathaway). In this movie Jamie, a hot-shot pharmaceutical dealer, learns the ins and outs of his new job seducing receptionists, until he meets his match in Maggie, a Parkinson’s disease patient, who is far too concerned with being in love.

The two get off to an unstable start. He’s too arrogant for her and she’s too smart for his tricks. But since they’re both so attractive, they hit it off with one agreement--since she’s concerned with how her disease will affect him, they decide not to call their relationship...a relationship. As you can guess, Jamie falls for her, she’s unsure, and eventually both try to prove that their ready for some commitment. 

This goes on for roughly under two hours, at the time Jamie’s rise to the top of the drug world, thanks to the recently released Viagra pill, Maggie’s Parkinson’s disease becoming a real issue worth discussing.  I was surprised by both the performances given by Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway  in their roles. Anne was bold, daring, and exquisite. Jake playing the role of Jamie and I simply loved both of them.

Director Edward Zwick has two really good movies in here--one about the advent of Viagra and its affect on men, and one about dealing with a difficult disease and the strain it can put on personal relationships. Unfortunately, he chose both, leaving audiences with two mostly humourless hours filled with inconvenient, unclear characterizations. Gyllenhaal and Hathaway in particular perform well in their respective movies, but they have trouble meeting in the middle--the conflicting styles of humour and sentiment just don’t connect, which reduces the film’s more sincere moments.