Love and Other Drugs - Review

Alright already! I'll review a romantic comedy! I guess my list of reviews is a little lacking in the chick flick department, so I suppose this review is somewhat overdue. It's not that I hate romantic comedies per se, it's just that I usually have nothing to say about them. The genre contain the most cliche and predictable types of movies in Hollywood today. Don't get me wrong, there are exceptions, but not that many. For every Chasing Amy or 500 Days of Summer, there's at least 20 run-of-the-mill Sandra Bullock or Katherine Heigl comedies. You know what I'm talking about... generic guy-meets-girl storylines consisting of good looking stars that generally have little to no chemistry in a predictable and formulaic plot. It's not only that they're incredibly predictable, but it's the fact that the filmmakers and actors behind the movie have virtually no interest or passion for the movie they're making. Oh sure, you're typical run-of-the-mill action or horror movie is usually just as predictable, but the emotional impact of the average action flick is typically more relevant than that of a romantic movie. If you like romcoms, that's fine. They've just never been interesting to me. Love and Other Drugs, however, aims to change that by presenting a more open and adult-oriented romance movie. Is it something new and different, or just another forgettable romantic comedy?

Love and Other Drugs stars Jake Gyllenhaal as the straight-laced suave womanizer Jamie Randall and Anne Hathaway as the free-spirited artist Maggie Murdock. The year is 1996 and Jamie is a pharmaceutical salesman for Pfizer the same year they reveal Viagra to the world. Jamie's salesperson like frivolity and natural charm make him a hit with the ladies, but he refuses to be held down for anything more than the occasional one night stand. Maggie's free spirited nature and similar attitudes regarding commitment usually make her immune to a suitor's calling, but even she finds herself taken in by Jamie's charm. The two begin a casual sexual relationship with no strings attached, until they're both caught off guard by their evolving feelings for each other.

Let's get this out of the way first, on the surface, Love and Other Drugs isn't much different than your typical romantic comedy. It's still your basic guy meets girl story. You have an unlikely couple who hate each other at first, than become friends with benefits, and then fall in love. That being said, Love and Other Drugs address a topic that many romcoms like to skirt around... sex! Most of the genre's typical offerings are little more than watered-down romances consisting of hugs and holding hands. So instead of believable love affairs, you get syrupy sweet Hallmark tripe that only barely resembles romance. I'm not saying that all romcoms need copious amounts of nudity to be good, but when one aims to create a believable and adult romance, it certainly doesn't hurt.

The adult themes of Love and Other Drugs can be pretty explicit, and those who aren't a fan of harsh language and sexual content probably will want to avoid this one. For those, however, who were hoping to watch a romcom with a relevant story and believable characters might actually want to give this one a chance. Don't get me wrong, Love and Other Drugs is far from perfect, but unlike most of the half-assed and assembly-line romcoms released every year, this one actually tries. It takes a couple stabs at the morally questionable practices of the pharmaceutical industry while aiming to present rateable lead characters. While still coming off as something of a Hollywood archetype, the two main characters are presented in a fairly believable way. This is partly due to the well-written dialogue and also how the two actors sell their roles.

Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal are both great actors and good choices for these roles. The two work off each other well, deliver their dialogue with finesse, and have solid chemistry together. There are some dramatic undertones beneath the movie's comedic surface too, giving the actors a little more challenge. I don't want to dwell on them too much in this review because I don't want to spoil too much of it. I'll say this... these weren't easy roles for the actors, as not only do they touch on some important dramatic themes in addition to the comedy, but they also had to be comfortable pulling off the sexual content. Just so everyone knows, yes, they both spend a good portion of the movie without clothes. If you choose to watch this movie for the sole reason of seeing either Jake Gylenhaal or Anne Hathaway naked, you'll probably be satisfied, but there's definitely more to Love and Other Drugs than just explicit sex scenes.

While the two main actors holds the movie together, the supporting cast comes close to ruining their efforts. Well, I guess it was mainly just one cast member... Jamie's fat and geeky brother Josh Randall. Played by Josh Gad (I guess Jonah Hill was unavailable), he should be nominated for one of the most annoying and one-note supporting characters ever shown in a movie. He just spends almost all of the movie whining and complaining. By the end of the movie, I couldn't stand him. The rest of the cast actually isn't that bad. Hank Azaria has some funny moments as the semi-corrupt Dr. Knight. Oliver Platt was somewhat amusing as Jamie's supportive sales mentor Bruce Winston. I suppose, Josh Gad aside, that the supporting cast was mostly passable, just nothing special.

Overall, Love and Other Drugs tries hard, but does it succeed? For the most part, yes. The movie is still quite predictable, the supporting characters are hit and miss, and the movie doesn't embrace it's promising ideas as much as it could have. Nonetheless, Hathaway and Gyllenhaal are great, their characters are believable, the laughs are plentiful, and it's damn sexy too! For such a promising concept, I wish they could have spent just a little more time to perfect the script, but it's still worth a watch. Check it out.

My Score: 3 out of 5!