Film: Love and Other Drugs
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko and Brothers) and Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married and The Princess Diaries)
U.S. Release: 2010 (rated R)
Director: Edward Zwick (Blood Diamond and The Last Samurai)
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 113 Minutes
Acclaimed director Edward Zwick seems to be returning to his roots. After spending the past decade depicting epic tales like Blood Diamond and Defiance (see what I had to say about Zwick in my January archived blog about directors in Hollywood), Zwick decided to once again tackle the romantic comedy genre with his latest work Love and Other Drugs. Teaming up for the first time since the Oscar winning film Brokeback Mountain, Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway are cast together as two young adults who unconventionally fall in love. After receiving glaring reviews from countless critics, Zwick may bring home some more hardware this upcoming awards season.
Set in the late 1990s, Love and Other Drugs centers around the crafty, womanizing Jamie Randall (played by Gyllenhaal). After his sex-crazed escapades land him on unemployment, Jamie turns to the up-and-coming Pharmaceutical industry to find some work. He lands a job at Pfizer as a drug representative and begins a life of sales. While attempting to win over a big time doctor in the Ohio valley, Jamie meets the beautiful and outgoing Maggie Murdock (played by Hathaway). Almost immediately, the two begin an ongoing "friends with benefits" relationship. Ultimately, the two fall for each other, but their "baggage" may be too difficult to overcome.
Gyllenhaal and Hathaway show their remarkable chemistry on the big screen. Having previously worked together, their comfort with one another is very evident. However, Zwick spends a larger portion of the film illustrating their sexual connection rather than their emotional one. Another slight downfall to the the film was it's acting. Gyllenhaal was hardly serviceable, and it's supporting cast (Oliver Platt and Hank Azaria), historically speaking, usually give much better performances. On the other hand, Hathaway was convincing as the high strung, emotionally unbalanced Maggie Murdock. Hathaway's character builds walls around herself and takes a leap of faith when she allows Gyllenhaal to enter her sheltered world. Still somewhat unsure of her decision to do so, at the first sign of trouble Hathaway brilliantly portrays Maggie's uncertainty towards Jamie. In fact, she was so convincing that I wouldn't be surprised at all to see her nominated for Best Lead Actress at this year's Oscars.
Despite its flaws as a drama, Love and Other Drugs is a success as a comedy. Josh Gad (playing Gyllenhaal's brother in the film) is a great side character. The dialogue between siblings is laugh out loud funny, but on a few occasion's, Gad's character seems somewhat forced. However, he circumvents his way around these situations by delivering his comedic lines with excellent precision. It's not too far fetched to say that Josh Gad actually steals the film.
Love and Other Drugs is a difficult film to truly grasp. The lead character's have intentional quirks that are meant to drive the audience crazy. However, if you are a fan of Jake Gyllenhall or if you can look past his mediocrity on screen, there are plenty of laughs and heartfelt moments to enjoy.
Stars: 2 stars out of 4
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko and Brothers) and Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married and The Princess Diaries)
U.S. Release: 2010 (rated R)
Director: Edward Zwick (Blood Diamond and The Last Samurai)
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 113 Minutes
Acclaimed director Edward Zwick seems to be returning to his roots. After spending the past decade depicting epic tales like Blood Diamond and Defiance (see what I had to say about Zwick in my January archived blog about directors in Hollywood), Zwick decided to once again tackle the romantic comedy genre with his latest work Love and Other Drugs. Teaming up for the first time since the Oscar winning film Brokeback Mountain, Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway are cast together as two young adults who unconventionally fall in love. After receiving glaring reviews from countless critics, Zwick may bring home some more hardware this upcoming awards season.
Set in the late 1990s, Love and Other Drugs centers around the crafty, womanizing Jamie Randall (played by Gyllenhaal). After his sex-crazed escapades land him on unemployment, Jamie turns to the up-and-coming Pharmaceutical industry to find some work. He lands a job at Pfizer as a drug representative and begins a life of sales. While attempting to win over a big time doctor in the Ohio valley, Jamie meets the beautiful and outgoing Maggie Murdock (played by Hathaway). Almost immediately, the two begin an ongoing "friends with benefits" relationship. Ultimately, the two fall for each other, but their "baggage" may be too difficult to overcome.
Gyllenhaal and Hathaway show their remarkable chemistry on the big screen. Having previously worked together, their comfort with one another is very evident. However, Zwick spends a larger portion of the film illustrating their sexual connection rather than their emotional one. Another slight downfall to the the film was it's acting. Gyllenhaal was hardly serviceable, and it's supporting cast (Oliver Platt and Hank Azaria), historically speaking, usually give much better performances. On the other hand, Hathaway was convincing as the high strung, emotionally unbalanced Maggie Murdock. Hathaway's character builds walls around herself and takes a leap of faith when she allows Gyllenhaal to enter her sheltered world. Still somewhat unsure of her decision to do so, at the first sign of trouble Hathaway brilliantly portrays Maggie's uncertainty towards Jamie. In fact, she was so convincing that I wouldn't be surprised at all to see her nominated for Best Lead Actress at this year's Oscars.
Despite its flaws as a drama, Love and Other Drugs is a success as a comedy. Josh Gad (playing Gyllenhaal's brother in the film) is a great side character. The dialogue between siblings is laugh out loud funny, but on a few occasion's, Gad's character seems somewhat forced. However, he circumvents his way around these situations by delivering his comedic lines with excellent precision. It's not too far fetched to say that Josh Gad actually steals the film.
Love and Other Drugs is a difficult film to truly grasp. The lead character's have intentional quirks that are meant to drive the audience crazy. However, if you are a fan of Jake Gyllenhall or if you can look past his mediocrity on screen, there are plenty of laughs and heartfelt moments to enjoy.
Stars: 2 stars out of 4
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