Jake Gyllenhall and Anne Hathaway reunite for one of the most predictable movies of last year. Love and Other Drugs tells the tale of a charming pharmaceutical rep, named Jaime (Gyllenhaal), who meets a free-spirited painter named Maggie (Hathaway). He falls for her and the two begin a no-strings attached love affair (although that's only after she exposes herself to a doctor who's pretending Jaime is an intern). The only problem with that friends-with-benefits arrangement? Jaime wants to have a deeper relationship but Maggie doesn't. Why? Because she suffers from Early-onset Alzheimer's and does not want Jaime to take care of her.
There isn't much I can say about this movie. It's as though the director (Edward Swick) and writers (Charles Randolph, Edward Zwick, Marshall Herskovitz) think the audience has failed to see a romantic comedy/drama before. The movie is so predictable and formulaic that I sat there the whole time saying "Here comes the fight between Maggie and Jaime, now they're going to make up, Ah now they break up for good, Big surprise he does something selfless that she will realize she loves him for. Now they stay together." Guess what? All that happened. This is precisely why I can't exactly recommend this movie. If you seen one movie in this genre you've seen them all.
With every review I write I try to look for something good in the movie. Sometimes this is impossible. I looked for something good in this film and did in fact find it. The best thing about the movie is the performances, in particular by Anne Hathaway who never fails to give a gracious and unique performance. I'm glad that both of them were at least nominated for Golden Globes although I wish they had gotten Oscar nominations as well. If for nothing else than the fact that, although saddled with a clichéd eye-roller of a screenplay, they keep the film from being boring. That speaks volumes about their talent.
One more thing I have to mention. The film is rated R for strong sexual content, nudity, pervasive language, and some drug material. The nudity is largely one-sided (Gyllenhaal shows less skin than Hathaway). That's not necessary. The filmmakers don't need to show Anne Hathaway taking off her clothes. Yes, she is a very pretty girl but the only reason to show what they had her show was to get a higher box-office gross. I don't need to watch that in order to enjoy her films.
★★1/2
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