Love and Other Drugs

Sometimes life can feel a little unbalanced as you try and find just that, balance. Through the harder times that you may face people will look for ways to avoid thinking of the turmoil you may face using laughter and maybe if you’re lucky the comfort of another person if only for a little while. There are a lot of people out there who will critique this movie for being unbalanced. Considering the material, I think that is exactly why I liked Love and Other Drugs.

The story features two actors who feed very well off each other, which is probably why this is the second time they are being coupled up. Having previously knocked boots in Brokeback Mountain, the two seem to try and make another Academy run. While this one will fall short of any nomination, that doesn't stop the two actors from lighting up the screen.

Based in the nineties Jake Gyllenhaal plays Jamie Randall, a man who is currently trying to find his calling. While passionate about whatever he does, he often lets his passions get in his way. Until his charm is able to help him in a billion dollar industry with pharmaceuticals. It also allows him to meet Maggie Murdock, played by Anne Hathaway, who suffers from Level 1 Parkinson's. Both are looking for a casual encounter, to help them keep their minds off the heavier stuff.

The movie tries a little too hard to capture the era with some of its music selections but we'll give it a pass since visually the nineties don't look all that different from today. From there the movie fluxuates between a comedy, romantic comedy, drama, and then back to romantic comedy. Not to say that many Rom-Coms don't try and do just that, but it seems like director Edward Zwick is not sure what story he wants to tell. He starts with a romantic comedy featuring a lot of naked Anne Hathaway, I mean a lot of naked, but if I looked as good as her naked I'm sure I wouldn't mind bearing it all either. From there the movie shifts towards a look at how people with a life altering disease and those around them cope. What seems like two different stories may be attributed to the movie coming out of two different source materials. The movie is based loosely on Jamie Reidy's memoir "Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman," along with Zwick and his buddy Marshall Herskovitz contributing a love storyline.

MINOR SPOILER ALERT (I TALK MORE ABOUT TONE)

While the bulk of the movie was enjoyable, even with two different messages occurring within the flick, the end retreats back to a cliché romantic comedy and ends in a very cliché way. The rest of the movie was different from what has recently come out of Hollywood and had something to say, even if it wasn’t defined. But because the movie was so unclear, I think Zwick, who also helped with the screenplay, had no choice but to retreat back to a formulaic approach to the movie, leaving the viewer with a bad taste in their mouth walking out of the theater.

SPOILER OVER

Gyllenhaal and Hathaway don’t have to do this all by their lonesome. They get some big help from a solid supporting cast. Oliver Platt stars as a mentor to James Randall showing him the ropes of the traveling salesman; Platt’s character follows along with the storyline showing off both a funny and softer side. The main sales target for these two is Hank Azaria playing Dr. Stan Knight who can be bought off for the right price. Then there is James’ brother Josh who is set for life and introduces him to the business, but then doesn’t really have too much reason to be in the movie. While getting more screen time than his other co-stars, after getting his brother the job Josh doesn’t serve much of a purpose besides being the occasional comic relief. He does a good job in the role, but even Jamie eventually asks his brother why he’s crashing the couch.

Yes, the movie loses its way but its hearts in the right place. Not only that, but the two young actors’ charisma help outshine any problems that the story may have. I liked this movie a whole lot, as there were some moments that really hit home, but can understand those who just felt lost in the jumble. B-/C+