Love & Other Drugs

Love & Other Drugs (2010) is a romantic comedy with a meaningful punch. The story begins with Jamie Randall (Jake Gyllenhaal) a womanizing pharmaceutical salesman trying to reach his quota. On one occasion of him trying to pitch Zoloft to Doctor Knight (Hank Azaria), he manages to orchestrate a plan to shadow Knight for the day as a pretend intern. This allows him access to patients like Maggie Murdock (Anne Hathaway), who happens to be in a state of undress when we meet her.

This setup is typical of the usual romcom. Characters meet. There’s a lie. They fall in love. Truth comes out. Relationship experiences struggle. They end up together. Blah blah blah.

However, Love & Other Drugs subverts audience expectations almost immediately after this when Maggie pummels Jamie in the clinic parking lot.

The couple is honest with each other and it’s refreshing to see such a common trope avoided. The plot more so focuses on Jamie’s growing obsession with selling the explosive new drug, Viagra, and Maggie’s struggle with Parkinson’s disease in the backdrop (until the end where it takes center stage). There is a larger conversation about big pharma and how the push for medication has impacted the medical field that we know today.

I definitely cried during this film. Both Hathaway and Gyllenhaal are so genuine in their performances and their love is so real that you can’t help but root for them.

I laughed a lot, too. Josh Gad plays Jamie Randall’s less attractive but more successful brother and his dialogue is tirelessly entertaining.

Overall, this film was a great watch and I would gladly watch it again. I highly recommend. Just beware, there is a lot of nudity as well as strong language.

Rating: R

My Score: 4.5/5