New DVD Review-Love and Other Drugs

I was unsure what kind of a movie Love and Other Drugs would be, the previews for the film either looked Notebook like hardcore romance, or romantic comedy shenanigans. What it turned out to be was one of the best films I have seen since Oscar season ended. Love and Other Drugs is the story of Jamie Randall (Jake Gyllenhaal), a smooth, good looking, med school drop out who uses his charm and good looks in whatever job he currently has. He takes a job working as a pharmaceutical salesman during the Viagra and Zoloft boom of the late nineties. His charm and looks as well as his willingness to use women's attraction to him make him an instant success in the business. But then he meets Maggie Murdock (Anne Hathaway), a beautiful young women who also has early onset Parkinson's disease. Right from the beginning she is different to Jamie than other women he has been with, and she is not one who attaches easily. She knows that she'll continue to get sicker and sicker and she does not want someone to have to take care of her down the road. We see the relationship move from awkward beginning to something more, and eventually we see them as the reality sets in that eventually Maggie will have more symptoms then just tremors. The question then becomes how willing is Jamie to deal with her disease, and how willing is she to let him? The film gets an Oscar worthy performance from Hathaway, but it is Gyllenhaal's movie from the beginning and he nails it. The film also gets great supporting performances from Hank Azaria and Oliver Platt. The movie got a lot of publicity for its nudity, but the nudity fits in with the story and doesn't bog the film down. By the end of the movie I was very irritated with the character of Jamie's brother, who lives with Jamie despite selling his company for $32 million. He is a typical romantic comedy supporting character who is used to make the main character more attractive and for some comedic moments that don't really fit with the rest of the film. But other than that character the movie is terrific and touching and keeps you interested from the beginning. I give it 8 Ninja Stars out of 10, which is high praise, and highly recommend it.

-Maximus