Love and Other Drugs (2010)

Ed Zwick's Love and Other Drugs is not a film I should be interested seeing. 

From the way it has been marketed to Ed Zwick's previous films like The Last Samurai, The Siege- 2 films so worthy and boring but I’m drawn to it because the actors, Hathaway and Gyllenhaal who are infinitely likable as well as Hank Azaria and Oliver Platt, especially. So I’m giving this film my time, as it's a departure in genre for Zwick (Not really, Codes.) and romantic comedy can be a great gamble; an audience knows the drill in terms of plot, so expectations are naturally low but a success can be magical should it happen…

Even the most diplomatic viewer would have to say that this film is mess. It's a film at war with where its set- is it the soundtrack and time-line of the 90's or the script and visual-style of the 80's? Can i find much fault with a film that opens joyously with Two Princes by Spin Doctors?

Well, that is a solid place to start but it's really down hill from there. Oliver Platt, Judy Greer and the amazing Hank Azaria are doing great work here but that was to be expected. My main issue (there are too many little ones to mention: Josh Gad doing a poor man's Jonah Hill schtick, George Segal being completely underused, etc.) with Love and Other Drugs is the issue of likeability in it's stars.

Based on their previous work, I really like Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal. I can't say either has been in any of my favourite films but I’ve always liked them in whatever they were in or in interviews. I'm not likely to ever watch Prince of Persia or The Devil Wears Prada again but they come across very well in these films. A perfect example is Brokeback Mountain.

In that film, Hathaway and Gyllenhaal play a (sham) married couple but despite the fact, that she's in the film for a short time, they really succeed in portraying people while not IN love,that have a loving relationship based on mutual respect.

So it's bewildering to me that I hated them in this film. (Or is that testament to their acting skills (?!)

Gyllenhaal plays a distasteful drugs sales rep/lady-killer/all-round douche dipper. All i could do was concentrate hate at him for the 20-30mins before Hathaway turns up.

Because then my loathing for Jake, paled in comparison to how much i wanted Anne's character to die.

'It's okay, Cody-she's got a disease- she won't survive the credits.... Shit- it's just Parkinson's-Rats!'
The character she plays suffers from extreme self-loathing- the Parkinson's seems like mild discomfort.

If she didn't suffer from that, she'd probably try to get a toe-reduction 'to allow herself to be happy with herself' or some shit. Christ.
I even was disgusted by Anne Hathaway's boobs. Boobs. Who is I to be disgusted by boobs?

Meanwhile- Jake Gyllenhaal's character is becoming more successful in his work due to the invention of Viagra because he's works for Pfizer. Oh, i forgot to mention this was based on the life of a real cock-sweet-salesman. Well that's cos so does the film- it's not really that concerned with that stuff once Hathaway's character arrives and when it goes back to see how Gyllenhaal's work-life is ticking over, it seems really miscellaneous and plodding.

But i was surprised that after the 1st hour, the film really improved. (If 30mins of something can redeem the previous 1hr of shit.) It starts saying insightful things about what builds relationships. Like if Hathaway and Gyllenhaal's characters are dicks (They are.) and their relationship is held together with the glue of great sex (Sex glue.) and it's not like they have many redeeming features or seek humanitarian endeavours (They really don't-when Hathaway sorts out bus trips to Canada for cheap drugs for oldies, you know it's just for the climatic chase. Actually, there's a great throwaway line, where Gyllenhaal asks if they leave a cafe *sigh* for steamy sex, before being served, does he have to tip!) What is it that they do like about each other? Why are they attracted to each other?

Hathaway asks around the 80min point (would have saved a lot of time if she'd brought it up 40mins before...) 'God knows I’m a hideous yeast infection of a bitch, I am rarely nice to you, It's not even clear what i do while you're at work selling penis pills. (Artist? Waitress? Grey market pharmaceutical travel agent?) - I mean what is it about me that you could possibly like?'

Gyllenhaal answers ''Look… i don't know but when we're together, we make each other happy and… maybe that's enough.' (It is.) 
That personally resonates volumes with me but it doesn't make for a 90mins in the cinema. I'm certain i wouldn't have given this film my full concentration at home on TV or DVD.

I watched Love and Other Drugs at the cinema, on its UK opening day.
My 2011 in Movies will return with The Brothers Bloom (2009)...