Slick Lothario Jamie (Jake Gyllenhaal) tries his hand as pharmaceutical rep, only to fall for artist Maggie (Anne Hathaway) who's also suffering from early onset Parkinson's. Can two people who don't want serious relationships deal with their new-found feelings for one another? Is this the question Love and Other Drugs is asking? Maybe.
It gets off to a slick, manageable start, with new-to-the-game Jamie learning all the tricks of a rep and more. He's a strong, charismatic young individual, the kind of character we've come to expect from the director of The Last Samurai (2003) and Blood Diamond (2006), Edward Zwick. Then Anne Hathaway comes along, and Zwick doesn't know what to do with her.
Don't get me wrong, Zwick can direct, and he pulls some fascinating performances from a dependably on-form Hathaway, and a getting-stronger Gyllenhaal (who takes the trophy for most improved). But what should be a rise-and-fall piece about a go getter's journey through a morally questionable industry, a kind of The Social Network for the Viagra age, deviates with Hathaway's medical burden, and splits the mix into something larger but half as potent. Hathaway has proven her capability with these emotionally hefty roles before (see Rachel Getting Married (2008)), and it's a shame her story had to come as part of a mix.
It's a competent picture that ends up hitting the marks it's supposed to, and there's nothing wrong with that. But with two fascinating stories left unexplored for having to share the same film, we're reminded that two-for-one isn't always the best deal.
C+
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