Love & Other Drugs is a romantic drama film which was directed by Edward Zwick and produced in 2010. It is based on a non fiction book “Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman”, Jamie Reidy, authored. The movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal, taking the role of Jamie Randall, a driven, smooth-talking pharmaceutical sales man, while Anne Hathaway acts as Murdock, an inspiring artist affected by an early onset of Parkinson’s disease.
Jamie, being a great talker, has an interview as a pharmaceutical sales rep in the late 90s for Pfizer, right at the time when there’s a boom in the pharmaceutical industry due to Viagra launch. While he is competing with other exectives to win over as many doctors as possible to boost up his sales, he crosses paths with Maggie, who happens to be this strong, assertive woman and refuses to become emotionally available due to her condition. They both decided not to get attached, but were free to hook up. But then they began to really care for each other.
But for Maggie, Jamie being around her presented another problem: she had a sickness she feared would be an inconvenience. But Jamie did just not care what challenges he might face in being with Maggie – he was willing to be by her side no matter what. The film attempts to show their emotional excursion in terms of love, the weaknesses they are able to bear to face and the other side of loving someone with a terminal illness.
Primary Characters
Jamie Randall (Jake Gyllenhaal) : An easy going man who just wanders through life and at any sales job, comes to terms with his true purpose after falling in love with M.
Maggie Murdock (Anne Hathaway): This strong woman has been through so much while suffering from a condition that some would call a disability. She is exceptionally intelligent and witty, and has made a decision to live life the way she sees fit.
Bruce Winston (Oliver Platt): A dreamer who aims to reach the top in a Pfizer corporate context and aids jamie while also serving as his mentor.
Josh Randall (Josh Gad): Jamie’s lovable brother, whose attempts to be humorous often result in no one laughing.
Dr. Knight (Hank Azaria): The sales machine for Jamie’s novel therapeutics, the man whose respect for the Pfizer flag aids the growth of Jamie’s sales.
Discussion and Themes
- Love that Requires Surrender
As the name suggests, love and other drugs is a story revolving around love and showcases how emotional intimacy can foster a connection. Both vacate the promise of ‘emotional involvement’ in the beginning, one as a cautionary step for the evolution of genuine stars such as compassion and endurance.
- Medical Experience and Personhood:
Maggie’s struggle for control amidst dependency, identity and need due to Parkinson’s disease is one of the central issues in the film. The film depicts how progressive disease illness affects one’s control and identity. Maggie’s struggle has been portrayed in a sensitive manner depicting the psychological trauma and the physical challenges of a progressive disease.
- Enterprise and Meaning:
Jamie’s transition from being a self-centered salesman to someone who places love and purpose before profits is another transformation in the film. The film shows the conflict between ambition to self-succeed and the desire for greater meaning, especially when career success alone cannot provide satisfaction any longer.
- Avarice of the Corporations and Medicine:
The film is set during the late 1990s when the pharmaceutical industry began expanding rapidly, and it gently criticizes the influence of powerful pharmaceutical companies, particularly when the so-called blockbuster drugs like Viagra started becoming widely available. Jamie is able to give up on ideal employment and get a fulfilling job in the cosmetics industry, but as he enters into the healthcare field, he sells himself on these fanciful visions and then becomes increasingly disappointed.
Performances: With Gyllenhaal portraying a flawless Jamie, the viewers are sure to appreciate the comedic timing of Gyllenhaal alongside his emotionally deep performance – Gyllenhaal undoubtedly showcased charisma and nuances. The transition of Jamie from a shallow womanizing character to an emotionally fueled partner is cohesive and creates a feeling.
Hathaway in Brief: This talented actress received a Golden Globe nomination due to her outstanding portray of a woman who has concurrently humor, strong presence, but also deep emotional vulnerability. Her character was raw, honest yet tender, especially when she attempted to grasp onto the emotional consistencies of her sickness.
They blend together remarkably well and the combination of their strong performances is the solid base for the plot.
Direction and Cinematography: While watching this love story directed by Edward Zwick expect plenty of laughs mixed in with some deep moments. The close angles and light focus do a great job on portraying love between Jamie and Maggie, the late 90s corporate America gives good context to how Jamie was developing his career.
Jamie and Maggie’s relationship and it’s ups and downs is well woven into the plot and develop alongside it, the temperature change in shots conveying the emotions well with some soft lighting and warm environments to contrast the cold and dark viewers coming from a pharma or a doctor’s office event.
Soundtrack:
An array of songs forms the film’s soundtrack and they work to create the mood of the story. Songs such as “Don’t Panic” by Coldplay and “Praise You” by Fatboy Slim help mark the various moods of the movie, encapsulating the feeling of joy and emotional vulnerability.
Reception:
IMDb Rating: 6.7/10
Gyllenhaal and Hathaway’s performances were highly praised especially their connection and range of emotions they were able to showcase. On the other hand, some reviewers felt that the movie felt all over the place in terms of overall tone, as it suffered from the combination of romantic comedy and serious drama. Audiences still enjoyed the movie due to its sincere portrayal of love and illness.
Maggie was Anne Hathaway’s most criticized criticism because she was considered to have a great range and there was an explicit mix of emotions and humor she was able to impressively juggle. Jake Gyllenhaal was also credited for playing a character that could be perceived as a cookie-cut character and instead made him multi-dimensional.
Why It Stands Out
Portrayed with honesty, Love & Other Drugs centers around a relationship where both the characters are seeking emotional growth while struggling with illness. This film has certainly gone the extra mile by comedic film cliches to touch aspects such as vulnerability, unconditional love and selflessness. The movie also provides its viewers realistic aspects of loving a person who has a chronic disease, making the concept of love more comprehensible and logical.
Conclusion
This film is a drama filled with romance analyzing the relationships of people suffering with disease focusing on growth. The combination of humor with emotional moments in the movie along with the phenomenal acting from both Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal transforms this movie into a rollercoaster centered around the relationship of two people with a myriad of romance and hardships.
For audiences interested in movies that focus on fictional characters who are set in the real world as ordinary people who fall in love, this movie will strike a chord with them. It will always be a reminder to the audiences that not all love stories are as easy and picture-perfect as they seem, love requires sacrifices and the strength to support a person even when there is no promise of a better day.
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