Love and Other Drugs

The "Other Drugs" in the title refers to the life of a successful pharmaceutical salesman, and half the film is devoted to how he got there. It's a really interesting, actually a fascinating trip, and, if it's at all true, rather horrific. I've known -- well, friend of a friend -- two, and while one says it isn't so, the other says it is. According to this movie, it depends on how successful you want to be as to how vague your moral line will be.

Jamie (Jake Gyllenhaal) is perfect for this new job. He's a sleazebag from 'way back, humping his way through several jobs, totally bored with his parents, and not knowing which way to turn. He's told this job will bring him money by utilizing his charm, and charm it takes -- plus bribes of all sizes -- anything he needs to use to get inside those doctors' offices and leave his free samples of what drugs his company is pushing.

I was surprised when, during the storyline, Viagra is introduced as a new drug. I apparently missed the note at the beginning of the movie that action starts in 1996. Even the more fascinating.

Anne Hathaway, the woman with a condition that no drug can cure, is the ballast that steadies Jamie. Their love affair seems very real and poignant.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It's got heart, it's got a sense of humor, especially in the beginning, and I liked the lessons learned. Gyllenhaal and Hathaway are an unbeatable dual force.

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