Review of Love & Other Drugs (2010) by Chris C — 22 Sep 2011

If you're looking for a satire about the pharmaceutical industry, look elsewhere; Love and Other Drugs seems to go for that occasionally, but chickens out before it makes a real point. It also tries to make real insights about sex, love and relationships, but doesn't quite make it on that front either. It's really just a run-of-the-mill romantic comedy with a way above average quota of nudity and sex, and if that's what you're looking for, then you might enjoy it.

My biggest problem with the movie, I guess, is that it never goes all the way with anything. Three quarters of the way, it's a very cynical (almost unbearably so) comedy that actually manages to maintain a level of realism while offering some half-insights about human nature and sexuality. Then, in the very last thirty minutes, it turns into a sickeningly sweet Hollywood rom-com, complete evading so many issues raised before and making most of the movie completely irrelevant, especially the parts that spent quite a lot of energy getting us to dislike the protagonist.

Overall, it's just a mess. The two leads do a commendable job - especially Anne Hathaway - but they can't save this half-assed script.