Review of Love & Other Drugs (2010) by David M — 23 Jul 2011

I'm not usually into rom-com's, but the Anne Hathaway/Jake Gyllenhall duo is fun and appealing. This is the second film where they've been lovers, and the more developed. I felt Hathaway's portrayal of a chronically ill person was accurate--her outbursts and bitterness was believable and spot-on.

I did feel that her illness was not shown correctly--her symptoms should have been presented sooner in the plot and perhaps more obvious even on her "good days." I like Gyllenhall's character, and I did believe his low self-esteem--the biggest voices are usually covering up for even bigger inne turmoil.

I also found his "I'm the man, and I'm going to fix this" attitude very realistic--the family of chronically ill patients generally have such pro-active attitudes to conceal their feelings of powerlessness.

My major pet peeve with this film was the pacing and the length--too long! Also the ending was very "tell" rather than "show." I like the montage of images through the apartment, but I would have liked to see perhaps Hathaway/Gyllenhall's characters perhaps 5-10 years later.

The film took place in the mid-late '90's, so it would not be inconceivable for a "present day" scene at the end. Overall, I liked the simplicity of the plot and Hathaway is mesmerizing as an actress.