Love and Other Drugs and Pfizer

My first impression on the movie when I saw its title is that it’s about love and illegal drugs. I was also half-expecting this movie to be an excuse for the makers to make Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal appear naked on screen. I was somewhat surprised though that I was able to enjoy the whole movie while learning some pharmaceutical stuff. I have learned that Zoloft has been present for years and that it may increase the risk of teen suicides (as per Jake’s character), why it’s not a good idea to take multiple tablets of Viagra at a time and just how filthy the pharmaceutical field can be.

Love and Other Drugs is a story of Jaime Randall (Jake Gyllenhaal) which was set around the year 1997. The movie starts with Jamie as an electronics salesman and being a jerk by having sex with his manager’s girlfriend. A typical good-looking jerk that is charismatic and smart but without much care with his life or relationships. Unemployed and coming from a family of achievers, he decided to be a medical representative for the drug giant, Pfizer. The story changed when she met the headstrong Maggie Murdoc (Anne Hathaway)in a clinic while she’s waiting for her medications as she has early-onset Parkinson’s disease. They had sex and as they say the rest is history as they pursued a serious relationship pestered with problems including Maggie’s fear of commitment, her failing health and Jaime’s struggle to prove himself.

I found the exchange of witty banter and steamy scenes enjoyable for most parts of the movie. I was particularly amused at Jaime having panic attacks when he said “I love you” to Maggie with her replying “I said I love you to a cat once” in an attempt to calm him down. An emotional turn started when Maggie was suffering too much tremors and they started finding ways to manage her Parkinson’s. Not that I disapprove of the emotions because I actually felt it appropriate, but the transition for me was a bit off considering how much energy was put into the fun and games.

It’s no secret that both Jake and Anne complement each other on the screen. I just wish they’d be given a more solid material the next time so their acting prowess will be showcased. Just in case most of you are wondering, this movie was based on the book Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman by Jamie Reidy. The movie was set in 1997 but the mentioned drugs are still around, some are believed to cause side effects such as in Zoloft birth defects. Also, I would like to think that this movie also served as a marketing strategy for Pfizer as Zoloft and Viagra were mentioned one too many times.