Saturday, 1 January 2011

• Prev

Films Fans

Holly Arnold

Love And Other Drugs - Jake Gyllenhaal bares all

Jake is naked a lot - need I say more, ladies?

Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway were in Brokeback Mountain together

Love And Other Drugs surprised me.

From the posters and adverts I was expecting a standard rom-com, the reality is something much better.

Let's get something out of the way first; Jake Gyllenhaal (and Anne Hathaway - but that's really more for the men) is naked a lot! As his cocky pharmaceuticals salesman begins a casual relationship with Anne's free-spirited patient - there is a lot of sex. And I mean a LOT!

Despite this, that never really distracts from the story. Yes they have a lot of sex, but they are a young couple falling in love. This has to be one of the most convincing relationships ever developed on screen - one that could've made a film without the obstacles.

The big obstacle is that Anne's character Maggie has Parkinson's disease. This however is by no means a disease-movie. The film shows Maggie dealing with her illness and trying to live her life. As her relationship with Jamie develops she has to deal with the fact that she may have to be looked after.

Set amongst the morally loose world of pharmaceutical sales and the rise of Viagra, this provides a nice background to what could have been an emotionally draining subject.

Jake and Anne play their roles with sparkling charisma and a crackling chemistry that makes even the occasional cheesy moments bearable - my personal cringe being the inexplicable choir music over any slightly romantic moment.

A solid entry into the romantic comedy genre.

Love And Other Drugs is in cinemas now.