Movie · 2010 · Drama, Comedy, Romance · 1h 52m · R · English
Curator score: 2.9/10 (734.9K ratings)
Addicted to one-night stands or dependent on one another?
Overview
Maggie is an alluring free spirit who won't let anyone – or anything – tie her down. But she meets her match in Jamie, whose relentless and nearly infallible charm serves him well with the ladies and the cutthroat world of pharmaceutical sales. Maggie and Jamie's evolving relationship takes them both by surprise, as they find themselves under the influence of the ultimate drug: love.
Ratings
Curator score: 2.9/10
IMDb: 6.7/10
Letterboxd: 3.24/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 49%
Metacritic: 55
TMDB: 7.0/10
Director
Edward Zwick
Production
Fox 2000 Pictures, Regency Enterprises, New Regency Pictures, Stuber Pictures, Bedford Falls Productions, Dune Entertainment
Cast
Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Oliver Platt, Hank Azaria, Josh Gad, Gabriel Macht, Judy Greer, Jill Clayburgh, George Segal, Kate Jennings Grant, Katheryn Winnick, Kimberly Scott, Peter Friedman, Nikki DeLoach, Natalie Gold, Megan Ferguson, Michael Benjamin Washington, Bingo O'Malley, Dorothy Silver, Lucy Roucis
Curator Review
Verdict
A glossy, star-driven romantic dramedy with real chemistry and a more serious undercurrent than its marketing suggests. It works best as a relationship movie with sharp banter and emotional vulnerability, but the tonal shifts and uneven handling of its medical subplot keep it from fully landing.
Best for
fans of adult romantic dramas with a comedic edge
viewers who like strong lead chemistry
audiences interested in illness-and-relationship stories
people okay with a messy, uneven but heartfelt romance
Skip if
you want a consistently funny rom-com
you prefer tightly written, tonally balanced films
you are sensitive to sexualized marketing overshadowing the story
you want a deeply nuanced treatment of chronic illness
Overview
Love & Other Drugs is at its best when it lets Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway spar, flirt, and slowly reveal the damage underneath their charm. The movie has a breezy, seductive surface, but it keeps drifting into something sadder and more fragile, especially once illness and dependency enter the picture.
Worth noting
That tension gives it some bite, even if the film never fully decides whether it wants to be a frank romantic dramedy, a pharmaceutical satire, or a tearful love story. The result is uneven, but the leads are engaging enough to make the emotional swings watchable.
Bottom line
If you come for chemistry and a more adult, imperfect romance, there’s enough here to justify the ride. If you want a cleaner script or a more satisfying balance between comedy and drama, it may leave you frustrated.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Marian (3.5★) · 9593 likes
i'm well aware of how bad this movie is but anne hathaway is either naked or wearing overalls for like 80% of it and i'm a lesbian
cara (3.5★) · 6178 likes
i'm the spider who bit anne hathaway's tiddie
lauren (3.5★) · 4716 likes
jake gyllenhaal is a church and i am the 84 year old white haired old lady there two hours every day of the week
giovana :) (3★) · 4580 likes
HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT A MOVIE THAT TALKS SO MUCH ABOUT HOW BIG JAKE GYLLENHAAL'S DICK IS DOES NOT, AT LEAST ONCE, SHOW HIS DICK????? this ain't FAIR
cassie (3★) · 4037 likes
“you need someone to take care of you.””no I don’t!””everybody does.”
where are the DEMONS who lied and said this was a comedy I just wanna talk