That's a good thing.
If you were to look at the trailer, you'd think it was a fun, romantic comedy about two people with a casual relationship that becomes much more. For the first half or so, that's exactly what you get. Then it veers from its predictable course into something much deeper and it's a better movie for it.
Jamie (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a pharmaceutical rep and a bit of a ladies man. He's the guy we've all met at some point in our life. He's a fast talker, knows exactly how to manipulate a woman into going wild for him and measures his life by notches on his bedpost. That makes him perfect for his job since he's selling his company's newest wonder drug, Viagra.
While trying to land a huge client, Jamie meets Maggie (Anne Hathaway), a self-confessed drug-whore who is trying to snag a prescription to help deal with Parkinson's disease. Her doctor is skeptical about the diagnosis, but she has the cash. Jamie is instantly smitten and decides to make her his next conquest. It's a rough start, but it turns out Maggie is looking for the same sexual escape as Jamie, so the two strike up a "With Benefits" relationship.
Then things change. Jamie falls for Maggie and she reluctantly enters the relationship, but there's a complication. Maggie has Parkinson's disease and isn't sure she wants to take Jamie along for the ride.
I wish Love & Other Drugs was the movie it evolves into rather than the one it first presents. Maggie's revelation and Jamie's reaction are more interesting than the first half, which more or less amounts to numerous sex scenes. It's too much setup and not enough pay-off. Jamie's reaction is reasonable and works for the character. It's a narcissistic move, but also incredibly human. I'm not asking for a disease-of-the-week melodrama, but the plot point is a better story and deserves more space than it gets.
Were it not for its leads, Love & Other Drugs would likely fall apart. It has a really hard time balancing its story elements, relying on Gyllenhaal and Hathaway to put on a show and hold everything together until the real story kicks into gear. Both stars are the focus of their own featurettes where they discuss their characters. I'm usually not a fan of this sort of extra, but I'm a big fan of both performers, so I really got into it.
The two are also a big part of "Love & Other Drugs: An Actor's Discussion." A few ideas are repeated, but the focus here is more on how the two worked together as an on screen couple. It's by no means a "Must Watch" but, if you're a fan, it's a fun, quick watch.
Finally, there's a short featurette on Jamie Reidy, whose memoir served as a loose inspiration for the film. I sort of wish this hadn't been included, not because it's a bad feature, but it dinged my appreciation of the film a bit more. Before watching, I had already decided the second half was more interesting than the first. After, however, I decided to do a little research and decided Reidy's story was way more interesting and would have made an even better story.
As we usually say, Love & Other Drugs isn't the sort of movie you have to own on Blu-ray. That said, it's a stunning transfer. The colors are great, textures pop... everything looks stunning. I noticed sharp edges in one scene, but I tend to look for that sort of thing. The Blu-ray also comes with a BD Live enabled extra, "Jake's Favorite Scene" and LIVE LOOKUP. The added extra is okay, though I dug LIVE LOOKUP more than I should. I'm the annoying person who has to know where I've seen every familiar face on screen, so the option to instantly access IMDb.com is a cool option (and an annoying one for people who don't share my particular obsession).
Another plus is the addition of a digital copy. I didn't fall in love with the movie, but I see myself watching it again.
Love & Other Drugs is still geared towards fans of romantic comedies, though it's smarter than most. It toys with the genre's conventions while exploring new venues, which is welcome. Still, it doesn't explore as much as it should. When it gets away from the norm, it's a better movie, and though it probably won't be enough to hook non-genre fans, it adds something different to at least keep them entertained.
