I was an adolescent in the 1980s, and as such, I can recall a number of awesome, pop-culture events that were synonymous with the decade. There was break dancing, then, Cabbage Patch Kids. But my favorite fixation was the softcore porn flicks, acting as romantic comedies that defined those years. It was great: For the price of admission to the local multiplex, you could see a movie star – butt naked – simulating sex on screen; fake orgasms, dry humping and all. I always wondered what happened to this filmmaking phenomenon.

... Then I saw Love and Other Drugs and realized, “Aw, hell! Fox just brought sexy back!” The romantic dramedy reteams Academy Award nominees Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal who last bumped uglies in 2005’s Brokeback Mountain. In Love and Other Drugs, he is Jamie, a handsome slacker who recently got fired from his electronics job for banging the boss’ girlfriend. Not content to fall into the shadow of his overachieving brother (Josh Gad), Jamie switches gears and becomes a pharmaceutical rep for Pfizer.

He starts pushing his prescription smack to local doctors and eventually encounters a beautiful patient named Maggie (Hathaway). Jamie learns that she has Parkinson’s disease, but this doesn’t deter his lust. Before you can say, “Magnums or regular?” these two lovebirds are banging each other senseless on the floor, in the bed and ... well, everywhere.

 Things for Jamie improve even more when Viagra (brought to you by the good people at Pfizer) hits the shelves, making him a very successful boy. Sadly, Maggie’s condition begins to intensify and this, ultimately, tests their loyalty to each other.

While Love and Other Drugs offers no new insights into the romance genre, it’s so much fun. Hathaway and Gyllenhaal look fantastic together. This film is a hot and contemporary must-see for date night or for late night – whatever floats your boat.

Grade: B



Love and Other Drugs releases in theaters Nov. 24.