published on at the movies with

i liked it!

advanced screening sponsored by

by jessica valenzuela, @mavindigital

2 Friday, October 22, 2010

Maggie Murdock, free-spirited gorgeous woman artist played by Anne Hathaway, who is diagnosed at a very young age with Parkinson’s disease. Jamie Randall, young man who seems to get away with the ladies for his disarming charm and sexy good looks, yet does not have a lot going for him until he gets fired from his sales post at an electronics good store.

Anne Hathaway’s classic American beauty and smile draws you into her character. You won’t learn much about Maggie’s past...all you need to know is displayed in naked glory on screen for you to fall in love with her character. By that, I don’t mean the nudity.

the characters

narrativeBoy meets girl and girl meets boy. The courtship ensues. Typically (in America), girl plays hard to get, boy plays coy. She tells him where she is from, what her family is like. He shares his dreams, passion and work. It could go on for weeks, plus the three-day rule “to call or not to call.” None of that bullshit in Love & Other Drugs. The opposite ensues. It is is refreshing to see a woman character in an American film who is very open with her sexuality in beastly passion. Sex on the floor, sex by the trash cans during coffee break, filming while sex and booty calls by Maggie who shows up at Jamie’s apartment door at 2AM.

Jake Gyllenhaal remarked during Q&A for the CMJ Film Festival Marathon 2010 at the Clearview Cinema in Chelsea “Anne Hathaway wanted to see a stronger female character by owning Maggie’s sexuality. She trumped Jamie in the business of getting laid, which was her way of keeping people at bay. There was a sense of authenticity that we both wanted to show in the film. We didn’t want to just make love, then cover ourselves up.” Thumbs up to that!

Jake Gyllenhaal’s sexy, sexy boyish charm (yes that man is very sexy!) and humor made me burst out laughing by the time the first frame rolled on screen. Jake’s character Jamie, plays the oldest son, labeled as an under-achiever (so it seems) in a family of over-achievers, with the exception of sex and the women department. His younger successful brother, played by Josh Gad remarked in a conversation on the family’s front porch, “if you got paid having sex, you’ll be a millionaire by now.” Maggie and Jamie meet for the very first time in a doctor’s office somewhere in the Ohio River Valley, he posing as a doctor’s intern while caught staring at her luscious left breast, as she was getting examined by Dr. Knight.

3 Friday, October 22, 2010

Yes, there is a lot of butt crack, boobies and sexuality in the film mixed in with a lot of humor. It felt like I was viewing a film written by English author, Barbara Cartland (I read her when I was 13, sneaking her books from our Catholic School’s library!). The sexual energy and humor also reminded me of the film Henri et June, based on a novel by favorite author, French-Cuban Anais Nin who lived in New York and Paris in the 1930s.

Maggie’s unattached, independent attitude, I don’t want a relationship type draws Jamie more. He discovers that beneath her strength Maggie is vulnerable. Blending sexuality, romance, humor and still recognizing the seriousness of a deadly disease like Parkinsons is not easy to mash in a medium visually enthralling as film. Love & Other Drugs was executed with such perfect balance. It takes chemistry among the cast and its Director, the brilliant and talented Ed Zwick who brought to life masterpieces like Glory, Broke Back Mountain and Blood Diamond to name a few.

Love & Other Drugs is a period piece echoing the late 1990s when Viagra (need I say more?) was released. OMG, remember when you said “page” me? As opposed to today’s “txt me” or “FB me?”

i like it...In the same vein as I fell in love with Million Dollar Baby (many called it depressing), I called it fascinating. The power of movie and music can make you believe in the unconditional capability of the human spirit. I thought Million Dollar Baby was so artfully filmed too with the depth of light and shadow. The cast was stunning. While Love & Other Drugs showcased a natural chemistry that exist between Anne Hathaway, Jake Gyllenhaal and Director Ed Zwick. A bond of trust which resonates with the audience. “I was so excited to work with someone I knew and trust again, shared Jake.”

Love & Other Drugs addressed the sarcasm of Parkinson’s, the general fear of loving someone for the first time wholly, completely and unconditionally -- not many know how to go there. Seeing the journey of two people who meet for the first time magnetized by sexuality, which evolves into intimately connected, emotional and caring couple made me ask the question: how do we choose who to love? Is there a convenient time? You’ll see Maggie and Jamie go through moments that may be so familiar to you. It was for me.

As corny as this may sound, to those who see me as over business-sy...the truth is, I do believe in love. The wind knows of many moments when I’d walk down the street, beach or dusty road admiring couples in their 60s, at times 80s holding hands and still look endearingly into each other’s eyes. I know that is not an everyday moment for both of them. I’m sure there has been moments when shoes and other objects could have been hurled at each other...yet the 10,000 little moments that brought them together holds steadfast rain or shine. I believe that humans have that pure capability to go there -- it takes courage to let go of fear -- in exchange for love. It takes the right man and woman to meet in the right moment.

Love & Other Drugs shares real moments in human behavior as two people make their choices around fear, love and the possibilities of building a lifetime together. See it! Opening in the US on November 24!

4 Friday, October 22, 2010

“i never thought i was enough, until i met you. that is why i need you.”

i liked it!

published on at the movies withadvanced screening sponsored by