Love & Other Drugs

Eight months after health-care reform was signed into law, Universal Pictures courageously weighs in with a watered-down satire of the pharmaceutical industry.

At least we now know why Anne Hathaway's co-presenting this year's Oscars. She's not gonna make it to that stage any other way.

The two narrative strands don't quite mesh, and the movie stumbles badly when trying to effect the redemption of Randall through love.

[Its] restlessness and lack of conviction make it both fascinating and frustrating.

Well above the standards of your average romantic comedy, it's funny, sexy and smart. It's just not smart enough to stick to its guns to the end.

Ultimately, the unsettled tone undermines the romantic conclusion. Still, you've got to admire the ambition it shares with its cocky hero.

Even with its average runtime, the movie feels overlong, as the story has far too many distracting, underdeveloped subplots when all it needed to do was explore the relationship at the center.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway have never been better. [Full review in Spanish]

What pulls the film through is the impressive acting.

The battle of wits and emotions remains fresh thanks to brazen, provocative, and cleverly insightful exchanges by the two very capable leads.