Love and Other Drugs ***

Anne Hathaway as Maggie and Jake Gyllenhaal as Jamie are totally sexy and charming in what seems at first like a fluffy romantic comedy, based on the true story of a Viagra salesman in the '90s. Hard driving, win at any cost drug salesmen, the skewed priorities of the U.S. health industry, and the dot com bubble all come in for attack, but the center of the story is Jamie's pursuit of the free spirited Maggie. Then the movie turns darker as Maggie suffers more and more from her early-onset Parkinson's, and she and Jamie must confront their own fears and demons. I think it's the best romantic comedy of the year, which I know is faint praise, but there are plenty of laughs as well a serious side to this movie, and superb performances from Hathaway and Gyllenhaal. Supporting roles are strong as well, especially Oliver Platt as Jamie's boss and mentor.

Rated R. 112 minutes. Edward Zwick - Director / Writer (screenplay) / Producer, Charles Randolph - Writer (screenplay) / Producer, Marshall Herskovitz - Writer (screenplay) / Producer, Jamie Reidy -Writer (book "Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman"), Pieter Jan Brugge - Producer, Scott Stuber - Producer, Steven Fierberg - Cinematographer, James Newton Howard - Composer, Patti Podesta - Production Designer, Steven Rosenblum - Editor. Distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.

Principal actors: Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Oliver Platt, Hank Azaria, Josh Gad.