Anne Hathaway: 10 greatest movies of all time
By Reed Gaudens
9. Love & Other Drugs
Original Release Date: Love & Other Drugs was first screened at AFI Fest on Nov. 4, 2010, before branching out for a wide theatrical release on Nov. 24, the day before Thanksgiving.
Box Office Earnings: With its Thanksgiving release date, Love & Other Drugs received stiff competition from Tangled, Burlesque, Faster, and holdover Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. The romantic drama struggled domestically but picked up steam overseas for a worldwide gross of $103 million against a budget of $30 million.
Critical Acclaim: Love & Other Drugs might be one of the best examples of “mixed reception” from critics, as it holds a 49% on Rotten Tomatoes. Most critics praised the performances of Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway but found fault in the film’s narrative imbalance. Nonetheless, Gyllenhaal and Hathaway were each nominated for Golden Globes and Satellite Awards for their roles, with Hathaway winning the latter.
About the Role: Hathaway plays 20-something Maggie Murdock, an artist and waitress who suffers from early-onset Parkinson’s disease. She meets pharmaceutical sales rep and all-around playboy Jamie Randall (Jake Gyllenhaal) through curious circumstances, and their attraction defies the difficulties of her health and his growing career. As Maggie, Hathaway brings a complicated depth to the forefront but never loses her magnetic sense of humor.
Simply the Best: Most Anne Hathaway fans might swipe out Love & Other Drugs with a more popular film like The Dark Knight Rises, Get Smart, or Brokeback Mountain — hits that found the star showcasing a different shade of her talent. But she does that as Maggie, and it has nothing to do with the highly publicized nudity. Sure, she strips down, but she also strips down to a raw and honest center as an actor, making her performance the best part of the movie.