"Love and Elixir", in short, tells the story of a drug sales representative Jamie (Jake Gyllenhaal) and a young female artist Maggie (Anne Hathaway) suffering from Parkinson's disease in the 1990s in the United States. ) love story. From the very beginning, the two people were attracted to each other purely based on sex. They experienced twists and turns, and finally they became true love. They walked together through a road of learning to accept themselves and each other, and decided to face together because of Maggie's condition. Destined to be full of life of trials.
This is the "love" thread of the story, and the most commendable part of the movie. Anne-Hathaway, who has always been shown as the girl next door, performed the largest performance in the film since she was filmed, so that all the publicity of the film later made a fuss about her nude scenes, and another main axis of the film "Elixir" "Almost forgotten.
In fact, the part of "Elixir" is very important, not only the "eyes", but also the theme of social criticism and thought-provoking. In the first 20 minutes of the film, through the eyes of Jamie, a rookie in drug sales, we get a glimpse of the true nature of the drug sales industry. From brainwashing pre-employment training, to selling medicines by building relationships with doctors, to the unspoken rules of hiring beautiful and handsome guys to sell medicines, the director has the attitude of opening the black box of the medicine industry, but all this is in the heroine Maggie When it came out, it stopped abruptly, the movie was fully occupied by the theme of love, and the "elixir" that had just entered the play could only be reduced to a pitiful background.
In fact, as pointed out at the beginning, many people may say that this movie is originally a romantic film, it is just popcorn, why should you expect it to be stewed pork ribs with corn? However, all the signs are actually showing that the original intention of the movie was to stew the two ingredients of "love story" and "pharmaceutical industry" into a pot of thick soup, but it was too powerful to only fry a pot of fragrance and no nutrition. of popcorn.
The script for the film came from the autobiography of a Viagra salesman named Jamie Reddy, Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman. It's a history of personal success, but it's also filled with revelations and lashings of insiders in pharmaceutical sales. I haven't read the book and can't tell if the love story in the movie is also traced in the book. However, if you think about the setting of the identities of the male and female protagonists, it is actually very interesting, and from this you can see the far-reaching meaning that the movie could have had.
The male protagonist, Jamie, is a new drug salesman who starts out selling antidepressant drugs, but can't always beat a salesman from another company that has dominated the market. In the process of hitting walls everywhere, he saw many unspoken rules and dark sides of the pharmaceutical industry. Jamie's career took a turn for the worse when he won the sale of Will, the company's new product, Viagra. With this so-called epoch-making product, Jamie gained both fame and fortune, and was appreciated by his boss to be promoted to the Chicago headquarters (although he later gave up this opportunity for love). The heroine, Maggie, is a rare young Parkinson's disease patient. Her symptoms are in the first stage, not very serious, but they are almost irreversibly progressing in the direction of exacerbation. The love between these two people actually brings together the most prosperous side and the coldest and most helpless side of the American medical industry, reflecting each other. Jamie's sales of "Viagra" are sought after everywhere, not only to make money, but also to establish a mutual-aid partnership with doctors who were originally refusing to travel thousands of miles away. Pharmaceutical companies and hospitals saw that the product was lucrative and invested heavily to promote it. However, Parkinson's patients like Maggie suffer from expensive and difficult medical treatment. Maggie regularly rides with many other Parkinson's patients to nearby Canada for medical treatment. As for the reason, the reason is only mentioned in the movie, suggesting that it is because it is too expensive to watch in the United States. Jamie, who was well-versed in the medical world because of the sale of "Viagra", finally helped Maggie make an appointment with a doctor from another place, but was ruthlessly let go. When the "medical exhibition" full of money and sex was in full swing, many Parkinson's patients gathered at the venue opposite the exhibition to discuss their conditions, exchange life insights, and encourage each other. All of this is in contrast to the harsh reality in the pharmaceutical world: a lucrative commodity, even a painless drug like "Viagra", will be highly sought after, becoming a popular fried chicken touted by hospitals and pharmaceutical companies. However, many patients who really need medical help can only find a way out on their own. Jamie developed through the sale of "Viagra", but found that he could not help his girlfriend who was suffering from Parkinson's disease and was facing despair. The blow was not only heavy but also disillusioning. In the end, he gave up the opportunity for promotion, left the booming "Viagra" sales industry, and chose to study in medical school. This choice also reflects that the male protagonist finally chooses affection between interests and affection, and chooses medical research in the pharmaceutical sales industry with the sole purpose of profit and the cold and unprofitable medical research. This critically realistic ending is actually very powerful
Of course, it would be acceptable and even quite touching to evaluate this film only as a typical Hollywood sweetheart romance. The English title of the film "Love and Other Drugs" has a rhyme that the Chinese translation "Love and Other Drugs" does not convey. Love itself is also a drug. It may be a drug or a drug. It can not only make people unable to extricate themselves, but also can save people from the sufferings of life. The film's description of love, although relatively sex-oriented at the beginning, returns to traditional values at the end, extolling commitment and loyalty as well as perseverance in the face of illness. Of course, it's mainly because the two leading actors, Jack and Annie, are really good at chemistry, the performances are convincing, and the degree to which they go out of their way in a passionate scene also makes people wonder if they were also fooled by the director to think that this movie is not only It is a tepid romantic film. It's a pity that the parts that Jack and Annie can control they do very well, and the parts they can't control are completely lost.
2011-2-11
Värmö Sweden
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