This is a post from my series Things I’ve Highlighted, a second section/newsletter on my Substack. Think of it as my quick, reviews of TV shows, movies, and
books I’m in the process of ingesting.
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I’m watching a romcom from 2010 called Love & Other Drugs starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway. Weirdly central to the plot is Pfizer. The logo is on the umbrellas, shirts, buildings, and water bottles. The womanizing lead, played by Gyllenhaal, gets a job as a sales rep at Pfizer.
At first, I wanted to say that he was misogynistic but in a charming way. Then caught myself and realized that I only thought that because he reminded me of myself. And then I got self-conscious about the fact that I was rationalizing my womanizing as charming rather than misogynistic. Is it both? I’ll couch that train of thought for now, but it seems interesting.
In one scene, he is sitting in the lobby, and a beautiful (by European standards) woman walks by. He says, “Hey, Jennifer.” She gives him a weird look. His sales partner says, “Her name isn’t Jennifer.” He says, “I know, but if I call her Jennifer enough days in a row, she’ll eventually walk over and be like, ‘My name isn’t Jennifer.’ And then I’ll say, ‘Oh, I thought you were this girl Jennifer who gave me her number, but I never called. I thought you were mad about that.’ Then she’ll tell me her name, and from then on out, she’ll unconsciously think I was with someone as good-looking as her, and then we’ll go from there.” His partner says, “Holy shit.” And at that moment, his partner sees why he will be such a good salesman with these psychological tricks.
There were so many Pfizer logos it reminded me of Zack Galifinakis’ show Buckets, which had Kirkland plastered over every episode.
The majority of the scenes are about the pharmaceutical sales industry and how it works. One doctor declines Jake’s charms and says that pharmaceutical companies put billions into advertisements, and then his patients come storming in asking about the so-and-so drug they saw on TV. They want it prescribed because it’s FDA-approved, even if the doctor doesn’t like it.
This is probably common knowledge now, but it was made trippy (I was stoned), by the fact that I was watching on Hulu. At every commercial break, an ad for an HPV vaccine would come on. Then, next came an ad for Hims, promoting a prescription hair loss and erectile dysfunction subscription from the comfort of your home. It felt dystopian.
And then this commercial came on, elevating my disorientedness to new heights:
I could write ten books about that commercial.
Anyway, Love & Other Drugs is worth a watch. I didn’t even tell you about the main plot: Anne Hathaway is a 26-year-old with early-onset Parkinson’s. They meet after Jake bribes a doctor to meet patients with him. Anne Hathaway’s character, after rattling off her medical history and how the medical industry sucks, pulls out a breast to show the doctor a lump she was worried about (which turns out to be a spider bite). She thinks Jake is a hot assistant doctor and flashes her tit in his direction, flirting with him. Later, she beats his face with her purse when she finds out he is actually a pharma sales rep. Her character is whatever the equivalent of a female womanizer is.
At times it’s super artful and nuanced and cutting, and other times I’m not sure if it’s self-aware at all. It’s rather confusing in that way. It’s a movie of ups and downs. I recommend you watch on Hulu for the best experience.
xoxo