BOTTOM LINE: A lack of chemistry between its stars leaves this unusual romantic comedy in a state of bland lifelessness despite a genuine attempt to cover situations and ideas that you typically would not find in this type of film.

THE GOOD: Womaniser and bad boy Jaime Randall (Gyllenhaal) finds unlikely employment at a pharmaceutical company selling various products to general practitioners and hospitals. In his travels, he meets Maggie Murdoch (Hathaway) who knows his every move and matches his wit in every way. Jaime discovers that Maggie has Parkinson’s disease, which complicates their relationship with Maggie trying to push him away and not burden him with her disease despite his continual attempts to keep the relationship going. This film is unusual in that it covers the topic of Parkinson’s disease and dealing with someone who is close to you that has it. In this respect, the film takes on some more serious overtones and covers some different ground to the usual rom-com antics. There is also a whole side story of Jaime being the ultimate salesman for the new wonder drug ‘viagra’, which seems nothing more than a sideshow compared to the main plot, but it does offer some interesting comedic opportunities. Jaime’s journey is the heart of this film as he changes from someone who is quite careless to someone who is given meaning in his life by a person that he would have least expected. In this respect, the film is potentially moving, particularly when he makes the fateful decision to stay with Maggie and to convince her that they should be together.

THE BAD: A film like this rests on the chemistry of its stars and unfortunately, Jake and Anne do not have any. The prime example of this is the climax where Jaime confronts Maggie about their relationship and convinces her that they should stay together, despite the challenges they will face with her disease. This scene should at the very least induce tears or move emotions given the journey they have been on and the sacrifice Jaime is making here, but the lack of chemistry between these two actors leaves you feeling nothing. The feeling is almost like “I should be moved right now, but I’m not… why is that?”. As a result, this film is a missed opportunity to offer something different in this genre. Given the subject matter, the film is also hampered by not being that comedic (after all, it cannot be too funny when dealing with a character who has Parkinson’s), so it perhaps sits uncomfortable in the romantic comedy genre and will disappoint those who were expecting something more typical of this type of film.