Thursday, March 28, 2024

“Love And Other Drugs” Director Says Pfizer Had No Say About Movie

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Ed Zwick‘s romantic dramacom, “Love and Other Drugs,” which opens November 24th, pokes fun at Pfizer and other big pharmaceutical companies.

The sexy film, based on former Pfizer salesman Jamie Reidy‘s memoir as a Viagra rep, is unsparing. It uses the Pfizer logo, and has constant references to drugs like Viagra, Zoloft, and Prozac.

Jake Gyllenhaal plays Jamie Randall, the randy, promiscuous salesman who became a star by selling Viagra when it was new. Mixed in with Jamie bedding many women, and finally falling for Anne Hathaway, is an insiders’ look at how Big Pharma woos doctors and convinces them to push their brands over others.

At first, I thought Pfizer must be in on this. How else would they allow their logo, name, and brands to stamped all over a major motion picture?

But Zwick said last night that he’s had no contact with Pfizer or anyone else. “This is not a product placement. But the Fox lawyers told us to go ahead.”

The whole prescription drug culture is lampooned. A homeless man starts eating Prozac samples and is soon all cleaned up. He even gets a job interview. There’s lot of popping of Viagra, especially for orgies and three way sex–Jake’s Jamie gets it on with two beauties. He also winds up in the emergency room when his Viagra-induced erection goes well beyond four hours.

Ouch!

Reidy, you should know, left Pfizer and went to work for Eli Lilly. They fired him the day “Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman,” was published.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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