Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Havoc (Unrated Version)

  • A group of wealthy Los Angeles teenagers try to become part of the "gangsta" lifestyle but soon run into trouble when they come face to face with a real gang of Latino drug dealers.Running Time: 92 min. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR Age: 794043843228 UPC: 794043843228 Manufacturer No: N8432
Academy Award® Nominees Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway co-star in “the smartest, sexiest and downright best screen-melting romance of the year” (Parade ). Hathaway delivers an unforgettable performance as the free-spirited Maggie, who meets her match in a charming Viagra salesman named Jamie (Gyllenhaal). Maggie and Jamie leap into a no-strings-attached affair, but no matter how hard they try to keep things “casual,” they can’t help falling under the influence of the ultimate drug...love!Last paired up for Brokeback Mountain, Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal reunite f! or this romantic take on Jamie Reidy's Hard Sell. The story takes place in the 1990s when a certain blue pill made its debut. Gyllenhaal's Jamie, a smooth-talking pharmaceutical rep, meets Hathaway's Maggie, an aspiring artist, while trying to persuade her physician (Hank Azaria) to carry Pfizer products. The attraction is instant, but Jamie prefers the thrill of the chase to anything more meaningful. While he and his partner (Oliver Platt, Azaria's Huff costar) work on a transfer from Ohio to Illinois, Jake and Maggie's fling develops into a relationship. On the comic side, Jamie battles with a rival rep (Gabriel Macht), switches from Zoloft to Viagra, and gains a roommate in his socially inept brother (Josh Gad, good value). On the dramatic side, he gets a glimpse of Maggie's world, which involves trips to Canada for medication and the temporary loss of motor skills (the screenplay fails to explain how she can afford such a spacious loft). Not counting shows! like Thirtysomething, Edward Zwick remains best known ! for docu dramas like Defiance, and Love and Other Drugs marks a new direction. The dialogue is snappy and the actors are game--both show a fair amount of skin--but the two halves of the film make for an awkward fit. Still, it's nice to see Gyllenhaal cut loose for a change. If Hathaway gives a more self-conscious performance, she brings the requisite amount of spirit and dignity to her role. --Kathleen C. FennessyA group of wealthy Los Angeles teenagers try to become part of the "gangsta" lifestyle but soon run into trouble when they come face to face with a real gang of Latino drug dealers.After making her name in The Princess Diaries, Anne Hathaway takes a radical detour with this edgy independent drama. As Allie, a wealthy gangsta wannabe, she makes no excuses for her delinquent behavior: "We're just teenagers and we're bored." When her Pacific Palisades posse, including pal Emily (Bully's Bijou Phillips), starts hanging out with a Latino gang (i! ncluding Six Feet Under's Freddy Rodríguez), they learn what thug life is really about. Hathaway couldn't be more game: She swears, she fights--she disrobes (several times). Written and directed by Oscar winners Stephen Gaghan (Traffic) and Barbara Kopple (American Dream), Havoc plays like a B movie, in the vein of the superior crazy/beautiful, and was released straight to video. For Hathaway fans, it's a chance to see this young talent in a very different light, but for Gaghan and Kopple followers, this lurid morality tale is sure to come as a letdown. --Kathleen C. Fennessy