Four new romantic comedies fresh from the cinema arrive on video store shelves in March. This disparate group of movies offers the excitement of New York (The Switch), the enchantment of Venice (The Tourist), the secrets behind the pharmaceutical industry (Love & Other Drugs) and a look inside the television newsroom (Morning Glory).
Love & Other Drugs (Widescreen and Blu-ray)
A fast-talking pharmaceutical representative falls in love with a young woman with Parkinson’s Disease. They drift back and forth between meaningless sex and a meaningful relationship. Her illness becomes a pivotal point when they realize what their future together might look like. There’s more drama, less comedy in this sexy romance with two of today’s most popular young stars.
- Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Oliver Platt, Hank Azaria, Josh Gad, Gabriel Macht, Judy Greer, George Segal, Jill Clayburgh, Kate Jennings Grant
- Director: Edward Zwick
- Writers: Charles Randolph, Edward Zwick, Marshall Herskovitz (screenplay); Jamie Reidy (book Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman)
- Genre: Romantic Comedy
- Discs: 1
- Run Time: 112 minutes
- Rating: R (for strong sexual content, nudity, pervasive language, and some drug material)
- DVD Release Date: March 1, 2011
Morning Glory (Widescreen and Blu-ray)
An ambitious young television producer tries to perk up the sagging ratings of a morning news show by hiring a hard-hitting broadcast veteran. That becomes a problem when he’s teamed with his lighthearted co-anchor with an entirely different approach to the news. As their initial aversion turns to romance, the producer also discovers a love of her own.
- Starring Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Patrick Wilson, Diane Keaton, Patrick Wilson, Jeff Goldblum, Noah Bean, Jack Davidson, Vanessa Aspillaga, Jeff Hiller
- Director: Roger Michell
- Writer: Aline Brosh McKenna
- Genre: Romantic Comedy
- Discs: 1
- Run Time: 107 minutes
- Rating: PG-13 (for some sexual content including dialogue, language, and brief drug references)
- Release Date: March 8, 2011
- Additional Information: Click here to watch a trailer for Morning Glory.
The Switch (Widescreen and Blu-ray)
A single woman engages the services of a sperm donor in order to have a child, but seven years later begins to question the accuracy of the “donation.” When she returns to New York after having moved away to raise her child elsewhere, she notices strange similarities between her male best friend and her child. Meanwhile the supposed sperm donor has almost nothing in common with her son.
- Starring Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston, Jeff Goldblum, Juliette Lewis, Patrick Wilson, Victor Pagan, Todd Louiso, Scott Elrod, Kelli Barrett
- Directors: Josh Gordon, Will Speck
- Writer: Jeffrey Eugenides (short story “Baster”)
- Genre: Romantic Comedy
- Discs: 1
- Run Time: 101 minutes
- Rating: PG-13 (for mature thematic content, sexual material including dialogue, some nudity, drug use, and language)
- Release Date: March 15, 2011
The Tourist (Widescreen and Blu-ray)
This romantic comedy mystery thriller takes place mostly in Venice where an American math professor goes on holiday to recover from a bad romantic breakup. On the train to his destination, he meets a beautiful woman who mysteriously entangles her life with that of the professor. As thugs and gangsters chase after them with criminal intent, the professor starts calculating their odds of escape and the chances that this new romantic interest adds up to true love.
- Starring Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany, Timothy Dalton, Steven Berkoff, Rufus Sewell, Christian De Sica, Alessio Boni, Daniele Pecci
- Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, Christopher McQuarrie, Julian Fellowes
- Writers: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, Dudley Nichols (screenplay); Hagar Wilde (screenplay and story)
- Genre: Romantic Comedy Thriller
- Discs: 1 (2 discs in two-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo)
- Run Time: 103 minutes
- Rating: PG-13 (for violence and brief strong language)
- DVD Release Date: March 22, 2011
For more information about any of these movies, visit Internet Movie Database.
Leslie C. Halpern - Leslie C. Halpern, Romantic Films/Comedies Topic Editor, authored Passionate About Their Work, Reel Romance, & Dreams on Film.
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