Love Is the Drug (Addicted to Her Love) (2006)

60% of critics liked it
(5 reviews)
60% of users liked it
(1,346 ratings)

A teenage outcast finds an effective but dangerous way to impress his hipper classmates in this independent drama. Jonah Brand (John Patrick Amedori) is a new student at an exclusive private school, and unlike most of his classmates, Jonah is neither wealthy nor especially self-assured. Jonah's… More A teenage outcast finds an effective but dangerous way to impress his hipper classmates in this independent drama. Jonah Brand (John Patrick Amedori) is a new student at an exclusive private school, and unlike most of his classmates, Jonah is neither wealthy nor especially self-assured. Jonah's social clumsiness is especially troubling to him given his infatuation with Sara (Lizzy Caplan), a pretty girl who travels in an elite social circle. Sara takes a shine to Jonah despite his geeky attitude, but her pals -- sometime boyfriend Troy (Jonathon Trent), spoiled Erin (Jenny Wade) and emotionally abusive Lucas (D.J. Cotrona) -- make it clear they have no use for him. That changes when Lucas learns Jonah has a part time job at a pharmacy, and realizes he could get them a variety of under-the-counter medications if they play their cards right. Lucas, Erin and Troy have little trouble persuading Johan to get them all the pills they want, but as their experimentation with drugs grows, they begin to take greater risks; they also discover that Jonah's willingness to get them drugs isn't as benevolent as it may have seemed. Also starring Daryl Hannah, Love is the Drug was the first feature film from director Elliott Lester. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 36 min.
Directed By: Elliott Lester, Elliot Lester
Written By: Wesley Strick, Steve Allison
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Oct 6, 2006 Wide
On DVD: Aug 21, 2010
Studio: E1 Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Justin Chang, Variety
A darkly compelling immersion in the lives of pill-popping teens that admirably steers clear of moralism.
Jeremy Heilman, MovieMartyr.com
Elliott Lester's uncommonly assured debut feature, doesn't just shame most other teen dramas; it stands above most recent American independent films of any sort.
Ted Fry, Seattle Times
It's almost impossible to identify with any of these kids, even Jonah, whose motives seem so worthless and whose behavior turns so unpleasantly erratic.
Bill White, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Where is Bret Easton Ellis when you need him?

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Featured Audience Ratings

Chris G

Jonah (John Patrick Amedori) is like a lot of kids out there. He's one of those kids that goes to a private school because his mom works here ass off so that he can get into a good school. He's not really an outcast, he's just not there. Once the school year has ended… More
Jonah (John Patrick Amedori) is like a lot of kids out there. He's one of those kids that goes to a private school because his mom works here ass off so that he can get into a good school. He's not really an outcast, he's just not there. Once the school year has ended Jonah gets the nerve to go to an end of school party and actually talk to the girl he was quietly in love with throughout his time in school, Sara (Lizzy Caplan). Sara is part of a small clique with her boyfriend Troy (Jonathon Trent), the typical high school asshole Lucas (D.J. Cotrona), and her best friend Erin (Jenny Wade) where drinking and doping like a rock star is standard practice. They slowly allow Jonah to cling to their team after they find out about his job at a pharmacy. His status grows within the group as he supplies the party supplies and gets pulled into the excess of a teenager in Los Angeles. Things come crashing to the ground when Troy overdoses and the questions over Jonah's intentions toward Sara begin to fester. Initially the film starts as a basic kid fitting in film where Jonah uses his position to get in with the in-crowd. As the film passes it becomes something darker with characters that get creepier and creepier as the movie unfolds. It actually becomes an interesting movie, even though it does get a bit melodramatic at points. Some scenes are very good, meanwhile others are almost laughable from a dialogue standpoint. There are a few points that will leave you scratching your head, such as the what I can assume is a detective that Troy's parents hire to figure out who gave their son the drugs. This guy seems to have free reign throughout the film to stalk people and walk right into homes. For kids who are rebellious and such I would expect a big F-off to this guy, yet they cooperate more with him than with each other. Borrowing a name from a Roxy Music tune (I'm assuming that the film makers got sued because it has been re-titled as Addicted To Her Love) the film is interesting and develops quite well, yet there's a ton of little things that just drag it down. Once it starts getting real good, there's something ridiculous that pulls you right out of it again. The way we remake stuff, this would make good fodder in about a decade. It just needs a bit of polish.