Jamie Randall is the male protagonist of “Love And Other Drugs”, a romantic drama. Jamie is the first character I have observed that exhibits solely masculine traits from the Bem Sex Role Inventory. His most notable characteristics are his ambition and competitive drive. He wants to be the best of the pharmaceutical reps who he competes against to get the highest sales and earn the most money. He is very money oriented and feels that he has something to prove to his himself, his family, and the rest of the world. Jamie is assertive in his pursuit of many women throughout the film, often using them as a means to an end such as when he engages in a sexual relationship with a receptionists in order to gain favor within the medical community and get inside information into the trade.
The only time Jamie exhibits any feminine traits are when he becomes involved with a twenty-six year old Parkinson’s patient – Maggie. He becomes very romantically attached to her despite knowing that the disease is progressing and she will need to be cared for. Despite Maggie’s opposition to dating, Jamie pursues her until she agrees to commit. This assertiveness is a more masculine characteristic, but through his relationship with Maggie he is able to begin showing emotion. Jamie is the first to say “I love you” and even chases Maggie across international borders in a grand gesture to confess that he needs her. By the end of the movie, Jamie is able to be vulnerable without having a panic attack – as he does in the beginning when first telling Maggie about his feelings.
Overall, the movie portrays Jamie’s masculine traits as very negative things. He is unable to call himself a good person because of his competitiveness and ambition. Only once he becomes more vulnerable and shows his emotions is he able to see that he can be good.
Shared by: Riley Schwahn
Image Credit: hotcorn.com