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Love and Other Drugs is a relatively rote romantic drama, reflects Jennie Yabroff for Newsweek. But the film, in which the terminally-ill Anne Hathaway teaches cynical Jake Gyllenhaal to appreciate the little things in life, tries to distinguish itself as a high-minded movie almost solely by including nudity—lots and lots of it.

How did this happen? Once upon a time, nude scenes were considered puerile asides in mainstream movies. Increasingly "nudity has become a self-congratulatory indication of European-style seriousness," writes Yabroff, "an interruption of the narrative to remind the audience we are watching A Work of Art."

(Read more romantic comedy stories.)