David Yates’s Pain Hustlers puffs itself up as a dynamic epic about the American dream but ends up glorifying some truly grotesque characters. Wells Tower’s script pulls loosely from Evan Hughes’s book about how executives at pharmaceutical company Insys Therapeutics were convicted in 2019 of conspiring to bribe doctors to overprescribe the fentanyl spray Subsys. The story has every ingredient for gripping melodrama: greed, timeliness, money, drugs, death, betrayal, and an Icarus-like fall. Thomas Jennings’s Frontline episode “Opioids, Inc.” and the second part of Alex Gibney’s The Crime of the Century have already turned the sordid tale into powerful, infuriating nonfiction. But in the course of fictionalizing the Insys story, Yates and Tower lose sight of what made it compelling to begin with.
Though ostensibly about the 2010s’ epidemic of synthetic opioid overdoses, Pain Hustlers really hangs its story on the oh-so American grit and determination...
Though ostensibly about the 2010s’ epidemic of synthetic opioid overdoses, Pain Hustlers really hangs its story on the oh-so American grit and determination...
- 10/26/2023
- by Chris Barsanti
- Slant Magazine
According to filmmaker David Yates, the Fantastic Beasts film franchise is falling under a dark spell. Speaking with Total Film Magazine, the director of the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts said the enchanted spin-off prequel franchise is “parked” after three movies. Initially, the plan involved making five Fantastic Beasts films. However, that no longer appears to be the case.
“With ‘Beasts,’ it’s all just parked,” Yates said. “We made those three movies, the last one through a pandemic, and it was enormous fun but it was tough. We were actually filming when there wasn’t a vaccine. Thankfully, no one got sick, but we did have the most detailed protocols in place.”
The three movies in the Fantastic Beasts film series include Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018), and The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022). While the first film in the series delighted fans, earning $812.5M worldwide,...
“With ‘Beasts,’ it’s all just parked,” Yates said. “We made those three movies, the last one through a pandemic, and it was enormous fun but it was tough. We were actually filming when there wasn’t a vaccine. Thankfully, no one got sick, but we did have the most detailed protocols in place.”
The three movies in the Fantastic Beasts film series include Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018), and The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022). While the first film in the series delighted fans, earning $812.5M worldwide,...
- 10/26/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
An Iranian American woman navigating culture clash, an Argentine bank heist and an animated ghost story voiced by Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie debut this weekend with a handful of docs and some notable expansion, vying with Apple wide release Killers Of The Flower Moon.
Sony Pictures Classics The Persian Version opens on eight screens in NY, LA, Toronto and Vancouver today. The film by writer-director Maryam Keshavarz won both the Audience Award and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance where it premiered (Deadline review here). Her previous film Circumstance, about two teenage Iranian girls who fall in love, won the Audience Award too, in 2011, but the filmmaker hasn’t been able to return to Iran since.
The Persian Version stars Layla Mohammadi as Leila, Iranian-American like Keshavarz, and bisexual, striving to find balance and embrace her opposing cultures. When her family reunites in New York City for her father’s heart transplant,...
Sony Pictures Classics The Persian Version opens on eight screens in NY, LA, Toronto and Vancouver today. The film by writer-director Maryam Keshavarz won both the Audience Award and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance where it premiered (Deadline review here). Her previous film Circumstance, about two teenage Iranian girls who fall in love, won the Audience Award too, in 2011, but the filmmaker hasn’t been able to return to Iran since.
The Persian Version stars Layla Mohammadi as Leila, Iranian-American like Keshavarz, and bisexual, striving to find balance and embrace her opposing cultures. When her family reunites in New York City for her father’s heart transplant,...
- 10/20/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
If the trailer for Netflix’s Pain Hustlers has a familiar-ish ring, it’s because we’ve seen the topic – a big pharma company making billions off the [hurt] backs of patients – done multiple times before. This outing benefits from a big-name cast and narrowing the focus to one particular employee, played by Emily Blunt.
“I feel like it’s been bucket list name after bucket list name,” stated producer Lawrence Grey. “It is such an incredible cast.”
In addition to Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, Catherine O’Hara, Chloe Coleman, Jay Duplass, and Brian d’Arcy James star in the pharmaceutical drama. The cast also includes Amit Shah, Aubrey Dollar, Willie Raysor, and Andy Garcia .
David Yates (the Fantastic Beasts films) directs from a screenplay by Wells Tower. Yates and Lawrence Grey produce, with Emily Blunt, Mark Moran, Yvonne Walcott-Yates, Lewis Taylor, and Ben Everard executive producing.
Pain Hustlers opens in select theaters...
“I feel like it’s been bucket list name after bucket list name,” stated producer Lawrence Grey. “It is such an incredible cast.”
In addition to Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, Catherine O’Hara, Chloe Coleman, Jay Duplass, and Brian d’Arcy James star in the pharmaceutical drama. The cast also includes Amit Shah, Aubrey Dollar, Willie Raysor, and Andy Garcia .
David Yates (the Fantastic Beasts films) directs from a screenplay by Wells Tower. Yates and Lawrence Grey produce, with Emily Blunt, Mark Moran, Yvonne Walcott-Yates, Lewis Taylor, and Ben Everard executive producing.
Pain Hustlers opens in select theaters...
- 10/10/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
"There is nothing so inspiring as sheer desperation." Netflix has debuted the full official trailer for the film Pain Hustlers, arriving in theaters soon for just a week before it's streaming on Netflix later this month. It first premiered at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival. Liza dreams of a better life for her and her daughter so she gets a job at a bankrupt pharmacy, and Liza's guts catapult the company and her into the high life not knowing that she'll be in the middle of a criminal conspiracy. All the while dealing with her increasingly unhinged boss, the medical condition of her daughter, and her growing awareness of the devastation the company is causing forces Liza to examine her choices. Co-starring Emily Blunt and Chris Evans, with Catherine O'Hara, Chloe Coleman, Amit Shah, Aubrey Dollar, Willie Raysor, and Andy Garcia. The film is directed by BAFTA award winner David Yates,...
- 10/10/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Netflix has released a brand new trailer for the Emily Blunt and Chris Evans-led ‘Pain Hustlers.’
Liza Drake (Emily Blunt) is a blue-collar single mom who has just lost her job and is at the end of her rope. A chance meeting with pharmaceutical sales rep Pete Brenner (Chris Evans) puts her on an upwards trajectory economically but dubious path ethically as she becomes entangled in a dangerous racketeering scheme. Dealing with her increasingly unhinged boss (Andy Garcia), the worsening medical condition of her daughter (Chloe Coleman), and a growing awareness of the devastation the company is causing forces Liza to examine her choices.
Pain Hustlers is a sharp and revealing look at what some people do out of desperation and others do out of greed.
Directed by BAFTA award winner David Yates, Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, Catherine O’Hara, Chloe Coleman, Jay Duplass, Brian d’Arcy James, Amit Shah, Aubrey Dollar,...
Liza Drake (Emily Blunt) is a blue-collar single mom who has just lost her job and is at the end of her rope. A chance meeting with pharmaceutical sales rep Pete Brenner (Chris Evans) puts her on an upwards trajectory economically but dubious path ethically as she becomes entangled in a dangerous racketeering scheme. Dealing with her increasingly unhinged boss (Andy Garcia), the worsening medical condition of her daughter (Chloe Coleman), and a growing awareness of the devastation the company is causing forces Liza to examine her choices.
Pain Hustlers is a sharp and revealing look at what some people do out of desperation and others do out of greed.
Directed by BAFTA award winner David Yates, Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, Catherine O’Hara, Chloe Coleman, Jay Duplass, Brian d’Arcy James, Amit Shah, Aubrey Dollar,...
- 10/10/2023
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The world of peddling pharmaceuticals and the sudden financial success that comes with it is bound to have some side effects. The new Netflix comedy/drama, Pain Hustlers, is a new cautionary tale of breaking laws and business ethics for massive flows of cash. The recently released trailer showcases Emily Blunt taking a chance on a career opportunity that puts her in over her head. Joining Blunt is Chris Evans and the cast of the movie includes Catherine O’Hara, Chloe Coleman, Jay Duplass, Brian d’Arcy James, Amit Shah, Aubrey Dollar, Willie Raysor and Andy Garcia.
The official synopsis from Netflix reads,
“Liza Drake (Emily Blunt) is a blue-collar single mom who has just lost her job and is at the end of her rope. A chance meeting with pharmaceutical sales rep Pete Brenner (Chris Evans) puts her on an upwards trajectory economically but dubious path ethically as she becomes entangled in a dangerous racketeering scheme.
The official synopsis from Netflix reads,
“Liza Drake (Emily Blunt) is a blue-collar single mom who has just lost her job and is at the end of her rope. A chance meeting with pharmaceutical sales rep Pete Brenner (Chris Evans) puts her on an upwards trajectory economically but dubious path ethically as she becomes entangled in a dangerous racketeering scheme.
- 10/10/2023
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Emily Blunt is a desperate single mom who ends up in a wild criminal scheme in David Yates’ Pain Hustlers. Netflix today dropped the first trailer for the film billed as tonally similar to The Big Short, American Hustle and The Wolf of Wall Street.
In Pain Hustlers, Blunt stars as Liza Drake, a blue-collar single mom who has just lost her job and is at the end of her rope. A chance meeting with pharmaceutical sales rep Pete Brenner (Chris Evans) puts her on an upwards trajectory economically but dubious path ethically as she becomes entangled in a dangerous racketeering scheme. Dealing with her increasingly unhinged boss (Andy Garcia), the worsening medical condition of her daughter (Chloe Coleman), and a growing awareness of the devastation the company is causing forces Liza to examine her choices.
The trailer teases Liza and Pete’s high salary, hard-partying lifestyle with title cards...
In Pain Hustlers, Blunt stars as Liza Drake, a blue-collar single mom who has just lost her job and is at the end of her rope. A chance meeting with pharmaceutical sales rep Pete Brenner (Chris Evans) puts her on an upwards trajectory economically but dubious path ethically as she becomes entangled in a dangerous racketeering scheme. Dealing with her increasingly unhinged boss (Andy Garcia), the worsening medical condition of her daughter (Chloe Coleman), and a growing awareness of the devastation the company is causing forces Liza to examine her choices.
The trailer teases Liza and Pete’s high salary, hard-partying lifestyle with title cards...
- 9/6/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Hustling is the mantra for the actress Emily Blunt in her latest film. On Wednesday, Netflix released the first trailer for ‘Pain Hustlers’. The film stars Blunt and Chris Evans as pharmaceutical sales employees pushing opioids in a story based on real events, reports ‘People’ magazine.
Blunt plays Liza Drake, a single mom “at the end of her rope” after losing her job, per a synopsis. “A chance meeting with pharmaceutical sales rep Pete Brenner (Evans) puts her on an upwards trajectory economically but dubious path ethically as she becomes entangled in a dangerous racketeering scheme. The film’s trailer teases Liza and Pete’s high-earning, hard-partying lifestyle as title cards read that Pain Hustlers “may cause increased energy, elevated mood, ecstasy, paranoia, aggression and greed.”
As Liza deals with “her increasingly unhinged boss, the worsening medical condition of her daughter, and a growing awareness of the devastation the company is causing,...
Blunt plays Liza Drake, a single mom “at the end of her rope” after losing her job, per a synopsis. “A chance meeting with pharmaceutical sales rep Pete Brenner (Evans) puts her on an upwards trajectory economically but dubious path ethically as she becomes entangled in a dangerous racketeering scheme. The film’s trailer teases Liza and Pete’s high-earning, hard-partying lifestyle as title cards read that Pain Hustlers “may cause increased energy, elevated mood, ecstasy, paranoia, aggression and greed.”
As Liza deals with “her increasingly unhinged boss, the worsening medical condition of her daughter, and a growing awareness of the devastation the company is causing,...
- 9/6/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
"Is that even legal?!" Netflix has unveiled a teaser trailer for their new opioids film titled Pain Hustlers, which is premiering at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival kicking off this week. It's also set to open in select US theaters for a week before it's streaming on Netflix worldwide later in October this fall. Liza dreams of a better life for her and her daughter so she gets a job at a bankrupt pharmacy, and Liza's guts catapult the company and her into the high life not knowing that she will soon be in the middle of a criminal conspiracy. All the while dealing with her increasingly unhinged boss, the medical condition of her daughter, and a growing awareness of the devastation the company is causing forces Liza to examine her choices. Starring Emily Blunt, plus Chris Evans, Catherine O'Hara, Chloe Coleman, Amit Shah, Aubrey Dollar, Willie Raysor, and Andy Garcia.
- 9/6/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The opioid crisis is a scourge that seemingly no one will ever face any consequences for, and it's all driven by pure, unapologetic greed. To quote the poet Lana Del Rey, money is the reason we exist — and pharmaceutical manufacturers and their salespeople saw a chance to make a killing with opioids. There was money to be made on all different fronts, and seemingly ordinary people got swept up in the lust for cash. And you can almost understand why — it's expensive to live in America. Greed and drugs are at the center of "Pain Hustlers," a new Netflix film starring Emily Blunt and Chris Evans. Based on the non-fiction book by Evan Hughes, the film follows a single mom (Blunt) who becomes a pharmaceutical rep and ends up getting mixed up in a racketeering scheme in the process. All of this makes for what appears to be a very hectic,...
- 9/6/2023
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
Netflix has just dropped the teaser trailer of one of their anticipated releases of the year with Pain Hustlers. The dark comedy showcases Emily Blunt joining Chris Evans in the lucrative game of pill peddling. David Yates, who is predominantly involved with the Harry Potter movies, as well as the Fantastic Beasts spin-offs, helms this new original Netflix film.
The official synopsis from Netflix reads,
“Liza Drake (Emily Blunt) is a blue-collar single mom who has just lost her job and is at the end of her rope. A chance meeting with pharmaceutical sales rep Pete Brenner (Chris Evans) puts her on an upwards trajectory economically but dubious path ethically as she becomes entangled in a dangerous racketeering scheme. Dealing with her increasingly unhinged boss (Andy Garcia), the worsening medical condition of her daughter (Chloe Coleman), and a growing awareness of the devastation the company is causing forces Liza to examine her choices.
The official synopsis from Netflix reads,
“Liza Drake (Emily Blunt) is a blue-collar single mom who has just lost her job and is at the end of her rope. A chance meeting with pharmaceutical sales rep Pete Brenner (Chris Evans) puts her on an upwards trajectory economically but dubious path ethically as she becomes entangled in a dangerous racketeering scheme. Dealing with her increasingly unhinged boss (Andy Garcia), the worsening medical condition of her daughter (Chloe Coleman), and a growing awareness of the devastation the company is causing forces Liza to examine her choices.
- 9/6/2023
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Emily Blunt has gone from bombs to pills in her domination of 2023 cinema.
The “Oppenheimer” actress and anticipated Oscar nominee leads (and also executive produces) Netflix film “Pain Hustlers” alongside MCU alum Chris Evans. BAFTA-winning “Harry Potter” franchise director David Yates helms the pharmaceutical-centric drama adapted by Wells Tower from Evan Hughes’ book of the same name.
The official synopsis reads: Liza Drake (Emily Blunt) is a blue-collar single mom who has just lost her job and is at the end of her rope. A chance meeting with pharmaceutical sales rep Pete Brenner (Chris Evans) puts her on an upwards trajectory economically but dubious path ethically as she becomes entangled in a dangerous racketeering scheme. Dealing with her increasingly unhinged boss (Andy Garcia), the worsening medical condition of her daughter (Chloe Coleman), and a growing awareness of the devastation the company is causing forces Liza to examine her choices.
Catherine O’Hara,...
The “Oppenheimer” actress and anticipated Oscar nominee leads (and also executive produces) Netflix film “Pain Hustlers” alongside MCU alum Chris Evans. BAFTA-winning “Harry Potter” franchise director David Yates helms the pharmaceutical-centric drama adapted by Wells Tower from Evan Hughes’ book of the same name.
The official synopsis reads: Liza Drake (Emily Blunt) is a blue-collar single mom who has just lost her job and is at the end of her rope. A chance meeting with pharmaceutical sales rep Pete Brenner (Chris Evans) puts her on an upwards trajectory economically but dubious path ethically as she becomes entangled in a dangerous racketeering scheme. Dealing with her increasingly unhinged boss (Andy Garcia), the worsening medical condition of her daughter (Chloe Coleman), and a growing awareness of the devastation the company is causing forces Liza to examine her choices.
Catherine O’Hara,...
- 9/6/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
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