"Side Effects" was two films in one. The first half was a documentary-like film addressing issues in the modern psychiatric and pharmaceutical worlds. At the midpoint, the plot veered away from that topic, and the film became a mystery-style "whodunnit."
By the end, a lingering question was whether there was a single character in the movie that was sympathetic. The only character I could identify who was not venal was the little boy. Beyond the child, the psychiatrists and the patients, the pharma reps and the salespeople, the lawyers and the cops all made me want to take a cold shower after this film. The content of the film, as well as the character developments, really says something about the world in which we live.
It was almost as if each actor was performing two roles--one for the documentary half of the film and an entirely new character for the mystery portion. While this schizoid nature afflicted all of the roles, it was especially true for the "double" characters of the two psychiatrists played by Jude Law (money grubbing pill-pusher/victim) and Catherine Zeta-Jones (caring therapist/Vampire Lady). Regarding Rooney Mara's character Emily: she too had two characters...or more.
In sum, the viewer of "Side Effects" is treated to two films in one. But as a whole, the film does not cohere into a single, seamless unit. Nonetheless, the two film styles were done efficiently, the first half informing the viewers all they need to know about Ablixa and the second a cat-and-mouse game in a well-told psychological drama.
By the end, a lingering question was whether there was a single character in the movie that was sympathetic. The only character I could identify who was not venal was the little boy. Beyond the child, the psychiatrists and the patients, the pharma reps and the salespeople, the lawyers and the cops all made me want to take a cold shower after this film. The content of the film, as well as the character developments, really says something about the world in which we live.
It was almost as if each actor was performing two roles--one for the documentary half of the film and an entirely new character for the mystery portion. While this schizoid nature afflicted all of the roles, it was especially true for the "double" characters of the two psychiatrists played by Jude Law (money grubbing pill-pusher/victim) and Catherine Zeta-Jones (caring therapist/Vampire Lady). Regarding Rooney Mara's character Emily: she too had two characters...or more.
In sum, the viewer of "Side Effects" is treated to two films in one. But as a whole, the film does not cohere into a single, seamless unit. Nonetheless, the two film styles were done efficiently, the first half informing the viewers all they need to know about Ablixa and the second a cat-and-mouse game in a well-told psychological drama.