Doug Varney (Sam Rockwell) is a reserved small town pharmacist. Despite taking over his father-in-law Walter Bishop's store, Walter decides to install a Bishop's Pharmacy sign. He's a pushover for everyone including his competitive cycling wife Kara (Michelle Monaghan). His son Ethan has issues and Kara enables him. Doug starts an affair with Elizabeth Roberts (Olivia Wilde). She's the unhappy trophy wife to Jack Roberts (Ray Liotta). They start getting high on Doug's own supply and planning Jack's murder.
Narration is sometimes problematic. The Jane Fonda narration is not only unnecessary. It is wholly distracting. I wonder if the filmmakers felt a lack of energy and decided to inject the narration to fill out the blank spaces. It sets up a bunch of pathetic malcontents and takes forever to get going. I don't feel it when Doug and Elizabeth get together. Sam Rockwell is miscast and he only shows his true colors when Doug livens up. The early Doug is a fake and it feels like it. It's also noticeable that Ray Liotta is missing for most of the movie. Elizabeth can bad-mouth him as he's shown in a bad light early in the movie. The first half is flat. The movie simply doesn't work.
Narration is sometimes problematic. The Jane Fonda narration is not only unnecessary. It is wholly distracting. I wonder if the filmmakers felt a lack of energy and decided to inject the narration to fill out the blank spaces. It sets up a bunch of pathetic malcontents and takes forever to get going. I don't feel it when Doug and Elizabeth get together. Sam Rockwell is miscast and he only shows his true colors when Doug livens up. The early Doug is a fake and it feels like it. It's also noticeable that Ray Liotta is missing for most of the movie. Elizabeth can bad-mouth him as he's shown in a bad light early in the movie. The first half is flat. The movie simply doesn't work.