In cinema today it is extremely rare to come across a film that can make you laugh, learn, think, and feel all at once. Side Effects accomplishes this beautifully. Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau's satirical expose of the pharmaceutical industry avoids being preachy, and depicts the based-on-reality struggle of a young woman tempted by the material trappings of a multi-billion dollar industry, and her own moral scruples. Driven by the smart and sexy performance of Katherine Heigl as Karly Hert, Side Effects offers its audience a rare look inside an industry that few of us know much about. In a time when there are more prescription drugs on the market than ever before, and advertising for these drugs blocking up our airwaves and filling our magazines, I feel it's important for the average American to have an idea what's really going on behind the scenes. Are the drug companies really concerned with helping people, or are they driven by their own bottom lines? This film confirms an answer that many of us already know in our hearts. Yet Slattery-Moschkau's non-forceful handling of the material allows the audience to come to their own conclusions. There are people like Karly in the world and there are people like her co-workers, and the film challenges viewers to decide which category they fall under, and what they would do if faced with the same choices. Side Effects is a consistently funny, and insightful film. In addition to the fine work of Ms.Heigl, the ensemble performances are note perfect and add to the overall high production value of a film that was made for a fraction of the cost of what drug companies spend on advertising every single day. Those companies will not want you to see this film, for that reason alone I recommend you see it as soon as you can.
Review of Side Effects
