Starring: Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones
So I went to see Side Effects last night, and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I had only seen a few ads for the movie but decided it looked at least interesting, at worst convoluted. Thankfully, it landed more on the side of the former. Although, truth be told, some of it was convoluted. But that’s ok.
We start off with a movie about a very depressed woman (Rooney Mara) greeting her husband (Channing Tatum) as he is released from prison after a 5 year stint for insider trading. Emily (Mara’s character) has seen a landslide of bad circumstances pull the ground out from underneath her. We understand and empathize with her plight, and when she drives her car into a parking garage wall (but survives), we really do understand her frustration and inability to cope with her current circumstances. At the hospital, she meets a very empathetic psychiatrist and is prescribed anti-depressant medication and a schedule of therapy before being released. The movie is in slow-motion for a while, as we sit and wonder how much more brooding and pill-popping we can possibly endure. And then the first twist.
Soon we are plunged into a movie that is all thrilling twists and turns, sub-plots and double-crosses, triple-crosses and quick changes, that turn Side Effects into something entirely different than I was prepared for. I can’t tell you what happens— the movie would surely be spoiled if I did— but I can tell you it’s worth the wait to be plunged into the dark underbelly of scandal, the repercussions of prescription drugs, and the dark mind of a woman who never is what she claims to be.
Both Rooney Mara and Jude Law turn in totally compelling and riveting performances. Rooney's depressed and calculating Emily is a twist of a character that constantly keeps you wondering what's what and who's who-- a true testament to her deadpan style, her cloying cuteness, and her ability to subvert convention. Jude Law puts on a very convincing performance as her psychiatrist, a conflicted but well-mannered and professional guy who gets caught up and pulled into circumstances that force him to dig deep and find ingenious ways to pull himself out of the murk. It's clever, the way the movie focuses on his mental state, and the way he is able to not only ward off the crazies but remind everyone else why his line of work is the perfect fit. I don't know if I'm talking about Law or his character, but the point is valid either way.
Both Rooney Mara and Jude Law turn in totally compelling and riveting performances. Rooney's depressed and calculating Emily is a twist of a character that constantly keeps you wondering what's what and who's who-- a true testament to her deadpan style, her cloying cuteness, and her ability to subvert convention. Jude Law puts on a very convincing performance as her psychiatrist, a conflicted but well-mannered and professional guy who gets caught up and pulled into circumstances that force him to dig deep and find ingenious ways to pull himself out of the murk. It's clever, the way the movie focuses on his mental state, and the way he is able to not only ward off the crazies but remind everyone else why his line of work is the perfect fit. I don't know if I'm talking about Law or his character, but the point is valid either way.
Director Steven Soderbergh claims this will be his final film. I don’t think that’s going to be true, considering the acclaim he has received in the past, and the acclaim this film is already getting, but c’est la vie if it is. He goes out with a bang, and while this movie isn’t perfect, it surely surpasses most of the would-be thrillers that attempt what this film actually pulls off. We don’t sit there force-fed details that miraculously come together, we watch the movie unfold and transform, taking us under bit-by-bit. It’s a glorious display of cinematic tension and flair for detail that turns Side Effects into something more satisfying than your average popcorn-flick.
It’s a movie about the duality of the human mind, and the way we attempt to control and subvert our own emotions and thought processes. But it’s also a movie about deception, yearning, unfulfilled dreams, and how life can only hurt you so much before you inevitably hurt back. Take a chance and have an open mind while watching.
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