Saturday, November 2, 2013
Side Effects (2013)
Cast: Rooney
Mara, Channing Tatum, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Director:
Steven Soderbergh
Synopsis: A
young woman, Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara), starts showing signs of depression
after her husband(Channing Tatum) is released from prison. She begins to see a
psychiatrist (Jude Law) who prescribes her a new anti-depressant that has an
unfortunate side-effect that changes the course of everyone’s lives.
Reviewer Rating: 4/5 Reels
Review *spoiler alert*:
This star-studded movie has
plot-twists at every turn. The viewer is
constantly wondering who the real victim is, who is lying, and who is telling
the truth. When Channing Tatum’s character is murdered by his wife, Emily, we can’t
help but victimize poor Channing Tatum (since he, you know, is dead), but we
also want to victimize Emily because she killed him whilst sleep walking, which
is a side effect of the antidepressant she was taking.
There is no denying she
killed her husband, but she had no recollection of it. She was not in control
during her sleep-walking episode—or so we think. Before we know it, Emily’s
current psychiatrist becomes a victim. Since he prescribed the medication, he
loses his job, his family, and his reputation. Yet when we find out the whole
thing was a scandal (the depression, the antidepressants, the murder, the sleep
walking) plotted by Emily and her old psychiatrist, we see the tables turn.
This movie was
well-written and the acting was good. The plot weaves all the characters
together soundly. It doesn’t move too fast, so the viewer can follow the
intricate plot. It also doesn’t move too slowly, so the viewer isn’t left
waiting for the next breakthrough in the plot. It’s nice that this movie has an
ending that ties up all the loose ends. We, as the audience, can be satisfied
with the fact that justice was served to those who truly deserved it and
Emily’s current psychiatrist got his life back in order (or there were at least
hints that he was getting his life back).
Side Effects
is not a movie to see with the little ones. It has adult content, strong
language, and a couple of really risqué scenes.
Although it moves at a good pace, the scenes tend to jump around chronologically,
so if the viewer is not paying attention, he or she might miss the transition
to a flashback.
If movie-goers desire a
movie that lacks common clichés, has an enticing plot, and offers just the
right amount of drama and thrill, Side
Effects might be the right fit for them.
By:
Adrienne Nunley
This sounds like a really interesting movie. I really enjoy movies where there are lots of plot twists and turns as they keep the film moving and suspenseful. I love solving mysteries and trying to see if I can predict what is coming next. It sounds like the director did a good job keeping the plot relatively easy to follow but also complex enough that it made you think. His pacing and use of flashbacks must have been well planned and executed. It is also nice that the director chose to tie up the loose ends and have justice served instead of leaving it unresolved. I am really interested in seeing this movie. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteThis was a great movie review about what seems to be an emotional and involved movie. Reading the review I could not help but be shocked with every new fact that was listed about the story and the plot line. I imagine watching the movie would bring about the same reaction but at an even higher scale. The review did a great job of keeping my interest and making me want to learn more about what events and facts lead to the ending of the story. I appreciated the information that was given about how quickly the story moved. That information makes me want to see it even more because there is nothing worse than a slow suspenseful movie and you made it clear that this movie moves quickly and gets to the next detail and point. I also appreciated how you explained that the movie tied up the loose ends; this fact also made me want to see the movie because I appreciate and enjoy movies that do that for the viewer. Overall, I appreciated this review and it made me very interested in the movie and seeing the story line of these characters. Thanks!
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