I adore this movie, probably my favorite film of the year thus far. It is an enigma wrapped in a puzzle, stuffed with yummy goodness.
Side Effects is a provocative psychological thriller featuring Rooney Mara and Channing Tatum as Emily and Martin Taylor, a couple who has the world at their feet, until Martin is busted for insider trading. He does a stint in prison and they lose everything. Emily suffers with debilitating depression because of this and is still having difficulty adjusting when Martin comes home from prison.
Dr. Jonathan Banks (Jude Law) begins treating Emily when she ends up in the emergency room after running her car full-speed into a cement wall. After a consult with her former psychiatrist, Dr. Victoria Siebert (Catherine Zeta-Jones), and at Emily’s urging, Dr. Banks prescribes the drug Ablixa–a drug that has an unexpected side effect.
We watch Martin and Emily’s world dissolve, but the fallout from the tragic results of Ablixa’s side effects also sends Dr. Bank’s world crashing to the ground. His judgment called into question, he soon becomes a pariah in the medical community. When he simply can’t let it go, he too loses everything and refuses to give in until he discovers exactly what went wrong.
I loved this movie upside down and inside out. Rooney Mara and Jude Law play their characters brilliantly and the story is magnificent. The only thing I didn’t like was a rather painful scene near the end which I found nauseating, mostly because it seemed like one of the two characters involved was painfully uncomfortable with it. But, my lips are sealed until you’ve seen it.
The movie turned out not to be what I expected, it was so much better. Definitely giving this one two thumbs up. Have you seen it? I’d love to know what you thought of it. If you haven’t seen it–do. As soon as you possibly can.