Side Effects

Cast of Characters:
Dr. Jonathan Banks - Jude Law
Emily Taylor - Rooney Mara
Dr. Victoria Siebert - Catherine Zeta-Jones
Martin Taylor - Channing Tatum

Director - Steven Soderbergh
Screenplay - Scott Z. Burns
Rated R for sexuality, nudity, violence and language

      Academy Award winning director Steven Soderbergh is only fifty years of age and already has directed more than thirty films. With Side Effects, his most recent effort, Soderbergh has announced this would be his last film. Would his possible swan song hold up to the many other critically acclaimed works of his?

      Due to the twists that start about midway through the film, I’m gonna avoid giving away spoilers, and just give a brief synopsis. The film opens with the release of Martin Taylor (Channing Tatum) from prison, having been incarcerated for insider trading. His wife Emily (Rooney Mara) greets him with open arms, yet something doesn’t seem right with her. Maybe it’s the fact that she and Martin once had it all, and now have to start over. Martin assures her he’s gonna do his best to get their lives back on track. She's happy to have him back in her life, and she wants to believe him, yet something still eats at her.

      After a troubling incident, Emily is referred to Dr. Jonathan Banks (Jude Law), a psychiatrist. She explains to him that she has been referred to a psychiatrist before, Dr. Victoria Siebert (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Dr. Banks prescribes Emily prescription after prescription, but none seem to benefit Emily. She then hears of a new anti-depressant called Ablixa, and that it’s been bringing about good results. Dr. Banks is more than willing to prescribe her this medication, particularly since he’s been paid $50,000 by a pharmaceutical company to study it during its licensing period. At first, Emily is relieved by the results she’s receiving from the medication, but after a few sleepwalking spells, Martin starts to have his concerns. He wants effective results for his wife regardless of whether it comes from a pill or not.

      That there is really all I can say about the film without giving away any of the twists that come up later. In a way, this is two films within one. The first half deals with Emily’s depression as she takes medication after medication and experiences side effect after side effect. Both she and Martin want effective results, but it seems all Dr. Banks wants to do is churn out scripts like an assembly line. It's an extremely effective critique of the psychiatric establishment that at times just wanna push the drug for their clients. The second half deals with a life altering event in Emily’s life and that’s where the film turns almost Hitchcockian with its twists and turns. Without giving anything away, some of the twists do work and are ingeniously clever, yet some just come off as flat out unnecessary. All things considered, the performances are great. Jude Law gives one of his best performances as a Dr. trying to help Emily while, at the same time, right a few wrongs in his personal life. Rooney Mara delivers some strong work as the patient in Dr. Banks' care, and Channing Tatum is surprisingly effective in a nice restrained role as Emily's husband. Zeta-Jones is solid at times, but then again there are moments where she comes off as that "Let me explain everything for you" character. Director Steven Soderbergh pulls off some impressive camera work as well, filming a number of scenes in intimate, low angled closeups, focusing on the helplessness of characters seemingly on the edge - particularly Emily.

      While this film doesn’t quite rank up there with some of Soderbergh’s masterpieces such as Sex, Lies, and Videotape, The Limey, Traffic, and the more recent The Informant! and Contagion this is still a solid effort. Aside from a few unnecessary twists, it’s still an effective psychological thriller that contains both sharp direction and terrific performances. It’s amazing to note that as many films as Soderbergh has filmed, he’s still a good ten to fifteen years younger than most directors with as lengthy a resume as him. As a fan, I hope he reconsiders his decision to retire. He’s one of the most unique and versatile directors around, and his ability to multi-task as producer, cinematographer, screenwriter, and editor on many of his films shows just how gifted a filmmaker he really is. That being said, if this is in fact his swan song, it is a fitting way to bow out... but he has reconsidered before. I give Side Effects a B+ (★★★½).