Side Effects

I'm still in shocked, wondering how come a movie can be so horrible done. This movie has good intentions. Trying to open people's eyes is always a good thing. But that's about it. Good intentions.

The movie follows the story about a young woman who finds herself into the world of the pharmaceutical industry, while trying to maintain her ideals and integrity.

20 minutes into the film, and you'll be already laughing at how bad is this movie. Sub plots coming out of nowhere, bad acting performances, lack of rhythm, no direction whatsoever, painfully edited, sometimes shots are even out of focus …. I can go on forever. Katherine Heigl tries to put something out of nothing, but that's just not enough.

I've rated a 3/10, only because of the good intentions of the film and a plus point for Katherine Heigl.

The screenplay is beyond clunky and obvious, and sounds as though it were written by a high school freshman. The supporting actors are painfully hammy. The film quality was lacking- out of focus half the time, and it seemed as though it were shot in full screen but being shown wide screen. The concept is there, it's just the execution that kills it all. Katherine Heigel had cute moments, but overall could not overcome the bad material. This is a movie that needed to be made, but should have been made well. The pacing drags, and the "wacky" jokes fall through. Don't waste your money. There are some indies that should never see the light of day, and this is one of them.

This film is about a young woman who markets medication to doctors. In the process, she became indulgent in the materialistic pleasures that the drug company can provide. In the end, she found her conscience taking over.

This film is refreshing. For a start, it is not every day that a film about drug companies gets made. Secondly the acting is great. Katherine Heigl portrays the emotions vividly, and is confident and convincing as a drug rep. In addition, the plot is also good, as we get to see how money is showered on the people involved to make drug reps work harder and to make doctors prescribe their drugs.

There are several "interviews" of doctors interspersed in the film, asking the doctors what they feel about the drug reps. In the beginning, the doctor does not like the reps. In the middle, the doctor has a neutral opinion. In the end, the doctor likes the drug rep. It provides an interesting contrast to Katherine Heigl's state of mind.

I think it does reflect what really happens in the drug companies. It exposes how marketing is disguised as 'education for the sake of prolonging life'. I recommend this film!

Greetings again from the darkness. Writer and Director Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau draws from her 10 years of experience as a Pharmaceutical Sales Rep and adds a touch of comedy and romance to make the point that there is a constant battle between Profit and Healthcare for the major drug companies. No real revelation there.

What is at least interesting is her approach to telling the story. Katherine Heigl (from TV's "Grey's Anatomy") is perky and sparkles as the Sales Rep torn between the big paydays and her own personal integrity. It is not difficult to understand how one could be seduced into turning a deaf ear to the negative and instead buying into the corporate propaganda. Thousands of dollars in bonus checks and upgrades in company cars are just some of the perks that go along with playing the game.

The issue I have is with the movie-making aspect of this film. It has the feel of a film project, not a quality independent film with an important message. The romantic comedy approach takes away from the expose' of the industry. All of the office politics could take place at Any Office, USA. Total frustration with one's job and company is commonplace in every single office building in the country. What makes the story different is the corporate level disregard for public safety in order to maximize profits. Not enough of the film dealt with this process.

Michael Moore's next project centers on the Pharmaceutical world and my guess is it will provide many more questions on the entire industry than "Side Effects" has. I will also venture a guess and say that Mr. Moore's soundtrack will be nowhere near as cool as the "Side Effects" soundtrack!

This film tells an important story in an entertaining and humorous way. There are several ways the film could have been structured, but blending the drama with humor maximized the entertainment value for me. Katherine Heigl plays the role of Karly Hert fabulously and has good chemistry with the other actors. I thought the sub-plots were good, but I would've enjoyed even more drug rep training/selling/boardroom-type scenes.

I laughed out loud and was amazed (appalled?) at the drug industry's tactics at the same time. It's an important topic highlighted in an entertaining film.