Side Effects

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2:18

Side Effects

R

2013

1h 45m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

225 Reviews

70%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

For four years, Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara) has awaited the release of her husband, Martin (Channing Tatum), from being imprisoned for insider trading. Finally, Martin comes home, but Emily feels just as bad as she did when he was incarcerated, and she sinks into a deep depression. After her failed suicide attempt, psychiatrist Jonathan Banks (Jude Law) prescribes a series of medications. When those don't work, he gives Emily a new medication -- but the drug leads to ruined lives and death.

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Critics Consensus

A smart, clever thriller with plenty of disquieting twists, Side Effects is yet another assured effort from director Steven Soderbergh.

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Wendy Ide

The Times (UK)

03/22/2023

Steven Soderbergh has crafted a meticulously treacherous Hitchcockian thriller; the atmosphere crackles with sexual tension and betrayal.

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Inkoo Kang

Bitch Media

01/14/2021

Dr. Banks' battle against evil lesbian scheme-hatchery sculpts him into a perfect husband, father, and doctor. It's surprising there isn't an epilogue to the film of him undergoing yet another transformation-this time into a saint, or maybe Superman.

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J. Hoberman

ARTINFO.com

02/22/2019

Side Effects showcases much of what the just 50-year-old filmmaker does best.

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

Jul 28

4/5

While never delving into horror levels with its narrative, the build-up and suffocation of "Side Effects" is subtle and the ever-growing paranoia of the situation

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Noah Berlatsky

Everything is Horrible (Substack)

May 29

Side Effects, like Psycho before it, is a carefully wrought engine of hate.

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JD Duran

InSession Film

08/23/2024

B+

Mara and Law are terrific in this film. Mara does a great job of drawing you into the character and making you feel her pain, while at the same time, you’re trying to understand her and what is going on with the story.

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Aidan P.

@Aidanjp 1d

Solid, twisty psychological drama - there are a few twists that I think are less realistic than all the rave reviews admit. (SPOILER: there’s no way she gets released completely for that crime, even under doc supervision, just because she entrapped her co-conspirator). That being said, I was convincingly sucked into the initial “it’s the pharmaceutical companies’ responsibility” red herring before the whole thing took a turn.

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Ed S

2d

Very incredible movie with a great twist at the end. I had to think about that ending but then it came down to— follow the money. The woman who murdered her husband conspired with her former therapist (and lover) to send the market to all time highs. Aha, and the psychiatrist (Jude Law) figured it out. I’d highly recommend this. It’s in the Alfred Hitchcock mode, and you can’t beat that!

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Anna D.

@Annaelizabeth 5d

So good. The ending left me so surprised!

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Marissa

@MonyMovies 6d

Didn’t see the twist coming, but the movie still felt pretty slow. It’s a good mystery, but I didn’t leave thinking it did anything groundbreaking.

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Alain E

@AlainE Dec 31

If you like conspiracy theories, this movie proves that you were right all along. A very clever scenario that still doesn’t depend on unrealistic assumptions. Side effects follows the Hitchcockian tradition of red herrings. A nice girl with psychological wounds committs a brutal murder under the influence of a dangerous medication. Not only she gets arrested and incarcerated, but the psychiatrist who wrote the prescription sees his reputation and career destroyed. Eventually, working with persistence he is able to uncover the truth. If you mistrust the drug companies and you thought that the first half of the story confirmed your beliefs, the resolution will come as a bitter disappointment. The whole thing is very well constructed.

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Cate V

@catetheplate Dec 16

What an actual piece of garbage. The writing is trash. The plot is an actual landfill. I want this hour plus back. The only thing that I could positively say is Jude Law is a handsome man.

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Steven Soderbergh

Director

Jude Law

Dr. Jonathan Banks

Rooney Mara

Emily Taylor

Channing Tatum

Martin Taylor

Catherine Zeta-Jones

Dr. Victoria Siebert

Vinessa Shaw

Deidre Banks

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Video Interviews with the Cast of Side Effects: Jude Law, Channing Tatum, Rooney Mara, and more

Critics Consensus: Side Effects is Certified Fresh

Side Effects: Trailer 3

2:18

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Synopsis

For four years, Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara) has awaited the release of her husband, Martin (Channing Tatum), from being imprisoned for insider trading. Finally, Martin comes home, but Emily feels just as bad as she did when he was incarcerated, and she sinks into a deep depression. After her failed suicide attempt, psychiatrist Jonathan Banks (Jude Law) prescribes a series of medications. When those don't work, he gives Emily a new medication -- but the drug leads to ruined lives and death.

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Producer: Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Gregory Jacobs, Scott Z. Burns
Screenwriter: Scott Z. Burns
Distributor: Open Road
Production Co: Endgame Entertainment, FilmNation Entertainment, Di Bonaventura Pictures
Rating: R (Nudity|Language|Sexuality|Violence)
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 8, 2013, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 9, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $32.2M
Runtime: 1h 45m

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