Side Effects (2005)

Too many fans seem to be blown away

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Blistering performances.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

"Side Effects" has a great story but unfortunately it has its problems that some people won't be able to get past. It stars Katherine Heigl as a young woman working for a pharmaceutical sales company, trying to figure out her professional life and love life. Although its not an original idea, they told the main story very well as they focused on the pharmaceutical sales industry and the moral dilemmas that come with the job.Trying to run alongside the main story we had a few sub-plots, but these were really poorly done. These side story lines had no end, or if they did, they had no beginning. They really detracted from the film. Adding to this problem were technical issues with poor editing and sound.I say you should see it if you are looking for a great story. But if you are going to get frustrated by some poorly written scenes and sloppy editing and sound, then skip it.

This film entertains while it educates - you gotta love that! While it is noticeable that the film is a first effort by writer/director Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau, I am so impressed by this first effort, I just had to let others know about this film! Aside from Katherine Heigl's "Karly," the film's second strongest character is Karly's boss, played wickedly by Dorian DeMichele.The film's weakest point is, unfortunately, the actor who portrays "Zach," Karly's boyfriend and primary motivation for wanting to make changes in her life. I found myself repeatedly wondering if Lucian McAfee actually had a pulse.That being said, the film is highly enjoyable!

I could tell it was the director's first film and thought it moved a little slow in the beginning and jumped around sometimes. However, the info was great and if you can handle the little jokes and enjoy it and learn from it for what it is, I thought it was a great movie. I had actually seen the Constant Gardener about 45 minutes before I saw this. I got the impression that the Constant Gardener was a look at the pharmaceutical industry from someone trying to get into it to learn what was going on. Side Effects was a look at the inside of the industry from someone who knew what was going on and wanted out. One thing I will say is, if someone doesn't have a lot of money and wants to get the word out about this industry, it won't be a super HIGH budget film or THE BEST ACTORS/ACTRESSES IN THE WORLD. It will be a lower budget film, with good or even really good acting. Sponsors are afraid to support it, people are probably afraid to be in it, and these scenarios won't give you ALL the money or actors you want.

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.