Wordiezett
So much average
Pluskylang
Great Film overall
Beystiman
It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.
Invaderbank
The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.
Claudio Carvalho
Karly Hert (Katherine Heigl) is hired by the Braden-Andrews to work as pharmaceutical sales representative persuading doctors to prescribe drugs from Braden-Andrews. Karly feels a moral dilemma with her unethical job, but is seduced by the salary, car, bonus and benefits offered by the corporation.When Karly meets her former rep Zach Danner (Lucian McAfee), they fall in love with each other. Karly gives a schedule of six months to quit her job and she decides to be honest with the physicians. The result increases the market share of Braden-Andrews and Karly is promoted; receives a BMW as an upgrade; and lives a conflictive situation. When the anti-depressive Vivexx is approved by FDA, Karly finds that there are medical reports showing lever issues hidden by the industry. Karly is nominated by Braden-Adrews to the award Industry Rep of the Year and she needs to take a decision."Side Effects" is a low-budget movie about the American pharmaceutical industry that moves billions of dollars per year and occasionally hides side effects of some medicines using unethical doctors that are bribed to prescribe their medicines. Coincidently I saw "Love and Other Drugs" yesterday that has many similar situations.The plot romantically and ethically speaking gives a good message about the corrupted system. However, it is hard to believe on the story of Karly Hert, a young woman that climbs socially selling her soul to the Devil, and seeks redemption reporting the truth about a new medicine on the day that she reaches the top of her career with dedication.Both Karly and Zach have consciously worked in the pharmaceutical industry aware of how the system works, and Karly has paid her bills and Zach has raised his savings for his dreams using the industry. Therefore, she is totally disloyal with her employer and her last attitude is a total betrayal. Therefore she was also extremely unethical in her behavior exposing the inside information that she had the way she does. Does the end justify the means? My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Efeitos Colaterais" ("Side Effects")
Gary Murphy
I was expecting a romantic comedy, perhaps with a predictable plot. All that to say, I wasn't expecting much. I got a lot less than not much.All technical aspects of this movie are quite awful in a quite obvious way. The direction, editing, acting (except for Heigl), and soundtrack were deplorable. The romance was not developed. The tension between the characters was not revealed to any degree. There was no chemistry.There were scenes that didn't belong and some scenes that we had to be mind readers to follow, because there was no dialog and no coherent acting skills to fill in the gaps.It was a horrible mess.
jerikstacy
I loved it. My wife loved it. My daughter loved it. Pretty seldom we can say that.It was a good story. It had the conflicted love affair cliché going on but this actually seemed relevant for once. I think the main thing that I liked about it is that it opened a window into the world of the drug rep – and from my personal experiences it seemed to be an accurate portrayal.I saw some previous comments that less than perfect production and plot holes marred the film. Well, go make your own movie then.For the rest of us who never really noticed the jump-cut in Taxi Driver, rent the film, put some popcorn in the microwave, open a bottle of wine and pop a few Viagra for afters!
skiprok
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.