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By A.O. Scott

• Feb. 7, 2013

The marketing campaign for “Side Effects,” Steven Soderbergh’s tight and twisty new pharma-caper, includes a Web site for a fictitious antidepressant called Ablixa. You can tell the site is fake because the “professional consultation” it offers is provided by Jude Law, who plays a psychiatrist in the film. But the embedded commercial is a perfect parody of something that has become very familiar in recent years: a vague and seductive montage of sad and happy scenes accompanied by new-agey music and, interrupting the inspiring sales pitch, a sotto voce recitation of warnings and possible complications.

Mr. Soderbergh, who serves as his own cinematographer (under the pseudonym Peter Andrews), cleverly evokes the style of these ubiquitous drug advertisements in the movie itself. We spend most of the first half-hour in the company of Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara), a young New Yorker who lives in a gray fog of hopelessness. The Ablixa ad represents this condition with cartoon clouds, while Mr. Soderbergh paints Manhattan in watery shades of gloom. Thomas Newman’s score mimics and subverts the soothing music of antidepressant sales pitches, composing lullabies that portend a sleep full of nightmares. Ms. Mara, fine-boned and fragile-looking, but with a deep reservoir of scary intensity (see “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” ), moves through her scenes with a blunted, haunted affect, and Emily stirs the protective instincts of the audience, of Mr. Law’s Dr. Jonathan Banks and also of her husband, Martin (Channing Tatum).

He is a former hedge fund cowboy recently (and not all that repentantly) released from prison after serving four years for insider trading. His return coincides with — or perhaps sets off — a severe depressive episode for his wife, including a suicide attempt in an underground parking garage. Martin, affable, hunky and upbeat (as I said, Channing Tatum), also represents the principal happiness that Emily has known in her life. A flashback renders the time before his incarceration as a bright blur of delicious shared luxury: Champagne in crystal flutes, a handsome sailboat, a cute little Mercedes in the driveway of a grand Greenwich mansion.

You will note that those signifiers of the good life are material rather than mental. Abundance is bliss. And though “Side Effects” (written by Scott Z. Burns, Mr. Soderbergh’s collaborator on “Contagion” and “The Informant!” ) starts out on the pharmacologically renovated terrain of the psychological thriller — locating drama and suspense in the puzzles of Emily’s inner experience — it eventually separates the thrills from the psychology, flattening into a somewhat conventional story of double crosses and disguised motives. The movie is finally less about madness and medicine than about lust, jealousy and greed.

Not that those things are entirely unrelated, and not that a clever, old-fashioned noir potboiler is unwelcome in this cold, dumb season. Even as it concentrates on the pathos and pathology of an individual case, “Side Effects” glances at the larger economic forces that impinge on Emily’s condition. Behind the kind doctors and enticing advertisements lie the interests of big business. Dr. Banks, eager to advance his family’s fortune (his wife, who works in banking, is played by Vinessa Shaw), accepts a lucrative consulting gig for the company that makes Ablixa, whose brand seems to be everywhere — on name tags at conferences, on ballpoint pens and prescription pads.

These tokens of the medical-industrial complex are notable atmospheric details — minor symptoms or perhaps red herrings — rather than central concerns. The middle stretch of “Side Effects” is a forensic whodunit in which Dr. Banks, with the not always helpful assistance of Emily’s previous therapist (Catherine Zeta-Jones), tries to get to the bottom of a ghastly, possibly Ablixia-linked incident.

I don’t want to say too much more, since while the plot may be predictable (and more than a little preposterous) in retrospect, Mr. Soderbergh handles it brilliantly, serving notice once again that he is a crackerjack genre technician. He is especially alert to the ways that shifts in the direction of the plot alter the identities of important characters. Mr. Law’s transformation is especially impressive, as the good doctor travels a circuit from compassion to confusion to coldblooded fury and discovers that paranoia is less a psychic disorder than a realistic response to circumstances.

Mr. Soderbergh has said that “Side Effects” will be his last theatrically released feature film. (“Behind the Candelabra,” his Liberace biopic starring Matt Damon and Michael Douglas, will be shown on HBO.) As such, it is less a summing up than a greatest-hits package, reminding viewers of some of the things that this protean director has done well in recent years. (In addition to casting Channing Tatum, that is.) It has a clammy medical anxiety that recalls “Contagion,” hints of the corporate shenanigans of “The Informant!,” the do-gooder convictions of “Erin Brockovich” and an eye for high-end New York environments that defined “The Girlfriend Experience.”

What these films have in common — and we can add “Magic Mike” and even the “Ocean’s Eleven” pictures to the list — is a critical interest in the intimate effects of a capitalist economy that bundles ethical risks along with material comforts and opportunities for self-making. Mr. Soderbergh’s tales of sex, drugs, illness and crime are also about money. To some extent, of course, money is the unacknowledged obsession of everyone who makes movies, but few filmmakers have put this concern on screen with such intelligence and wit. This honesty is a big reason to miss Mr. Soderbergh and to hope that his retirement is temporary.

“Side Effects” is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). Sex, violence and bad medicine.

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The music tells us what kind of movie "Side Effects" is going to be. It coils beneath what seems like a realistic plot and whispers that something haunted and possessed is going on. Imagine music for a sorcery-related plot and then dial it down to ominous forebodings. Without Thomas Newman's score, "Side Effects" would be a lesser film, even another film.

We meet a young woman named Emily ( Rooney Mara ). Her husband, Martin ( Channing Tatum ), has been released after four years in prison for insider trading. Don't weep for him. At a party, he explains, "It's the culture." They resume. They dine. They make eager love. Things don't go for her as smoothly as they would seem. She is referred to a psychiatrist named Banks ( Jude Law ). She's been under care before, with a shrink named Victoria Siebert ( Catherine Zeta-Jones ), but Banks thinks Emily may get good results from a new drug called Ablixa. Meanwhile, a drug company has paid him $50,000 to study it during the licensing period.

This Banks has issues. A Brit in Manhattan, he's divorced from a dubious woman ( Vinessa Shaw ). He immigrated to the United States, he explains, because in the U.K., when you enter psychiatric treatment, it's assumed you may get sicker, and over here, it's assumed you're getting well. Naturally that attitude tilts him toward pushing pills. Emily's use of Ablixa causes some alarming behavior, including a murder while in a blackout, and she's committed to a mental hospital.

Banks shows few signs of empathy. Why is he a doctor in the first place? Why did his marriage fail? He meets with Victoria Siebert, and why does tension spring up between them? Banks is sitting on a lot of anger. 

There are other characters: a cop, a mother, yada yada. Always the music — never loud, always there.  Rooney Mara 's performance is instrumental. In her third major role, she's on the far side of the moon from "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo." She's terrified of the world, of the doctor, of Ablixa and of herself.  Steven Soderbergh 's camera often sees her from a slightly low level from her left, her hair doing the framing. Recall  Nicolas Cage  looking askance at the iguana in Herzog's "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," and then dial that down to uncertainty and fear.

I diagnose her with panic attacks and depression. The professionals in the film discuss real meds like Effexor, which can be effective "over time." Time is what the depressed and panicked lack. Banks wants fast-acting pills. Emily dreads being diagnosed as actually nuts and being assigned to the hospital by the courts. Banks doesn't seem so concerned. Maybe another med will work. Meanwhile, we notice that he's spending an increasing amount of time with other characters, like Victoria Siebert, his ex-wife, prosecutors and colleagues. The case begins to make news and his clients fall off because they don't want a press mob seeing them going into his office.

And all this time the music. You know those scores that make you think of sad merry-go-rounds? In "Side Effects," the viewer is being drawn into a vortex. Is there a level we don't suspect? Some people, ambushed by the last 10 minutes, will be thinking, "What a load of crap." Soderbergh has retrofitted his film from the end backward.

At the press previews, critics were not admitted unless they were there from the start. It's like an  Alfred Hitchcock  warning: "Don't give away the beginning!"

Steven Soderbergh  has announced that, at 50, this will be his last feature film. Well, that's up to him. This one brings together threads from a lot of his work. Crime. Sex. Complicated yuppies. Smart people doing heedless things. Corruption in high places. Ablixa can even be seen as a science-fiction element. The Soderbergh film this one doesn't draw from is " Che ." Soderbergh came, he saw, he conquered, and now he's moving on.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Side Effects (2013)

106 minutes

Channing Tatum as Martin Taylor

Rooney Mara as Emily Taylor

Catherine Zeta-Jones as Dr. Victoria Siebert

Jude Law as Dr. Jonathan Banks

Directed by

• Steven Soderbergh
• Scott Z. Burns

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Movie Reviews

'side effects:' this thriller is 'deliciously complex'.

Kenneth Turan

The movie stars Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Channing Tatum. Our critic reviews Side Effects , which director Steven Soderbergh says might be his last.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The director Steven Soderbergh made his name in 1989 with his film "Sex, Lies and Videotape." Since then he's had commercial hits like "Oceans 11" and some really strange flops, like "Bubble." Soderbergh has said that his latest film might be his last.

Kenneth Turan has this review of that new movie "Side Effects."

KENNETH TURAN: The less said about "Side Effects," the better. There's nothing wrong with it, quite the contrary, but it's got a deliciously complex plot that works best in an information blackout.

Central character Emily Taylor is played very effectively by Rooney Mara. Emily's husband is about to be released from prison after a four-year sentence for insider trading. That triggers a devastating depression in Emily, like a poisonous fog bank rolling in. She attempts suicide, which leads her to a friendly, understanding psychiatrist played by Jude Law.

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "SIDE EFFECTS")

TURAN: The psychiatrist puts Emily on the latest anti-depressant available in consultation with her previous doctor, played by Catherine Zeta Jones

TURAN: First, all is going well. But then, in the blink of an eye, it isn't, and all hell breaks loose. It would ruin the fun to detail exactly what kind of hell, but it does make everyone wish the drug had never entered their lives. "Side Effects" is undeniably far-fetched, but it's made with so much cinematic skill it makes implausibility irrelevant. If this does prove to be Soderbergh's final film, he picked a heck of a one to go out on.

INSKEEP: Kenneth Turan who reviews movies for MORNING EDITION and the Los Angeles Times.

Copyright © 2013 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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Side effects: film review.

In what he's calling his final feature film, Soderbergh presents a lushly made but unconvincing thriller about the dangers of prescription drugs.

By Todd McCarthy

Todd McCarthy

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Side Effects Mara Tatum Couch - H 2013

In what he insists is his final big-screen feature film, at least for the foreseeable future, Steven Soderbergh employs his dramatic know-how and superior craftsmanship to initially lure you into a story that you ultimately can’t buy into at all in Side Effects . Screenwriter Scott Z. Burns ’ story of a young wife whose well-being and behavior are seemingly impaired by a succession of prescription drugs has the veneer of a serious exposé of a perceived epidemic of doctor-approved drug use (Burns also wrote Soderbergh’s recent mass-infection thriller Contagion ). But in trying to merge this alarmist theme with an old-fashioned murder mystery, the filmmakers throw at least one plot-twist sucker-punch too many, leaving the viewer with an “Oh, come on” reaction to the entire film. Despite the classy pedigree and fine cast, Open Road likely will drum up only limited business for this nicely wrapped package in specialized release.

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The Bottom Line Steven Soderbergh’s final feature (for a while, anyway) is a lushly made but unconvincing thriller with a serious overlay about the dangers of prescription drugs.

Depending upon exactly how you count, Soderbergh has directed about 27 feature films in the 24 years since he burst on the scene with sex, lies & videotape , a remarkable output given the two or three years it takes most major directors to develop and finish a project. He still has the HBO Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra in store for later this year, but if anyone deserves a vacation, it’s fair to say he does.

And all the better if it will serve to spare him minor projects such as this, which more than anything represents an exercise in strategic withholding and disclosure of information to the audience. When the surprises are sprung, there might be momentary gasps of surprise, but the impact is nothing compared to the resentment that stems from being blindsided by major information so carefully held back.

VIDEO: ‘Side Effects’ Trailer: Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum Say No to Drugs in Steven Soderbergh’s Thriller

Emily Taylor ( Rooney Mara ) has spent four years in New York City waiting for her husband Martin ( Channing Tatum ) to be released from prison; he was convicted of insider trading, their lush life ruined in the process. She’s been on antidepressants and, after an apparent suicide attempt, is put on a new drug by well-meaning shrink Jonathan Banks ( Jude Law ), who consults her former doctor Victoria Siebert ( Catherine Zeta-Jones ) about his new patient’s condition and background.

Martin has assured Emily: “I can get us back to where we were.” But upon his release, something doesn’t feel quite right between them — and, quite out of the blue at the 35-minute mark, one of the main characters does a Janet Leigh in Psycho and gets the blade.

At the ensuing trial, issues relating to memory loss, irresponsible medical treatment and possible insanity come into play. Jonathan’s professional standing takes a big hit, as does his marriage to a beautiful wife ( Vinessa Shaw ) no one would want to lose. There’s a lot of trade talk about the benefits and side effects of various drugs that might prove fascinating to those interested in such matters and boring to those who are not. But a good deal of the second half is devoted to Jonathan’s downward spiral due to his involvement in this unsavory case, with the uncommonly attractive actors providing by far the paramount reason for any sustained interest.

STORY: Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Side Effects’ Team Takes On Depression In America

If the main parts were played by nonentities or common-looking performers, few viewers would stick with this, given the story’s unappealing underpinnings. Mara’s moodiness has an allure and, in a very different sort of role from The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo , she remains intriguing to watch at all times. Law, who stood out in Contagion , also commands attention, but it’s sometimes hard to watch his character so selflessly digging himself deeper into a hole from which it will be very hard to emerge. Tatum, who shone in Soderbergh’s summer hit Magic Mike , is solid, while Zeta-Jones, in her third film for the director, effectively wears her don’t-mess-with-me-or-you’ll-regret-it face.

The film’s final twist feels borderline over-the-top risible, though one thing is certain: It never would have been possible in the old Hollywood, which otherwise seems to be a source for the sort of twisty storytelling attempted.

Lushly shot as usual by Soderbergh’s proficient alter ego Peter Andrews , the film is highlighted by a distinctive electric score by Thomas Newman . ?

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• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Side Effects

A young woman's world unravels when a drug prescribed by her psychiatrist has unexpected side effects. A young woman's world unravels when a drug prescribed by her psychiatrist has unexpected side effects. A young woman's world unravels when a drug prescribed by her psychiatrist has unexpected side effects.

• Steven Soderbergh
• Scott Z. Burns
• Rooney Mara
• Channing Tatum
• 370 User reviews
• 379 Critic reviews
• 75 Metascore
• 5 nominations

• Emily Taylor

• Martin Taylor

• Dr. Jonathan Banks

• Dr. Victoria Siebert

• Emily's Boss

• Dierdre Banks

• Martin's Mother
• Garage Attendant

• Upset Visitor

• Prison Desk Guard

• Police Officer at Hospital

• Conference Organizer

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia Blake Lively was originally cast in the lead role but the production company that was funding the movie dropped out after learning of her casting only to return after Rooney Mara took over the role from Lively.
• Goofs The opening scene shows the murder scene, following Emily's bloody footprints from the kitchen to the bedroom. Later in the film, when the stabbing is depicted, Emily walks toward the bed leaving no footprints, and the camera shows a clear shot of her feet which have no blood on them.

Dr. Jonathan Banks : Depression is an inability to construct a future.

• Connections Featured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #21.81 (2013)
• Soundtracks The Forgotten People Performed by Thievery Corporation Written by Rob Garza (as Robert Garza) and Eric Hilton Courtesy of ESL Music

User reviews 370

• Mar 18, 2013
• Could drugs cause someone to sleepwalk and/or kill someone?
• February 8, 2013 (United States)
• United States
• Official Facebook
• Official site
• The Bitter Pill
• Manhattan Psychiatric Center - 125th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
• Endgame Entertainment
• FilmNation Entertainment
• Di Bonaventura Pictures
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $30,000,000 (estimated)
• $32,172,757
• Feb 10, 2013
• $63,414,135

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 46 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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Side effects, common sense media reviewers.

Thriller's twisty plot overshadows thought-provoking themes.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

The movie raises thought-provoking questions about

Though one character starts out by genuinely tryin

A bloody murder, via stabbing. It's foreshadowed i

The main character is shown topless and mostly nak

Language isn't constant but includes a few uses of

Many actual antidepressants and other drugs are me

Though the movie isn't about substance abuse, it's

Parents need to know that Steven Soderbergh's Side Effects is a twisty thriller centered on psychiatry and antidepressants. There's murder (by stabbing) and blood, as well as some argumentative, aggressive scenes in hospitals. The main character appears topless and mostly naked and participates in more than…

Positive Messages

The movie raises thought-provoking questions about whether society is too quick to medicate our problems. It also raises questions about whether medication is necessary or effective.

Positive Role Models

Though one character starts out by genuinely trying to help another character in need, nothing is quite as it seems. The characters in this movie are mostly selfish, conniving, greedy, and even homicidal. They make poor choices and don't learn anything positive or grow in any positive way.

Violence & Scariness

A bloody murder, via stabbing. It's foreshadowed in the opening minutes of the movie, with a trail of blood leading through a home. A character attempts suicide by crashing a car into a wall and puts herself in danger in another situation as well. Various scenes of arguing, screaming, and struggling.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

The main character is shown topless and mostly naked. She has more than one sex scene with her husband, with sex noises and thrusting shown (male nudity isn't shown). A sensual kiss and sexual suggestion between a psychiatrist and her female patient.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Language isn't constant but includes a few uses of "f--k," "s--t," "bitch," "damn," "goddamn," and "oh my God."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Many actual antidepressants and other drugs are mentioned by name, and they're shown as consumer products that patients should desire. A fake drug, Ablixa -- complete with advertising (and a website ) -- is part of the movie's plot. Red Bull, Yahoo!, Volkswagen, BMW, Rolling Rock beer, and Visine products/brand names are shown and/or mentioned.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Though the movie isn't about substance abuse, it's heavily about the use of antidepressants and other prescription medications. It's also about the side effects of these drugs. The main character is shown to be on several different kinds of drugs, behaving in different ways. Overall, though, the movie never truly endorses or condemns these drugs. Social drinking by adult characters.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Steven Soderbergh 's Side Effects is a twisty thriller centered on psychiatry and antidepressants. There's murder (by stabbing) and blood, as well as some argumentative, aggressive scenes in hospitals. The main character appears topless and mostly naked and participates in more than one strongly suggestive sex scene with her husband; there are also sensual scenes between two female characters. Language is strong but not constant and includes a few uses of "f--k" and "s--t." Drugs are perhaps the movie's main issue, with the main characters taking many different types of prescriptions and reacting in various ways. The movie never really seems to endorse or condemn these drugs, leaving it up to the viewer to decide. Older teens may find the questions the movie raises interesting, and it may open up important discussions with their parents. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

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Community Reviews

• Parents say (3)
• Kids say (4)

Based on 3 parent reviews

An intense thrill ride throughout. Entertaining, shocking and compelling!

What's the story.

Emily Taylor ( Rooney Mara ) is depressed. She knows she should be feeling better, since her husband, Martin ( Channing Tatum ), has been released from prison after serving a term for insider trading. But she just doesn't. After a suicide attempt, she meets psychiatrist Dr. Jonathan Banks ( Jude Law ), who decides to put Emily on antidepressants. Dr. Banks also meets with Emily's former doctor, Dr. Victoria Siebert ( Catherine Zeta-Jones ), as well. Unfortunately, he switches Emily to a new drug called Ablixa, which causes her to sleepwalk -- and worse. When something terrible happens during one of Emily's episodes, it starts to look as if Dr. Banks is to blame. But has he been set up? And, if so, how can he fight back?

Is It Any Good?

There's enough good stuff here to give the movie a pass, though it could have been a great deal more. After a distinguished, prolific, and varied career, director Steven Soderbergh has announced that SIDE EFFECTS will be his last film. It's too bad, then, that although the movie has Soderbergh's unique textures and use of sound, as well as an unusually perceptive human touch, it's not one of his best. The first half -- based on characters and ideas -- is promising. Mara is touching as the wounded, achingly sad Emily, and the issue of whether and how to medicate her is expertly raised. (In an interesting antithesis scene, a Haitian boy who has seen a ghost is, due to his cultural beliefs, not considered sick.)

But Side Effects ' second half turns entirely to a twisty, surprise-heavy plot that relies on quick shocks to prevent viewers from digging too deeply into its shaky logic. Without giving anything away, most of it is very far-fetched.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how Side Effects depicts prescription drugs. Does it make antidepressants and other medications look appealing? Do the consequences seem realistic?

What is the movie saying about turning to medication as a solution for problems? How much work does the main character put into getting better, and how much of it is the responsibility of the pills?

Talk about the major violent scene. How necessary was it to the story? Does it add or take away from the movie's themes?

Which of these characters (if any) did you end up rooting for? Are any of them role models ?

Movie Details

• In theaters : February 8, 2013
• On DVD or streaming : May 21, 2013
• Cast : Channing Tatum , Jude Law , Rooney Mara
• Director : Steven Soderbergh
• Inclusion Information : Female actors
• Studio : Open Road Films
• Genre : Thriller
• Run time : 106 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : sexuality, nudity, violence and language
• Last updated : June 20, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Side effects.

2013 Directed by Steven Soderbergh

One pill can change your life.

A woman turns to prescription medication as a way of handling her anxiety concerning her husband's upcoming release from prison.

Rooney Mara Jude Law Catherine Zeta-Jones Channing Tatum Vinessa Shaw Ann Dowd Polly Draper David Costabile Mamie Gummer Scott Shepherd Marin Ireland Elizabeth Rodriguez Craig muMs Grant Carmen Pelaez Peter Friedman Laila Robins Haraldo Alvarez James Martinez Vladimir Versailles Jacqueline Antaramian Michelle Vergara Moore Katie Lowes Steven Platt Victor Cruz Andrea Bogart Mitchell Michaeliszyn Elizabeth Rich Roderick Rodriguez Mark Weekes Show All… Michael Nathanson Timothy Klein Sheila Tapia Josh Elliott Sasha Bardey Ashley Morrison Steve Lacy Ken Marks Devin Ratray Russell G. Jones Munro M. Bonnell Susan Gross Debbie Friedlander Ilyana Kadushin Johnny Sanchez Nicole Ansari-Cox LaChanze Alice Niedermair Davenia McFadden Ray DeBenedictis J. Claude Deering Chevy Lamont Cofield Laurence Covington Barbara Ann Davison Onika Day Brian Distance John Farrer David Fierro Rosemary Howard Peter Iasillo Jr. Zivile Kaminskaite Peter Y. Kim Larissa Laurel Sean Marrinan Dylan Clark Marshall Elliott Mayer Mario Moise Fontaine Nancy Nagrant Gil O'Brien Kerry O'Malley Greg Paul Anthony J. Ribustello Alan R. Rodriguez Hollie K. Seidel Kenneth Simmons Blago Simon Nikky Smedley Carol Stanzione Erica Faye Watson Aaron Roman Weiner

Director Director

Steven Soderbergh

Producers Producers

Scott Z. Burns Lorenzo di Bonaventura Gregory Jacobs

Writer Writer

Scott Z. Burns

Casting Casting

Carmen Cuba Wittney Horton

Editor Editor

Cinematography cinematography, assistant directors asst. directors.

Gregory Jacobs Jody Spilkoman

Executive Producers Exec. Producers

Douglas Hansen Adi Shankar Spencer Silna

Lighting Lighting

Peter Walts

Camera Operator Camera Operator

Patrick B. O'Brien

Production Design Production Design

Howard Cummings

Art Direction Art Direction

Miguel López-Castillo Anne Goelz Barbra Matis

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Rena DeAngelo Martin Connelly Nick Ferrara

Special Effects Special Effects

Conrad V. Brink Jr.

Visual Effects Visual Effects

Thomas J. Smith

Stunts Stunts

G. A. Aguilar Blaise Corrigan Josh Lakatos Nikki Brower Christopher Place Stephen A. Pope Declan Mulvey Victor Paguia Derrick Simmons Chris Cenatiempo

Composer Composer

Thomas Newman

Sound Sound

Dawn Fintor Alicia Stevenson Billy Theriot Scott Curtis Larry Blake

Costume Design Costume Design

Susan Lyall

Makeup Makeup

Nicki Ledermann Tania Ribalow Cassandra Saulter

Hairstyling Hairstyling

Kerrie Smith Michelle Johnson

di Bonaventura Pictures Endgame Entertainment

Primary Language

Spoken languages.

English French

Releases by Date

31 jan 2013, 12 feb 2013, 07 feb 2013, 08 feb 2013, 21 feb 2013, 22 feb 2013, 28 feb 2013, 01 mar 2013, 07 mar 2013, 08 mar 2013, 14 mar 2013, 15 mar 2013, 21 mar 2013, 22 mar 2013, 28 mar 2013, 29 mar 2013, 03 apr 2013, 04 apr 2013, 05 apr 2013, 10 apr 2013, 19 apr 2013, 24 apr 2013, 25 apr 2013, 26 apr 2013, 01 may 2013, 02 may 2013, 03 may 2013, 08 may 2013, 09 may 2013, 16 may 2013, 30 may 2013, 31 may 2013, 14 jun 2013, 16 jun 2013, 11 jul 2013, 02 aug 2013, 06 sep 2013, 29 jul 2013, 31 jul 2013, 04 sep 2013, 11 apr 2015, releases by country.

• Theatrical +16
• Theatrical MA15+

Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

• Theatrical 14
• Theatrical 14A
• Theatrical 15
• Premiere Berlin International Film Festival
• Theatrical 12
• Theatrical Κ-15
• Physical DVD,Blu-ray
• Theatrical III
• Theatrical 16 éven aluliak számára nem ajánlott
• Theatrical 15A
• Theatrical R15+
• Theatrical N-16
• Theatrical B-15

Netherlands

• Physical 12 DVD
• TV 12 RTL 5

New Zealand

• Theatrical M/16

Russian Federation

• Theatrical M18

South Africa

South korea.

• Theatrical 18
• Theatrical 12+
• Premiere R (New York City)
• Theatrical R

United Arab Emirates

• Physical DVD

106 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by cinéfila... 🕯️ ★★★★ 3

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

rooney sis you could've just divorced him

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Huge sucker for this type of thriller, even though I think the casting is absolutely insane. Sometimes feels like the undercurrent of “fuck the pharma industry” dangerously dips a bit into “fuck medicine” but never too much. Love that Soderbergh went on to make Unsane after examining psychiatric imprisonment and gaslighting in this movie, the same way I will eat a peanut butter cup and then remember how good peanut butter is, and then just go and eat loose spoonful of peanut butter as a second “food” of its own. These are the exact same. Just remembered this app doesn’t have a word minimum.

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In which Rooney Mara invents depression lesbianism and acting!

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Side Effects

By Peter Travers

Peter Travers

First the bad news. Oscar winner Steven Soderbergh says Side Effects is the last film he plans to direct (up next, it’s all painting, writing, theater and long-form TV). The good news is it’s a hell of a thriller, twisty, terrific and packed with surprises you don’t see coming. Soderbergh, who handles camera and editing on his films, has a rare gift for taking a familiar genre and filling it with provocations about how we screw up our lives. Just think of sex, lies & videotape , Out of Sight, Erin Brockovich , Traffic , right up to Magic Mike . The gray areas are where shit happens, and Soderbergh is there taking full measure.

Side Effects is Soderbergh in full, flinty vigor. It’s anything but a formula murder mystery. Working from a script by Scott Z. Burns, a collaborator on The Informant! and Contagion , Soderbergh delivers ticking-bomb suspense laced with psychological acuity about a world where mood-altering meds are as disturbingly prevalent as social media.

And Soderbergh lucks out with actors who stay keenly attuned to his wicked vision. There’s no turning away from the seductively enigmatic Rooney Mara ( The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo ) as she reels us into the anxieties of Emily Taylor. Her husband, Martin (a stellar Channing Tatum), is just out of prison. He did four years for insider trading. It’s a shock to Emily’s system. Her plush life with Martin is now a one-bedroom apartment unfashionably uptown and a grind of a job at a Manhattan ad agency.

No sooner is Martin home than Emily is driving her car into a garage wall. The suicide attempt brings in Dr. Jonathan Banks (Jude Law), a shrink with a ready prescription pad to treat the ills of Prozac nation. His drug of choice, a fictional one, is called Ablixa, with a website heralding its dubious virtues. In short order, Emily is perking up. In bed, this depressed wife mounts her husband like a bitch in heat. “Whoever makes this drug is going to be very rich,” says Martin.

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Then come the side effects. One includes murder. Shocked? Don’t be. Dr. Sasha Bardey, a psychiatrist who worked at Bellevue, co-produced the movie. Headlines are still being made about side effects that move past nausea and headaches into violence. Soderbergh pokes satirical fun at a Manhattan where you can’t run into anyone who’s not on antidepressants. But his film is deadly business.

To avoid spoilers, I won’t go further into plot. But you can’t deny the heat generated by this cast. Law is sensationally good as a physician who can hand out beta blockers to ease tension in his wife (Vinessa Shaw), but can’t heal himself when he gets in over his head. And Catherine Zeta-Jones, as the shrink Emily bonded with before Dr. Banks, is . . . well, let’s start with dynamite. Soderbergh has sent out Side Effects with a memorable sting in its tail. There is a side effect to this movie, but it’s one that I think most film junkies can live with: You can’t get it out of your head.

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Side Effects (2013) : Movie Plot Ending Explained

Side Effects stars Rooney Mara (The Girl from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Channing Tatum (of the Step Up fame), Jude Law and Catherine Zeta Jones. This one was a 2013 installment from the director who gave us The Ocean’s Trilogy. Here’s the plot and ending of the movie Side Effects explained; spoilers ahead.

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Oh, and if this article doesn’t answer all of your questions, drop me a comment or an FB chat message, and I’ll get you the answer .  You can find other film explanations using the search option on top of the site.

Side Effects: Plot Explanation

Martin (Channing) reunites with his wife Emily (Rooney) after 4 years of being in prison for getting caught on insider trading. Emily is suffering from depression and is trying hard to cope with it. Martin is trying to turn over a new leaf. Emily is consulting with Jonathan (Jude) for her case of depression, her previous psychiatrist being Victoria (Catherine). Emily is not able to handle her case too well and is put on to a new drug called Ablixa. No points for guessing here, the medicine has side effects and shit goes sideways. The director’s done a great job of piecing together each of the characters to give life to the story. Rooney Mara has been a favourite after Girl with a Dragon Tattoo and she does her part effortlessly.

Here’s a chronological explanation of what happened in the film…

Happily Married

Emily and Martin are happily married and are living the life of riches. Martin is shown to be an investment banker. He gets arrested for insider trading. Insider Trading is an illegal act which involves a person with non-public information about corporations to conduct personal trades and make money on the stock market.

Emily and Victoria

Once Martin goes to jail, Emily’s life comes crashing down on her. She’s angered by what Martin has done to her. Emily picks Victoria as her counselor as Victoria has been abandoned by her husband too. The two of them become lovers, it is indicated that both of them have certain bisexual tendencies. The two of them now plot. While Emily teaches Victoria all there is about Insider Trading (that she learns from Martin), Victoria teaches Emily how to fake depression. Emily publicly starts faking her condition of depression. She also meets Martin in jail and tells him that she will wait for him.

Martin gets released from jail and Emily and Martin’s mom goes to pick him up. This is how the movie begins. Emily displays a big break down in the public party to let everyone know that she’s trying had to make it work between her and Martin and that she’s suffering from depression. Following which Emily starts consulting with Johnathan who is assigned to her. Soon after, she makes her first attempt at suicide (well, she makes it look like an attempt at suicide). Emily gets into her car and drives it into a wall. I’ll come back to this point a little later.

Johnathan goes to meet Victoria to get more details on Emily. Victoria further adds to the scheming by convincing Johnathan that he should get Emily started on a new drug in the market called Ablixa. Johnathan is not convinced. Emily then stages the display of her second suicide attempt at the subway, trying to jump on to the tracks. A security guard stops her. This too is only done to show the public that she’s suffering from depression.

Emily meets with Johnathan by interrupting him and his wife and tells him how things are not getting any better. Emily convinces Johnathan that there is a friend of hers, by the name Julia, at work who’s tried Ablixa and that it works very well. Given that even Victoria suggests it earlier on, Johnathan prescribes it to Emily. In secret here, Victoria is taking snaps of Johnathan and Emily sitting together and talking in a public place.

Sleepwalking

Soon Emily acts to show that Ablixa is actually making a difference and her sex life with Martin improves and that she’s slowly feeling less depressed. She also acts out an apparent side effect of sleepwalking. Emily is up in the middle of the night preparing breakfast, all while sleeping. This is an act.

This worries Martin and they head to see Johnathan. Emily convinces Johnathan to keep her on the drug. In another apparent episode of sleepwalking. Emily is cutting veggies. When Martin walks up to her she stabs him leaving him fatally wounded. Emily has no condition, she is only acting the part of sleepwalking. She intends to kill Martin for making her life miserable. She then goes to bed. She prepares to panic and act out a call to 911 saying someone has murdered her husband.

The trial then starts and Johnathan convinces the jury that Emily is a victim of a side effect of the drug. Emily is deemed not guilty but is sent to a mental asylum until cleared by Johnathan. By now, the case has gone public and Johnathan loses his job as it appears to be murder because of his negligence. In secret, Victoria has also made trades knowing well that Ablixa’s stock is going to drop because of the sleepwalking incident leading to a murder. This is the Insider Trading that Victoria has done to make a ton of money.

Johnathan realizes the truth

As his life begins to get ruined, Johnathan visits Emily’s office to notice two things – There is a car crash advertisement on airbags running in loops, the other is that there is no one named Julia at work. When he checks with the witness to the first attempt at Emily’s suicide, the witness tells Johnathan that Emily was wearing her seat belt during that crash. This gives John a confirming clue that Emily was only acting, she never intended to kill herself.

Suspicious, John tries to get more of the truth out of Emily. He tells her he’s going to give her a truth serum shot and ask a few questions. In reality, he only gives her some saline solution. Emily, who’s been told how to act in this situation, acts well thinking she’s on the truth serum which makes one drowsy. Johnathan also notices that the person who’s mentioned the side effects of sleepwalking is Victoria, yet she keeps this from Johnathan. So he goes to meet her. Johnathan, angry, tells Victoria that Emily has told him “things”. To make Johnathan’s life more miserable she mails the photos of Johnathan and Emily talking in public along with some racy pictures of Emily to Johnathan’s wife. This causes his wife to walk on Johnathan.

Emily vs Victoria

Johnathan meets Victoria one more time and plots Emily against her. He lies to Victoria that Emily has told him about the Insider Trades. Victoria reacts enough to give a clear indication to Johnathan that Emily and Victoria are in on it together. He plots Victoria against Emily this time by putting up a show to let Emily imagine that Victoria has turned sides and is with Johnathan now. This is the bit that Emily is seeing from inside the building. Johnathan tells Emily that Victoria was not sure if Emily could keep all of this a secret.

Johnathan’s play works, Emily decides to go against Victoria. She is taken out of the ward under the rule that she needs to be constantly under his care, else she comes right back. Emily wears a wire and goes over to Victoria’s and makes her say sufficient details that incarcerate Victoria of Insider Trading.

Side Effects: Ending Explained

The US procedural defense states that a defendant cannot be tried again on similar charges following a legitimate acquittal or conviction. Since Emily was acquitted once already on the charge of Martin’s murder she can’t be tried again. Johnathan comes up with an alternate plan. He prescribes some drugs with some insane side effects to Emily. She throws a fit and Johnathan declares that Emily is no longer fit to be under his care and that she’s taken back to the mental ward for refusing treatment. Over some time there based on her treatment, Emily eventually becomes zoned out and loses her mind because of all the medication.

Johnathan gets his revenge on both Victoria and Emily and gets his life back.

Barry is a technologist who helps start-ups build successful products. His love for movies and production has led him to write his well-received film explanation and analysis articles to help everyone appreciate the films better. He’s regularly available for a chat conversation on his website and consults on storyboarding from time to time. Click to browse all his film articles

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Side Effects

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Side Effects is a crime film masquerading as a psychodrama. The plot is prolix beyond my comprehension. I hope others who see this are more astute than me about figuring out what is going on.

7 March 2013 7:10PM

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Side Effects

Streaming in:

We checked for updates on 246 streaming services on April 27, 2024 at 1:12:13 AM. Something wrong? Let us know!

Side Effects streaming: where to watch online?

Currently you are able to watch "Side Effects" streaming on Starz Apple TV Channel or for free with ads on Pluto TV. It is also possible to rent "Side Effects" on Apple TV, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Vudu, Microsoft Store online and to download it on Apple TV, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Vudu, Microsoft Store.

Where does Side Effects rank today? The JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. This includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. This includes data from ~1.3 million movie & TV show fans per day.

Streaming charts last updated: 1:13:13 PM, 04/27/2024

Side Effects is 5321 on the JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts today. The movie has moved up the charts by 2090 places since yesterday. In the United States, it is currently more popular than Maniac Cop but less popular than Bloodline.

A woman turns to prescription medication as a way of handling her anxiety concerning her husband's upcoming release from prison.

Streaming Charts The JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. This includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. This includes data from ~1.3 million movie & TV show fans per day.

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