SIDE EFFECTS opens Feb. 8, 2013. Stars: Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Jude Law. Directed by Steven Soderbergh ("Contagion", "Magic Mike", "Traffic", "Oceans Twelve").
A woman (Mara) turns to prescription medication as a way to handle the stress of her husband's (Tatum) impending release from prison.
This is a tangled thriller that is more complicated than the synopsis implies. However, it cannot be discussed prior to its release in accordance with the no spoilers rule. All that can be safely said is that the four main stars earn their stripes with flying colors. It's not a classic film as such but it's very good.
What's really cool is that Catherine Zeta-Jones is back doing what she does best--heavy drama. Zeta-Jones has one of the all-time great faces for roles like this. She can be sincere, menacing, playful and sexy all at the same time. This is another victory for an extremely talented actress.
Rooney Mara also scores a victory but the no spoiler rule again precludes saying why. The changes she goes through in this film are way too real as reflected by her performance. One can identify with her plight but it's up to each individual as to how much empathy she deserves.
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