If there is one message that Steven Soderbergh is trying to convey in what’s said to be his last movie as a director, it’s that crazy doesn’t have to always make sense.
In “Side Effects” Rooney Mara plays a depressed person really well and only seems to be acting when she’s appearing to be happy. She is the Emily, wife of Martin (Channing Tatum), who has just been released from a four-year prison stint and they are trying to get back to their normal Connecticut suburban lives.
Her depression from the past creeps up on her again and she decides to see a therapist (Jude Law) who consults with Emily's previous therapist (a creepy Catherine Zeta-Jones) and also tests out different concoctions of prescription pills. As the movie suggests, some have harsher side effects than others.
After an explanation for the opening scene of the movie (blood on the floors, a present in the chair) is given to us mid-movie, more questions appear and then things start be a little off-balanced.
The movie is a look at the power of the mind, the power of pills and the power of understanding that “crazy” can mean different things to different people. The movie is dark, twisty, and maybe too predictable. I don’t want to be a spoiler, so I can’t even discuss the worst part of the movie for me. But for the majority of movie watchers, you can probably guess because I’m sure that when you see what made me roll my eyes, you will be saying, 'What the crap?' too.
However, the storyline is unique, if flawed, and the imperfections will still cause a bit of a buzz. But for the most part, I liked the movie because unlike most movies it was more than what I expected from the trailer.
Final thoughts: Mostly solid but with an added twist that almost ruins it all.
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