Review of Side Effects (2013) by Diego T — 11 Jan 2014

Sometimes when I go to bed, I take a moment to say a silent prayer, thanking the movie gods for films like Side Effects. 2013 has been one of the worst years for blockbusters yet, but lesser-known dramas such as this have gained a massive foothold among audiences recently. And Side Effects lays a totally rightful claim to that category. Featuring dark and moody cinematography, remarkable performances, and an intelligent script, this deftly (there's Jed's favorite word) handled piece of cinema is one of the best murder mysteries I've seen in quite some time. I didn't expect too much from this movie, but I was definitely pleasantly surprised. It's almost in the territory of a masterpiece.

Side Effects is directed by Steven Soderbergh, a highly acclaimed director whose best films (including Sex, Lies, and Videotape) I have sadly not yet experienced. However, I mildly enjoyed his 2011 film Contagion (in which Jude Law also played a doctor), so I was looking forward to seeing this. And it did not disappoint. Side Effects follows the story of Emily, a 28-year-old woman whose husband (Channing Tatum) recently got out of jail for a white-collar crime. Emily is played by Rooney Mara, who I think is one of the most talented (not to mention attractive) actresses in Hollywood today. She blew me away already this year with her performance as Ruth Guthrie in Ain't Them Bodies Saints, and she is mesmerizing here. Her character will keep you guessing up until the very last minute of the movie, but to avoid any spoilers, I will refrain from detailing just how great this performance is. But I will say this: Some actors are chameleons, but she blows them out of the water here. I was totally sucked in by this character, and I never saw the plot twist coming. Mara is an easy nominee for Best Actress, and if it weren't for Cate Blanchett's performance in Blue Jasmine, I'd say she should win it as well.

Jude Law, meanwhile, plays Emily's psychiatrist, who prescribes her with increasingly experimental medicines until she finally snaps. After this jarring turn of events (which I shall not detail, as I still don't want to spoil it), Law is forced to play detective a little bit and figure out just why Emily did what she did. Earlier this week, I mentioned how fascinating it can be to watch a character such as Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street move through their world without any hinderance whatsoever. The same is true for the opposite-- It can be very fun to watch a character become a fish out of water when the plot calls for it. And to see Law's professional, cut-and-dried doctor be forced into becoming a detective of sorts is another one of my favorite performances of the year.

The script doesn't move as fast as it should at the beginning, but it picks up significant speed when the plot twists start rolling in. Pacing problems aside though, the patient moviegoer will have a hell of a time with this slow-burning, intense, and methodical film. The twists don't just come out of left field with absolutely no hinting to them beforehand-- You see them and slap your head, saying "Oh fuck! It all makes sense now!" Not to mention the fact that it never relies on the stupidity of a character to further the plot. All the characters in this film are smart and cunning, which makes their interactions all the more deliciously intense. Law ends up having to outsmart one of the best-laid plans in movie crime history, and the way he goes about it is logical, intelligent, and dramatically realistic.

All the actors in this movie are either fantastic or agreeable, with Channing Tatum and Catherine Zeta-Jones (two actors I couldn't care less for) turning in minor yet still watchable performances. But what really keeps this movie going is its tone. The pacing and cinematography are to credit here. Every shot in this movie is expertly framed, and the camerawork demonstrates serious mastery of the art. The gray, foreboding visuals foreshadow bad things to come, and constantly remind the audience of Emily's fragile state of mind (or lack thereof... no spoilers). The look and feel of this movie are terrific, and it helps that it has such winning performances and a smart script. Everything works here, to be honest, but it doesn't have quite the emotional or psychological impact that it should. It's competent and extremely accessible, but falters a bit when it comes to theme and meaning. Nevertheless, it's one of the year's best dramas.

Final Score for Side Effects: 8/10 stars. Bumping This Is The End out of my top 10 for the year, Side Effects ranks as one of the best movies of the year, and the best mystery/thriller I've seen in quite some time. Very few movies are as conservatively paced and powerfully reserved as this one is, but it all pays off. Every scene counts, and I can bet that upon a few rewatches, it will morph into a widely-acclaimed classic. It's also one of those films, like Fight Club or The Sixth Sense, where watching it a second time after knowing the plot twist opens up the audience's eyes to the film even more than before. This is a great piece of filmmaking that, sadly, didn't get nearly as much recognition as it should have. But that's part of its charm.