User reviews

Greetings again from the darkness. Writer and Director Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau draws from her 10 years of experience as a Pharmaceutical Sales Rep and adds a touch of comedy and romance to make the point that there is a constant battle between Profit and Healthcare for the major drug companies. No real revelation there.

What is at least interesting is her approach to telling the story. Katherine Heigl (from TV's "Grey's Anatomy") is perky and sparkles as the Sales Rep torn between the big paydays and her own personal integrity. It is not difficult to understand how one could be seduced into turning a deaf ear to the negative and instead buying into the corporate propaganda. Thousands of dollars in bonus checks and upgrades in company cars are just some of the perks that go along with playing the game.

The issue I have is with the movie-making aspect of this film. It has the feel of a film project, not a quality independent film with an important message. The romantic comedy approach takes away from the expose' of the industry. All of the office politics could take place at Any Office, USA. Total frustration with one's job and company is commonplace in every single office building in the country. What makes the story different is the corporate level disregard for public safety in order to maximize profits. Not enough of the film dealt with this process.

Michael Moore's next project centers on the Pharmaceutical world and my guess is it will provide many more questions on the entire industry than "Side Effects" has. I will also venture a guess and say that Mr. Moore's soundtrack will be nowhere near as cool as the "Side Effects" soundtrack!

"Side Effects" has a great story but unfortunately it has its problems that some people won't be able to get past. It stars Katherine Heigl as a young woman working for a pharmaceutical sales company, trying to figure out her professional life and love life. Although its not an original idea, they told the main story very well as they focused on the pharmaceutical sales industry and the moral dilemmas that come with the job.

Trying to run alongside the main story we had a few sub-plots, but these were really poorly done. These side story lines had no end, or if they did, they had no beginning. They really detracted from the film. Adding to this problem were technical issues with poor editing and sound.

I say you should see it if you are looking for a great story. But if you are going to get frustrated by some poorly written scenes and sloppy editing and sound, then skip it.

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.

I'm still in shocked, wondering how come a movie can be so horrible done. This movie has good intentions. Trying to open people's eyes is always a good thing. But that's about it. Good intentions.

The movie follows the story about a young woman who finds herself into the world of the pharmaceutical industry, while trying to maintain her ideals and integrity.

20 minutes into the film, and you'll be already laughing at how bad is this movie. Sub plots coming out of nowhere, bad acting performances, lack of rhythm, no direction whatsoever, painfully edited, sometimes shots are even out of focus …. I can go on forever. Katherine Heigl tries to put something out of nothing, but that's just not enough.

I've rated a 3/10, only because of the good intentions of the film and a plus point for Katherine Heigl.

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")

Okay, the point of the movie was made, but poorly played. Basically the movie is attempting to expose the pharmaceutical industry and all these new drugs that are constantly forced on us through celebrity endorsements and TV commercials. It's true, we spend way too much money on drugs and the industries force stuff on us. The movie gets to that point, but I think they used Katherine Heigl as a selling point and clearly the director wanted to know what she looked like without any clothes on. There are several scenes of her in her underwear, or furiously taking off her clothes. We as the viewers get screwed out of what could be the only redeeming quality of this film because we never get to see Heigl topless. Truthfully, that would have made the movie worth a rental. The movie looked like it was filmed on a home video camera, and sometimes the sound is so awful you have to wonder if it was. I get what they were trying to do, and to some point I can respect that but it could have been done better. I think the acting in my high school play was better, and that is saying a lot considering the talent pool we had. If you're curious, watch it. It's not like it's as bad as Miami Vice. Well, it's close but it's definitely not one you want to own.

This film is about a young woman who markets medication to doctors. In the process, she became indulgent in the materialistic pleasures that the drug company can provide. In the end, she found her conscience taking over.

This film is refreshing. For a start, it is not every day that a film about drug companies gets made. Secondly the acting is great. Katherine Heigl portrays the emotions vividly, and is confident and convincing as a drug rep. In addition, the plot is also good, as we get to see how money is showered on the people involved to make drug reps work harder and to make doctors prescribe their drugs.

There are several "interviews" of doctors interspersed in the film, asking the doctors what they feel about the drug reps. In the beginning, the doctor does not like the reps. In the middle, the doctor has a neutral opinion. In the end, the doctor likes the drug rep. It provides an interesting contrast to Katherine Heigl's state of mind.

I think it does reflect what really happens in the drug companies. It exposes how marketing is disguised as 'education for the sake of prolonging life'. I recommend this film!

I saw this film at the Wisconsin Film Festival a few years back and I thought it was pretty good. It was a little rough around the edges, if I remember correctly, but all in all, a good film. I thought Lucian did very well with his character. I was a little unclear about their relationship, but only after thinking about it once the film was done. During the film it didn't seem to be an issue for me, which is perfectly fine, since that's a huge part of what a director is supposed to do - suspend disbelief. When my girlfriend and I left the screening, there was a lot of excited energy around and a lot of people seemed to enjoy it. I did. I'm surprised that people could say such bad things about this film.

I've thought about buying the DVD but just haven't gotten around to it. Good luck with your next film and I hope to see more stuff from Lucian. KH was pretty good too.

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.

This film tells an important story in an entertaining and humorous way. There are several ways the film could have been structured, but blending the drama with humor maximized the entertainment value for me. Katherine Heigl plays the role of Karly Hert fabulously and has good chemistry with the other actors. I thought the sub-plots were good, but I would've enjoyed even more drug rep training/selling/boardroom-type scenes.

I laughed out loud and was amazed (appalled?) at the drug industry's tactics at the same time. It's an important topic highlighted in an entertaining film.

The contents in the movie are largely accurate as far as how big pharma behaves and insist others to behave in the same way. The benefits are exceptionally high for big pharmaceutical representatives, along with a free company car with the benefit of working from your home. Rarely will a pharma rep work a full 8 hour a day, and that is allowed as long as you get your work done.

What is bad is that on occasion a big pharma company may coerce illegal strategies developed by them to be implemented by such pharma reps. Most obey, because fear ensures loyalty.

The creator of the movie is rather rare. Most big pharma reps avoid quesioning what they are told to do. But at times what they are instructed to implement may be harmful to the medical community.

Side Effects is a movie that really suffers because of its budget. I think with more money there could have been more done to make this movie better. It basically ends up being an OK movie with a good heart and brain.

The movie plays up the ridiculousness of the American pharmaceutical business and does a good job of it. The story is really alright and I only have minor qualms with the script. The acting (aside from Heigl, who was great aside from her strange tantrum scene) is poor at best and some of the shots had me shaking my head. There seemed to be an inordinate amount of closeup shots of actor's faces in this film. I started realizing about halfway through the film how everything felt like it was zoomed in when it was just one person on screen.

The movie's got a good moral to it and I enjoyed the Madison backdrops, but with a little better funding and maybe some better editing and camera work, it really could have been a better film.

5 out of 10.

While I honestly love most of Heigl's work, this film was very drawn out and doesn't allow her to shine with the usual energy she has in other films. Disappointingly, her character in this movie reminded me of her character in Gilmore Girls... very awkward and with little personality. Perhaps it was the topic of scamming and deception in the pharmaceutical industry -- it's definitely a pill that one can't sugar coat.

The boyfriend figure in the movie was not a good match for the role and his acting was flat. As Heigl's character gains momentum her boyfriend seems unjustifiably jealous and indignant; while he claims that it's because she's selling out (NO SPOILERS), it plays out in a very unconvincing way. Supporting cast could have generally have been much better.

The closing scene was a flurry of mixed signals. There was a bitter-sweet happy ending, but by the time it came around the director had dragged the viewers around for far too long.

Of all the films in which Heigl has been well cast, I was very surprised to see her in this one at this stage in her career. I know the point was probably to be part of a more "indie" type film that reveals a truth about a major issue, but the movie fails on too many levels and falls flat.

I saw Side Effects at the premier in Wisconsin and thought it was a wonderful film, despite a few technical issues. I found it to be enjoyable, informative and relevant. The acting was great, especially the boss-lady, Dorian DeMichele. I would have liked to see more of her on screen as she has a strong screen presence and a great deal of talent. Kathleen Heigl was believable and easy to watch, as was the rest of the cast. I have told my friends about this film and hoped it would travel to NYC where I live, but alas, it has not arrived. I recommend it, especially if you are in any way interested in the pharmaceutical industry. My only criticism was that the kissing scene went on a bit too long!

Side Effects has drama, comedy and of course romance...all elements to keep me as a movie enthusiast interested and sitting on the edge of my seat! As each minute went by, I found myself more and more "glued" to my theater seat as not once did it cross my mind to get up and leave (which I definitely can't say about other movies I've seen of late). The leading and supporting actors had great comedic timing as well as portrayed the dramatic moments with ease which "reeled" me in to understanding what they were feeling and why. Great film! Great Entertainment! Get this movie distributed nationwide ASAP as it's a story all should hear.

A clever film, well scripted with creativity and humor. Actors did a great job, particularly lead actress, Katherine H. Also includes a well meshed soundtrack.

Only critique was in the editing and technical issues:. . . some love scenes seemed uncomfortably long even though there was good chemistry. One or two scenes seemed superfluous and at one point the sound of feet shuffling through leaves was louder than the conversation between the actors.

Side Effects is an important film with a strong message . . . I hope lots of people will get the chance to see it.

In cinema today it is extremely rare to come across a film that can make you laugh, learn, think, and feel all at once. Side Effects accomplishes this beautifully. Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau's satirical expose of the pharmaceutical industry avoids being preachy, and depicts the based-on-reality struggle of a young woman tempted by the material trappings of a multi-billion dollar industry, and her own moral scruples. Driven by the smart and sexy performance of Katherine Heigl as Karly Hert, Side Effects offers its audience a rare look inside an industry that few of us know much about. In a time when there are more prescription drugs on the market than ever before, and advertising for these drugs blocking up our airwaves and filling our magazines, I feel it's important for the average American to have an idea what's really going on behind the scenes. Are the drug companies really concerned with helping people, or are they driven by their own bottom lines? This film confirms an answer that many of us already know in our hearts. Yet Slattery-Moschkau's non-forceful handling of the material allows the audience to come to their own conclusions. There are people like Karly in the world and there are people like her co-workers, and the film challenges viewers to decide which category they fall under, and what they would do if faced with the same choices. Side Effects is a consistently funny, and insightful film. In addition to the fine work of Ms.Heigl, the ensemble performances are note perfect and add to the overall high production value of a film that was made for a fraction of the cost of what drug companies spend on advertising every single day. Those companies will not want you to see this film, for that reason alone I recommend you see it as soon as you can.

Erin Brokovich, Norma Rae, Karen Silkwood... These names conjure fear in Corporate America. Karly Hart could walk along these stately women belting out their own rendition of Whitney Houston's "I'm every Woman." Katherine Heigel of ABC's recent hit "Grey's Anatomy" plays the part of the impressionable; "legal" drug dealing, Karly. Heigel brings a vulnerability and bewitching beauty to a story seeded in ugliness.

A story, in fact, so ugly that, by the end, has reared its ugly head and transformed itself into a swan. Rarely, does a story leap off the screen and force you to pay attention to the veracity, not masquerading behind special effects, not big glitzy endings, but, instead,focusing on truth. In this case, the truth is the sobering enlightenment of the pharmaceutical industry, a truth that writer/director, Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau, knows all to well. For ten years, she saw the world Karly Hart views through her exploited eyes, witnessing for herself the corruption and deceit of the pharmaceutical industry. Side Effects is a film that is important in a time when we are consumed by the instant fix; it's a wake up call when a slow down is needed to open the eyes of a country engulfed by convenience. Make my potato in 30 seconds, get me there faster, and please Doc, get rid of my heartburn as quickly as possible. "Side Effects" gives you the reason to stop and ask, why? While the acting is on par and the filming, at times, does have an unfinished feel to it, it adds to the rawness, unpolished, and green world of Karly Hart. Make sure you check out "Side Effects," now playing in Milwaukee and Madison, and check out our Feature story on Kathleen and Holly Mosher in the January issue of Wisconsin on the Reel.

I can sleep better now thanks to Kathleen... well, Kathleen and Ambien.

Ryan Ripp- WOR

This film entertains while it educates - you gotta love that!

While it is noticeable that the film is a first effort by writer/director Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau, I am so impressed by this first effort, I just had to let others know about this film!

Aside from Katherine Heigl's "Karly," the film's second strongest character is Karly's boss, played wickedly by Dorian DeMichele.

The film's weakest point is, unfortunately, the actor who portrays "Zach," Karly's boyfriend and primary motivation for wanting to make changes in her life. I found myself repeatedly wondering if Lucian McAfee actually had a pulse.

That being said, the film is highly enjoyable!

I could tell it was the director's first film and thought it moved a little slow in the beginning and jumped around sometimes. However, the info was great and if you can handle the little jokes and enjoy it and learn from it for what it is, I thought it was a great movie. I had actually seen the Constant Gardener about 45 minutes before I saw this. I got the impression that the Constant Gardener was a look at the pharmaceutical industry from someone trying to get into it to learn what was going on. Side Effects was a look at the inside of the industry from someone who knew what was going on and wanted out. One thing I will say is, if someone doesn't have a lot of money and wants to get the word out about this industry, it won't be a super HIGH budget film or THE BEST ACTORS/ACTRESSES IN THE WORLD. It will be a lower budget film, with good or even really good acting. Sponsors are afraid to support it, people are probably afraid to be in it, and these scenarios won't give you ALL the money or actors you want.

Although this movie is very entertaining, it is also very timely in regards to the current state of the pharmaceutical industry. The film moves along well, is humorous, well written and well directed. However, one of the things you will find yourself saying towards the middle to end of the movie is "I have to talk to my doctor about my prescription(s)!", just as I did. An enjoyable movie, but also a satirical but dead-on look at the pharmaceutical industry from someone that has lived it. I hope this movie is able to capture a large audience. I was fortunate to be able to see it. It needs at least nationwide distribution. If you care at all about how our government regulates the pharmaceutical industry, you should see this movie. More importantly, if you care at all about how the industry currently lies, and in turn, polices itself in the future you will ask that this movie is released on a national level.

I read some posts about the movies budget. what I can say is that this is an extraordinary movie with "soul" in it , and that effect , i doubt , wouldn't get that intense with 10 million dollar budget. The cameras , actors , sets may be awful , besides from Katherine Heigl who does perform Professionaly as can be. she makes the movie fun and very enjoyable to watch , so does the "documentary" style of filming this motion picture. The story is quite interesting and took me behind the scenes of how companies may work , opened my mind at made me think of all money lovers that ain't caring about anything else than the smell of a dollar-bill - and that sucks terrible. As said , i loved every frame of this film , and its Ten out of Ten for its originality , Katherine Heigl , the scores and again , its low budget That made this film so great as it is. After seeing movies that cost more than a country is worth , I thought i wouldn't like this one , but it gave me the opposite feeling . Took me 2 minutes to see that -OMG - this is one interesting flick ; not the usual thousands-of-hours-making-one-scene-film , i got stuck immediately. I will personally tell my friends about this movie , to give it a chance. Well , i think i got what got in my mind here , I beg pardon for my English , correct my errors , and please give me your idea about low-budget films that are really good like this one is. Thank you kindly - Take care , and last but not least :

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