"Side Effects" Review

I want you to think for a second about some of the classic works of Alfred Hitchcock. I know you've seen some of 'em. Rear Window, The Birds, Vertigo, Psycho, North by Northwest. They're among some of the most beloved American films of all time for their shocking twists and beguiling characters. Hitchcock was notorious for his methods of tapping into the human psyche by showing us our deepest fears. To this day, filmmakers are still chasing his legacy and very few, if any, have been able to match the original "Master of Suspense" at his own game.
But that's not to say any of today's filmmakers have ever come within dagger-point. One who's arguably the closest on Hitchcock's heels is Steven Soderbergh (Ocean's Eleven, Magic Mike, Contagion), and it's easy to see why in his latest thriller, and possibly his last as director, Side Effects.

In this new film, director Soderbergh and writer Scott Z. Burns (Contagion) tell the story of young New York City couple Emily and Martin Taylor (Rooney Mara and Channing Tatum, respectively) who have their world tugged out from under them when Emily's psychiatrist (Jude Law) prescribes a new pill to treat her anxiety with shocking and unforeseen side effects.
With a plot so tightly constructed, yet filled with enough twists and turns to warrant its own theme park ride, Side Effects is the best film to yet be released in 2013.

What I love most about all of Soderbergh's work is that he keeps everything tight, often quite literally. He uses lots of close-ups, and the performances from his actors, even the ones fraught with emotion, somehow remain in check. The actions and reactions of the characters never appear bombastic. I had the feeling that the drama unfolding in Side Effects could happen to anyone in the real world.
Stars Mara, Tatum, and Law are all tremendous, capturing the raw tension of Burns's script with aplomb. Mara especially stands out in the role of Emily as she's reminiscent of Tippi Hedren, star of Hitchcock classics The Birds and Marnie. Emily is the troubled female anti-hero, a role that Hedren surely became familiar with in her work with Hitchcock (for proof, see Marnie). Catherine Zeta-Jones is also delectably dark as Dr. Victoria Seibert, Emily's previous psychiatrist before her move to the city.

Just thinking about these wonderfully complex characters brings the film's mind-blowing twists to the tip of my tongue. For fear of giving too much away, I'll stop now and just tell you to see Side Effects as soon as you can. But be warned: this is a thinking viewer's movie. Don't go into this if you're all hot and bothered to see Channing Tatum because you'll be disappointed. To me, I take this film as proof that he can actually act.
Side Effects is a taut psychological drama with a twist ending that'll knock your socks off. It shouldn't give you an Inception-sized headache, but it's important to watch closely. It's one of Soderbergh's best efforts in recent memory, and I sincerely hope this isn't the last we see of him in the director's chair. He's done Hitchcock proud.

4 OF 4 STARS