dvd of the week
Steven Soderbergh’s last studio film is basically a long, relatively well-acted Law & Order episode, complete with discussions of double jeopardy and a “shocking” but offensively retrograde ending.
Emily (Rooney Mara) is married to Martin (Channing Tatum), who is being released from prison after serving five years for insider trading. As they try to get their life in New York back to normal, which for them means black tie parties and lots of money, Emily cannot shake her depression. After driving her car into a wall, she starts treatment with the psychiatrist (Jude Law) who evaluated her in the ER. He prescribes several anti-depressants before settling on a new one called Ablixa, which Emily’s former psychiatrist (Catherine Zeta-Jones) recommends. Unfortunately, while Ablixa helps Emily love life again, it has a rather annoying side effect: sleepwalking. Oh, and murder.
If Side Effects had been an actual Law & Order episode, it would have been the best one ever. But as a Steven Soderbergh movie, especially for his last feature, it’s a bit lazy.
