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When I first saw the trailer for Steven Soderbergh’s final theatrical feature, I was a bit underwhelmed. The trailer just looked so generic. Woman, man, pills, psychosis, sex. How could this be the film that a master filmmaker was deliberately deciding to go out on? Oh me of little faith. As simple as the narrative may appear to be, Side Effects has a LOT on it's mind and it intends to get it all out in just under two hours. Like a Spike Lee Joint, no societal ill is left untouched. Just when you think you've pinned down what type of film this is, it becomes something else. That it's able to feel like one coherent whole is a testament to the narrative skill of Soderbergh and writer Scott Z. Burns. Of their three awesome collaborations (The Informant! and Contagion being the predecessors), Side Effects is the real stand-out for me. It’s just a shame that we won’t get to see any more progeny from this glorious union. Let’s hope that Soderbergh gets tired of painting soon.
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