I just watched ‘Pain Hustlers’: a review
By Segun Ade-Martins
Pain hustlers didn’t have great anticipation in the build-up to its release in late October, as seen in this chart from Google Trends. It reached 100 unique searches on the release date of October 27. Compared to similar Netflix releases from September, Reptile and Fair Play, Pain Hustlers had a huge deficit in terms of anticipation. Similar in their average IMDB ratings of 6.4, 6.8, and 6.7, respectively, genre, runtime, and star power.
It stars Emily Blunt as Liza Drake, Chris Evans, Andy Garcia, and Catherine O’Hara as headlines. Its screenplay is written by Wells Tower, adapted from Evan Hughes’ book of the same name, and directed by David Yates, yes, the Harry Potter guy.
The plot, like most cautionary tales, is predictable; being based on true events also seals the deal on the trajectory. Where the movie excels is the characters’ development through the carefully placed pitfalls set up in Act 1. (I’m using a 3-act structure.)
Things that stretch “suspension of disbelief” a bit too much: a high school dropout-stripper becomes the head of marketing of a big pharma firm and doesn’t have enough gaps in her knowledge. That aspect makes it a bit too sensational. However, there are realistic gaps in Liza Drake’s knowledge that surface down the line, but on second thought, it feels like it was only there as the protagonist’s crucial obstacle.
Whatever “warts” this movie has are redeemed by its heart. The heart the protagonist has is the throughline of the movie. This, for me, is the most significant element in this movie.
The editing is “delicious,” and the first 15 minutes of the movie are outstanding. It features great character introductions that let you know the characters morality and set up choices that need to be made in Acts 2 and 3.
The way the characters are drawn brings it back down to Earth, making it more realistic. Their choices and their propensities come into major focus here. That is the core of the film’s message, and without explicitly saying it, if you can reflect inwardly, you can get the sense that it’s telling you to watch your vices. They may lead to unsavoury outcomes.
Key characters in the plot are Liza, Peter, Andy Garcia, her mom, her daughter, and the doctor. The first patient, the marketing ladies, and the school principal are key to the tone of the film.
The tone feels familiar with its spiritual ‘ancestor’ being Fun with Dick and Jane. Others in this specific genre include Spotlight and The Big Short. They all feature whistle-blowers facing adversity in a mean and greedy world. This movie may not be on par with Spotlight or The Big Short, but it hits hard. It’s also less comedic than Fun with Dick and Jane. It’s hard to land consistent jokes about the fentanyl epidemic that killed or ruined thousands of lives.
The direction of the actors is brilliant; their performances are naturalistic within the story world. Emily Blunt is wonderful and is the brightest part of the film. Andy Garcia and Chris Evans performances also make for good antagonists. However, with brilliant direction from David Yates, there’s something missing in the movie in terms of ‘feeling’.
What I mean is this: Netflix original movies have a formulaic feeling. Even their IMDB ratings tend to be similar in the same genres. (They hover around 5.5 or 6.5.) which is a bit worrying, disappointing, but more so worrying. Despite the difference in directors, add to the fact that, from numerous accounts, the creative teams are given free reign. Then how and why are Netflix original films feeling the same?
All the same, Pain Hustlers is still a worthwhile experience. While it feels like a knock-off of Spotlight or The Big Short (award darlings), it has a relevant and noteworthy outcome. This opiod crisis did happen; maybe not as dramatic behind the scenes, but they are portraying reality in an entertaining way. And knock-offs may not be all that bad. Joy can come from a fake Rolex watch as well.
Don’t watch it for its formulaic nature or for stretching the realm of plausibility a bit. Other than that, it’s a good watch.
So, watch this for the dark humour, the brilliant performances from the key cast, learning about moral integrity, and production values (really smooth cinematography and editing). I would give this film a 6.9 out of 10 rating.
This is a film that I feel would get overlooked because it strives to be profound and it appears to miss the mark, but I feel other critics were watching with their inner eyes closed and missed the core of the film-its heart. Look out for it when you do watch.
Originally published at http://thestrangejournal.wordpress.com on November 27, 2023.
