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When we first heard about Side
Effects (the movie) we immediately called the local theaters to find
out when it would be showing. It wasn’t.
So we contacted the people who
produced it and got from them the name of a slightly local theater
that was going to show it. We contacted them, and they said they’d
send us an email alert when it was showing. We never got the email
alert (and don’t know to this day if the movie showed there).
So, we went to the producers
again, and the moment it came out on DVD, they sent us a review copy
(along with the documentary Money Talks).
The movie was cute, funny, well
done, hard hitting, and right on the mark. It stars Katherine Heigl
from Grey's Anatomy.
It is an independent film, and
they proudly announce that the movie cost them a lot less to make
than your average drug costs.
Being independent of Hollywood,
most films never get the hype and commercial air time that our
Hollywood blockbusters get. Hollywood duds get more commercial time
than most independent films.
The screenplay was written by
Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau who had worked for the pharmaceutical
industry for 10 years. The heart of
the story is true; in other words, the movie is based upon a true
story. The rest is just cute and fun and of course boy meets girl
and nature takes its course.
Selling drugs is all about
selling. It’s not about the safety or efficacy (a big word that drug
salespeople are taught and encouraged to use, meaning effectiveness)
of a drug, but about getting doctors to prescribe it.
Selling drugs is all about profit.
Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau's
second film, released just after her first, is a documentary called
Money Talks--Profits Before Patient Safety. The movie
explores the influence of the drug industry on physicians, and what
some physicians are doing to fight back and shrug off the influence
in their practices.
Money Talks takes us
right to the heart of the drug industry, profits. Determining which drugs to
produce is the first step in the profit machine. Though most of us would
really like to see the drug companies working on drugs that cure deadly cancers and heart disease,
the pharmaceutical industry prefers to focus on drugs for erectile
dysfunction because that is where the real profits are. Drugs for
pain relief are another heavy focus in the industry. You should note
that it's much more profitable to relieve the pain of arthritis than
to actually cure arthritis.
And if you’re going to sell
drugs, as you'll see in Side Effects, you’re going to want a pretty sales lady. Miss Florida became
a drug salesperson; she had no experience; no knowledge of drugs;
but she had the “look.” Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau's story is close
to Miss Florida's story which is close to the story of nearly every
person who ever pushed a pill in a doctor's office. Many salespeople
leave the business with a sour taste in their mouths that brushing
and flossing just can't relieve.
Side Effects is the kind of
movie you want to watch and then share with your friends, and then watch again. You can
purchase both the movie Side Effects and its companion documentary
Money Talks together in a 2 DVD set. There is even a program you can purchase for
your school or church which will allow you “legally” to present it
to a large group (and even turn the event into a fund raiser).
The distributors of the movie
were kind enough to make us an affiliate for their sales, so when
you purchase the movie, you are supporting us. If you do not wish to
support us, you may just go straight to
www.sideeffectsthemovie.com
to order the DVD.
If you want to support our web
site, you may click on the links below.
Enjoy the movie, and don’t
forget the popcorn.
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