For those who haven't already been introduced to the fact that Psychiatry is in bed with Big Pharma, this could be an eye-opener. I enjoyed seeing this topic explored and this sweet love story wrapped around it all. Heidi, who went on to become a well known actress, was not particularly known at the time she made this little film. She did a beautiful job of conveying the sentiment of so many in her position and the difficulty of sometimes choosing between what is right and what pays the bills. This was not a big budget film and yet the message of the film was conveyed and the audience was left with questions about the integrity of the professionals we have put our trust in.

Side Effects is a movie that really suffers because of its budget. I think with more money there could have been more done to make this movie better. It basically ends up being an OK movie with a good heart and brain.The movie plays up the ridiculousness of the American pharmaceutical business and does a good job of it. The story is really alright and I only have minor qualms with the script. The acting (aside from Heigl, who was great aside from her strange tantrum scene) is poor at best and some of the shots had me shaking my head. There seemed to be an inordinate amount of closeup shots of actor's faces in this film. I started realizing about halfway through the film how everything felt like it was zoomed in when it was just one person on screen.The movie's got a good moral to it and I enjoyed the Madison backdrops, but with a little better funding and maybe some better editing and camera work, it really could have been a better film.5 out of 10.

I was a Pharmaceutical Rep for one of the largest companies in the world. This movie is very truthful in showing how they work. We were taught EXACTLY what to say to the doctors and we even had a canned answer for everything they could say. I found this film to be very funny and I thought the acting was great! Katherine Heigl is very good in her role and a very beautiful woman. I liked the way the movie took you through her thought process and followed her to the right choice. I never looked at my job from this point of view but I did sell a drug that was pulled by the FDA for liver problems. Also, many of the doctors that I met were not the sharpest tools in the shed so it was easy to get them to write my drugs! It is a must see for any one in this field!

The screenplay is beyond clunky and obvious, and sounds as though it were written by a high school freshman. The supporting actors are painfully hammy. The film quality was lacking- out of focus half the time, and it seemed as though it were shot in full screen but being shown wide screen. The concept is there, it's just the execution that kills it all. Katherine Heigel had cute moments, but overall could not overcome the bad material. This is a movie that needed to be made, but should have been made well. The pacing drags, and the "wacky" jokes fall through. Don't waste your money. There are some indies that should never see the light of day, and this is one of them.