Pain Hustlers

2023 Netflix

Rated: R

Length: 2hr 3 min

Crime ~ Drama ~ True Story

Starring: Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, Andy García, Catherine O’Hara, Jay Duplass, Brian d’Arcy James, and Chloe Coleman.

“I will not give up on myself. I will not give up on my dreams. I will make my life count.”

Emily Blunt stars as Liza Drake, a single mother struggling financially and raising her daughter Phoebe (Chloe Coleman) in Central Florida. Liza and Phoebe had been staying in her sister’s garage but were kicked out when she lost her patience with Liza’s situation. They go to a motel and just as they pull in Liza’s car dies. Desperate, Liza calls Pete Brenner (Chris Evans) who she had met at The Onyx Strip Club where she has been working as a dancer. They had hit it off while having a conversation and Pete had offered her a Job. When he didn’t return her call, Liza tracks him down and goes down to the company office to apply.

Where she is introduced to Dr. Jack Neel (Andy García), the founder of The Pharmaceutical company Zanna. and is hired on the spot to become a rep. Dr. Neel started the company after his wife died from Cancer and, after watching her suffer in pain, developed the Fentanyl based opioid Lonafen for pain in Cancer patients. They are struggling to get the drug on the market and all they need is one Doctor to start writing prescriptions for it. Liza finds him at The Lakeland Pain Management and Wellness Center, Dr. Nathan Lydell, who currently prescribes $9 million a year for their competition Praxiom.

Liza gets a break when one of Dr. Lydell’s cancer patients complains about the Praxiom side effects and he writes the first prescription for Lonafen. Zanna Pharmaceutical quickly grows and expands into the market making all of them extremely rich. Liza buys her Mom (Catherine O’Hara) a new car and a new luxury beachside condo for herself and Phoebe. Dr. Neel gets greedy and decides they need to prescribe Lonafen “Off Label” for any pain management not just cancer. And that’s when the cookie starts to crumble, soon leading to an FBI investigation into Zanna’s business practices.

This is one of those True Story movies, this one involving greed while overlooking the dangers involved with the drug Fentanyl. All in the name of money. What will you do when you’re desperate and you see an opportunity to lift yourself up by making enormous amounts of cash? Forget the risks even if it hurts somebody else? Or go for it and turn a blind eye, while basking in the glow of artificial success while convincing yourself you’re doing it for the benefit of humanity.

Emily in Emily The Criminal faced a similar scenario, desperate for financial independence, and when exposed to an opportunity to change it knowingly chose to rise above her situation at whatever cost. Dog eat Dog.

Emily Blunt is one of my favorites. I really like her in this and thought the rest of the cast were really good. I was rooting for the underdog and in the end she did the right thing. It is an interesting look at the human condition, greed and the lengths we will go to lift ourselves up.

Greedy story, excellent movie.

Two Thumbs Up!

P.S. This movie inspired a new category, CONCESSION STAND, when Emily Blunt made Movie Salad for her and Phoebe in the motel room. First post coming soon!