--- title: "Side Effects: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/side-effects/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/side-effects" critics_score: 71 critics_reviews: 15 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Side Effects (2013): what the critics said Critics' score 71 from 15 reviews: 10 positive, 3 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics like Side Effects, and the praise clusters in two places: Rooney Mara’s lead performance, which several reviews call the glue holding the puzzle together, and Steven Soderbergh’s control as director, cinematographer and editor. Jude Law’s psychiatrist is singled out nearly as often. Reviewers agree on the shape of the film: it opens as a sober drama about depression and prescription drugs, then turns into a twisting, Hitchcockian potboiler, and most find that turn thrilling rather than cheap. The reservations cluster on the third act. Even admiring reviews concede the plotting grows pulpy, and the mixed notices say the late twists undo whatever the film has to say about the pharmaceutical industry. The spread is fairly wide for a well-liked film. The Hollywood Reporter finds the twists too many to convince, The Skinny calls it ludicrous and its critique unlanded, and IndieWire detects fatigue in the execution. Nobody disputes the craft. ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 7 March 2013. Soderbergh bids farewell to cinema in style with a gripping psychological thriller about big pharma and mental health. It is a noirish satire elevated by Rooney Mara's compelling lead performance and Soderbergh's elegant, eerie visuals. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/mar/07/side-effects-review) ## The Telegraph — Robbie Collin Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 7 March 2013. If this is Soderbergh's final film he goes out on a high. It starts as sober psychological drama and ferments into a queasy, thrilling whodunit that smartly explores prescription-drug culture and moral murk. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/9915248/Side-Effects-review.html) ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Rating B+. 7 February 2013. The critic calls it a vastly entertaining thriller that isn't the message movie it initially appears to be, focusing instead on high-level gamesmanship and duplicity, with Rooney Mara superb as the puzzle's glue. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/side-effects-1798175733) ## Financial Times — Nigel Andrews Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 7 March 2013. Soderbergh’s mischievously enthralling thriller mixes paranoia and pharmaceuticals around Rooney Mara's unstable Emily. It is a consummate Hitchcockian trip that loves paranoia while probing mental misfortune and the demon Pharma. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/15f91506-8710-11e2-bde6-00144feabdc0) ## Time Out — Ben Walters Rating 4/5. 5 March 2013. The review calls it a pacy, sleight-of-hand thriller that works as fun genre entertainment with sly digs at consumerism. It highlights strong performances, technical flair and twists while noting it serves as a fitting swansong for the director. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/side-effects) ## Vulture — David Edelstein Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 6 February 2013. The critic praises it as a smooth, shapely suspense picture where Soderbergh is on top of his material, cleverly mixing conventions in a paranoid yet bouncy noir-tinged thriller. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2013/02/movie-review-edelstein-side-effects-steven-soderbergh.html) ## The Times — Kate Muir Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 8 March 2013. Jude Law oozes obsession and ambiguity as a psychiatrist in Soderbergh's twisting, drug-addled drama. The plot wrongfoots the viewer repeatedly in a story that blends Big Pharma critique with psychological chess. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/side-effects-ls2sjlhv9zq) ## Radio Times — Stella Papamichael Rating 3/5. The critic describes an intelligently crafted, briskly paced and suspenseful thriller that highlights flaws in psychiatry, but notes it loses impact with a crude payoff in the third act. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-wxauy5/side-effects/) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 25 January 2013. Festival review. The critic notes the film's stylish psychopharmacology thriller elements and clever twists but finds it ultimately square and lacking the courage of its aesthetic convictions in its later stages. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/side-effects/) ## IndieWire — Eric Kohn Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 5 February 2013. The review suggests Soderbergh is ready for a break, portraying the film as showing signs of fatigue in its execution despite its thriller elements. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-steven-soderberghs-side-effects-shows-hes-ready-for-a-break-41386/) ## Empire — Ian Freer 1 January 2012. The critic calls it a grown-up thrill ride that is suspenseful, whip-smart and full of surprises, mutating from a portrait of depression into a gripping Hitchcockian potboiler with strong performances, especially from Jude Law. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/side-effects-review/) ## Evening Standard 15 April 2013. The critic praises it as a highly watchable Hitchcockian thriller made with persuasive clarity and directness, highlighting Steven Soderbergh's control as director, cinematographer and editor, along with strong turns from Jude Law and Rooney Mara. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/side-effects-film-review-8526102.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan 7 February 2013. The critic praises Soderbergh for bringing intelligence and verve to this straight-ahead twisty adult thriller with a complex plot and cinematic skill that renders implausibility irrelevant. The top-notch cast and production values are highlighted. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-xpm-2013-feb-07-la-et-mn-side-effects-20130208-story.html) ## Screen Daily 25 January 2013. Festival review. The review finds the film increasingly ludicrous yet nasty fun, ultimately too clever for its own good, but appreciates Soderbergh and the cast's cool confidence if the absurdity is accepted on its own terms. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/side-effects/5050726.article) ## Sight and Sound — Trevor Johnston 8 March 2013. The critic finds the thriller too slippery and problematic due to excessive narrative twists and contrivances that fail to sustain credibility or purpose. Technical craft, direction and some performances are praised but the overall result is seen as not the right note for Soderbergh's supposed retirement. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-side-effects) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy 1 February 2013. The critic finds it a lushly made but unconvincing thriller about the dangers of prescription drugs, undermined by too many plot-twist sucker-punches that elicit an 'Oh, come on' reaction. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/side-effects-film-review-417564/) ## The New Yorker — David Denby 3 February 2013. The critic calls the film an intelligent Soderbergh experiment in form that shifts from downbeat drama to sober Hitchcockian thriller. The precise direction and the way the thriller plot is worked out are noted, though it lacks joy in filmmaking. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/02/11/the-last-picture-show) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott 8 February 2013. The critic finds the film a tight, twisty pharma-caper and clever old-fashioned noir potboiler that ultimately concerns lust, jealousy and greed more than medicine. Soderbergh's honesty and skill are singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/08/movies/steven-soderberghs-caper-film-side-effects.html) ## Variety — Justin Chang 25 January 2013. The critic describes an elegantly coiled puzzler that begins as satire of the pill-popping society and morphs into something different, an absorbing and cunningly unpredictable entertainment. The rapid-fire twists and Soderbergh's assured direction are noted. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/side-effects-2-1117949073/) ## Eye for Film — Anne-Katrin Titze Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 11 February 2013. Soderbergh crafts a captivating and scrupulously deceiving prescription drug drama that blurs boundaries between worlds and minds. The critic singles out the authentic details and the reactions of supporting female characters to the protagonist's breakdowns for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/side-effects-2013-film-review-by-anne-katrin-titze) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 7 February 2013. The critic finds the film terrific and entertaining, recommending viewers avoid spoilers to fully enjoy its surprises. They single out the twisty script and Soderbergh's direction for effectively shifting expectations and delivering surprises without cheating the audience. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/side-effects-review-maximum-potency-see-movie-first-and-read-reviews-later-76721/) ## /Film — Russ Fischer Rating 7.5/10. 8 February 2013. Soderbergh delivers a smart but pessimistic thriller with a winding narrative that keeps predictability at bay and demonstrates razor-sharp precision in storytelling. The critic singles out Rooney Mara and Jude Law's performances, especially Mara's ability to convincingly portray multiple facets of her character's psychoses. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/524845/side-effects-review-steven-soderbergh-diagnoses-paranoid-fears-in-his-final-theatrical-outing/) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating C-. 7 February 2013. The critic finds the first half insightful on psychiatric drugs and depression but criticizes the second half for devolving into contrived thriller twists that undermine the earlier themes. Praises Soderbergh's bleary-eyed depiction of emotional numbness. [Read the review](https://collider.com/side-effects-review/) ## The Skinny — Jamie Dunn Rating ★★. 7 March 2013. A ludicrous thriller disguised as a sociopolitical statement on the pharmaceutical industry that Soderbergh seems embarrassed by. Its plotting and tone are schizophrenic and it fails to land its critique. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/side-effects) ## Den of Geek — James Peaty Rating 4 out of 5. 5 March 2013. Soderbergh delivers a taut, engaging medical thriller with strong performances from Mara and Law that recalls Hitchcock and Polanski. The final act stumbles into pulpy territory but overall it is gripping and entertaining. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/side-effects-review/) ## Digital Spy — Emma Dibdin Rating 4. 5 March 2013. A taut, disciplined paranoid thriller that keeps the audience guessing with justified paranoia and strong turns from Law and Mara. It ultimately has less to say than it initially promises. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a463374/side-effects-review-rooney-mara-goes-off-the-rails-in-psychodrama/) ## Paste — Scott Wold Rating 8.5. 15 February 2013. Soderbergh enriches the psychological thriller genre with a masterfully spare effort that begins as a heart-wrenching portrait of depression before delivering shocking twists. Singles out Rooney Mara's fantastic performance and the director's fine craftsmanship. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/side-effects) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/side-effects.md