I would not be so disparaging about "Side Effects" were it not for the possibility that its deep stupidity or flagrant indifference vis-a-vis the psychiatrist’s methods and person might prejudice viewers needing help. Granted their numbers might be few, given greater public awareness of mental disorders. But even one would be too many. TV commercials routinely caution that such-and-such nostrum might not be "right for everyone," then unreel a list of black box warnings and other disagreeable reactions (the sinister roll call frequently concludes with the very ailment for which the drug is prescribed in the first place, but farewell that). I believe "Side Effects" isn’t right for anyone. Take this review as a warning against Soderbergh’s deplorable black box.
Dr. Greenberg is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York.