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Pain Hustlers
2023 122 min United States of America, United Kingdom R 16+
★5.8
Drama
Director: David Yates
Trailers
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Teaser
EN
EN
Description
After losing her job, a single mom falls into a lucrative but ultimately dangerous scheme selling prescription drugs.
Starring
Emily Blunt
Actor
Chris Evans
Actor
Catherine O'Hara
Actor
Awards
2 nominations total
Key opinion
Pain Hustlers attempts to dramatize the opioid crisis through a rise-and-fall corporate narrative, but it struggles to balance its tonal ambitions. While the central performances from Emily Blunt and Chris Evans are frequently praised, the film is widely criticized for its lack of depth, unoriginal screenplay, and tonal inconsistency.
| Acting | Emily Blunt and Chris Evans deliver compelling, career-distinct performances that provide the film with its most watchable moments. | |
| Originality | The film leans too heavily on familiar tropes from previous greed-centric dramas like The Wolf of Wall Street, resulting in an unoriginal narrative. | |
| Screenplay | The script fails to provide necessary depth for its characters, leaving supporting roles like Pete and Dr. Jack feeling underdeveloped and poorly motivated. | |
| Direction | Opinions on the film's tone are divided: some appreciate the stylistic blend of dark comedy and corporate drama, while others feel the lighthearted approach trivializes the tragic reality of the opioid crisis. |