Greetings again from the darkness. Actor Bryan Greenberg’s (PRIME, 2005) first feature film as writer-director could have been subtitled, “those who suffer vs those who profit.” Most of us can agree that businesses providing a desired product or service are entitled (not guaranteed) to turn a profit. And on a seemingly unrelated note, most of us can agree that those suffering from addiction deserve and need assistance in breaking the cycle that is destroying their life. The road where these two intersect is when drug companies produce an effective yet addictive product that is prescribed by doctors. The issue arises when profits soar due to the spread of addiction.
The story focuses on the Opioid crisis, and evidently, it’s a topic that filmmaker Greenberg feels strongly about. He serves up three perspectives so that we better grasp the full reach. Greenberg himself plays Michael, a restaurant owner in desperate need of a refill on his Oxycodone prescription. Ashley Madekwe (“Revenge”) plays Mary, a doctor whose practice has grown due to her willingness to write these prescriptions. Griffin Dunne (AFTER HOURS, 1985) and Ryan Eggold (“The Blacklist”) play CEO father Lawrence and ambitious son Jacob, who run one of the drug companies producing and marketing Oxy.
The three-tiered approach works as we see Michael, divorced from Allison (Sophia Bush), is no longer attentive to his work or family, Mary has good intentions but carries the guilt of the drug’s effect on her patients, and the heads of the drug company are facing an FDA hearing to determine their level of guilt and damages. It’s a bad day for everyone. Perhaps Greenberg over-complicated the story unnecessarily with some additions like Mary’s afternoon delight with the drug rep, Jacob’s planned corporate coup over his dear old dad, and Michael’s, umm, digestive issues at his son’s basketball game. Of course, all of these elements are meant to show the progression of cause and effect when it comes to addictive drugs. One subplot that I couldn’t make work was that of the doctor having financial troubles with patients lined up for the next prescription. It makes sense that she wants to escape the oxy world, but with her practice booming, why the financial woes?
Familiar faces appear throughout, and include Dash Mihok (“Ray Donovan”), Jamie Chung (“The Gifted”, married to Greenberg), Josh Peck (THE WACKNESS), Yara Martinez (“True Detective”), Michaela Conlin (“Bones”), Hill Harper (“CSI:NY”), and Dascha Polanco (“Orange is the New Black”). The cycle of addictive drugs presents itself as causing money issues, trust issues, personal and marital issues, health issues from addiction, kids that can’t count on parents, and political ramifications that lead to corruption. While it has the look and feel of one to stream, the film’s message is quite clear and powerful.
The film will be in theaters and on demand on January 26, 2024
Posted by David Ferguson 
Greetings again from the darkness. Obviously, I was never a young girl fretting over the first year of middle school, and I would venture a guess that neither were writer-director James Ponsoldt or co-writer Benjamin Percy. The reason for this point is that this is a story of four girls in this situation, as well as the stress their actions load on their four mothers. Ponsoldt and Percy make this an observational story, rather than a personal one … a significant point of difference for a film like this. I had agreed to review the film based on being a huge fan of Mr. Ponsoldt’s 2013 film, THE SPECTACULAR NOW, but while that one was adapted from a novel, this current film is an original, and it lacks the depth and refinement of that previous gem … despite some decent acting from the cast, young and older.
Movie Reviews from the Dark 