Pharma Wolves Unleashed: A Review of 'Pain Hustlers' Starring Emily Blunt

This review was originally part of our coverage for the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.

Over the past fifteen years, David Yates has directed a total of eight movies, with seven of them being part of the Harry Potter franchise. Yates followed the path set by Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón, and Mike Newell, effectively concluding the story of The Boy Who Lived, but delivering a less than remarkable Fantastic Beasts series. Pain Hustlers, Yates' first non-Harry Potter film since 2016's The Legend of Tarzan, frequently explores the concept of selling what one knows, emphasizing the importance of using personal knowledge to get ahead. Whether it's through manipulating others or selling products like Avon or knives door-to-door, leveraging one's ability to read people can lead to success. Unfortunately, Pain Hustlers demonstrates that Yates lacks the skills needed to make his first film outside the Harry Potter universe truly work.

Pain Hustlers, inspired by Evan Hughes' book and penned by Wells Tower, takes place in Florida and revolves around a struggling pharmaceutical company on the brink of bankruptcy. However, their fortunes change when they hire Liza Drake (portrayed by Emily Blunt), a woman who has faced numerous hardships, living in her sister's garage with her mother (Catherine O'Hara) and daughter Phoebe (Chloe Coleman). After being evicted from the garage and losing her job as a stripper, Liza reaches out to Pete Brenner (Chris Evans), a pharmaceutical sales representative she met at the club, who offers her a position at his failing company, Zanna Pharmaceuticals.

Liza's intuitive ability to read people enables her to convince doctors to prescribe Zanna's groundbreaking cancer drug, Lonafen, instead of old medications. Dr. Lydell (played by Brian d'Arcy James) serves as a prime example of Liza's influence, as she captivates him with her charm, attention, and bribes, transforming him from an average doctor operating in a strip mall to a highly sought-after prescriber of Lonafen, even upgrading his lifestyle from a balding PT Cruiser owner. Within a brief span of a few months, Zanna, led by billionaire CEO Dr. Jack Neel (Andy García), attains tremendous success. However, as is often the case in such narratives, this success fuels greed and ultimately leads to their inevitable downfall.

'Pain Hustlers' Wishes It Were 'The Wolf of Wall Street'

Image via Netflix

Yates presents Pain Hustlers as a toned-down version of The Wolf of Wall Street, with Liza and Pete recruiting former strippers to persuade more doctors to prescribe Lonafen. However, the film's depiction of the "party" aspect of this career is quite mild, ranging from the team playfully jumping into a pool with their clothes on to one member using a sink as a toilet. This attempt at extreme behavior falls short, lacking the edginess and excitement it aims for. Additionally, Yates seems uncertain about the storytelling approach, randomly inserting faux interviews with the cast that feel like a documentary-style exposition. On top of that, Blunt's superfluous narration throughout the film unnecessarily explains what is already obvious to the viewer.

It is evident that Pain Hustlers struggles to establish a consistent tone. It tries to be a crime dramedy like The Wolf of Wall Street, but the exaggerated and comedic performances by O'Hara and García suggest remnants of a broader comedy. Yet the film also wants to emphasize the greed and selfishness that drive individuals to profit from dangerous medicine, disregarding patients' lives, while also expecting the audience to care for the lead character who caused these problems initially. Liza is portrayed as a good person, but the film fails to show any concrete evidence to support this claim. Pain Hustlers seems to aim for a balance of entertainment and biting criticism of the pharmaceutical industry, but its inconsistent tone renders the critique ineffective.

At the very least, Tower effectively portrays these fictional characters, who are based on somewhat true events, with Blunt's portrayal of Liza standing out. While Pain Hustlers attempts to expose the major corporations responsible for the opioid crisis (a subject that has already been explored in superior films and TV shows), the movie's true strength lies in its condemnation of our economic system. The inability to afford life-saving surgeries and families being trapped in cramped apartments paint a grim picture, making it understandable why someone like Liza would resort to extreme measures just to survive. Liza serves as a powerful representation of this desperation, and Blunt skillfully brings these underlying themes to the forefront, finally allowing her character to embrace a morally ambiguous identity.

Chris Evans Is Wasted in 'Pain Hustlers'

Image via Netflix

However, the remainder of the cast does not fare as well. Evans merely serves as the catalyst for the unfortunate chain of events, allowing greed to consume Liza once she begins to recognize their wrongdoing. It’s a regrettable underutilization of Evans, despite his previous success in portraying despicable characters. García appears to be reveling in the role's slightly unhinged nature, while O’Hara delivers her usual solid performance, but her character becomes overshadowed as the story gains momentum.

Ever since watching the film at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, the most notable aspect of Pain Hustlers is how mediocre it is. Yates' latest creation is a dull and forgettable placebo, especially when compared to recent productions like Painkiller or Laura Poitras' exceptional 2022 documentary All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, both of which shed a harsh and relentless light on the pharmaceutical industry. Pain Hustlers' attempt at a Scorsese-like approach falls flat, particularly when the film briefly acknowledges the harsh truth in its final moments, almost as an afterthought to the contrived story that exists solely to highlight the industry's atrocities. Pain Hustlers is a film that aims to ease its audience's discomfort with a bit of sugar but fails to provide a satisfying sweetness, ultimately leaving the medicine forgotten.

We've seen plenty of movies that proclaim the benefits of greed, and Pain Hustlers, with its focus on the pharmaceutical companies involved in the opioid crisis, adds nothing new to this conversation. Yates attempts to combine rowdy comedy with a half-hearted critique, resulting in a disappointing film that only manages to make mundane and obvious points. After spending fifteen years immersed in the Harry Potter world, Yates still hasn't found the magic necessary to make this film engaging or worthwhile.

Rating: C-

The Big Picture

Pain Hustlers tries to blend elements of a crime dramedy with a sharp critique of the pharmaceutical industry, but its inconsistent tone weakens its impactful message.

Emily Blunt delivers a strong and subtle portrayal as Liza, the main character who embodies the desperation felt by those ensnared in a flawed economic system.

Pain Hustlers, despite its efforts to expose major corporations implicated in the opioid crisis, offers no fresh insights into the issue of greed. Yates' direction lacks the ability to make the film engaging or meaningful.

Stream Pain Hustlers on Netflix in the U.S., beginning October 27th.