I will be at the world premiere of David Yates’ “Pain Hustlers” at TIFF next week. The trailer was just released.
We’ve been getting a lot of these films, and docs, lately tackling the corruption of pharma companies. Hopefully, Yates has brought a new spin to it. The trailer makes it look like a highly stylized affair.
The film, starring Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, Andy García and Catherine O’Hara, is an adaptation of Evan Hughes’ book of the same name. The official synopsis reads:
Liza Drake (Emily Blunt) is a blue-collar single mom who has just lost her job and is at the end of her rope. A chance meeting with pharmaceutical sales rep Pete Brenner (Chris Evans) puts her on an upwards trajectory economically but dubious path ethically as she becomes entangled in a dangerous racketeering scheme. Dealing with her increasingly unhinged boss (Andy Garcia), the worsening medical condition of her daughter (Chloe Coleman), and a growing awareness of the devastation the company is causing forces Liza to examine her choices.
The opioid crisis has been at the forefront of so many recent streaming docs and movies, it’s been the basis for stories like Netflix’s recent “Painkiller” and Hulu’s Sackler-based series, “Dopesick.” It’s a hot-button topic that Hollywood can’t get enough of.
Yates is a peculiar choice to direct this one. His filmography is mostly filled up with Harry Potter movies (“The Order of the Phoenix,” Half-Blood Prince,” “Deathly Hallows 1 & 2”), three ‘Fantastic Beasts’ movies and “The Legend of Tarzan.”
There must be a reason why this one wasn’t at Telluride, you can be the judge as to why. “Pain Hustlers” premieres in select theaters October 20 and will be available to stream, via Netflix, on October 27.