Film Review: PAIN HUSTLERS (2023): Emily Blunt Soars in a Solid Film That Will Command the Audience’s Attention Throughout

Pain Hustlers Review

Pain Hustlers (2023) Film Review, a movie directed by David Yates, written by Wells Tower and Evan Hughes and starring Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, Andy Garcia, Catherine O’Hara, Chloe Coleman, Jay Duplass, Brian d’Arcy James, Amit Shah, Valerie LeBlanc, Aubrey Dollar, Alex Klein, Britt Rentschler, Michael Kosta, Nick J. McNeil, Bella Winkowski, Chapel Oaks, Elle Lisic and Willie Raysor.

Pain Hustlers, directed by David Yates, offers audiences the chance to see Emily Blunt in a leading role. Blunt rarely gets to be in the spotlight except in movies like A Quiet Place (and its sequel) so it’s nice to see her assume a juicy part like the one she plays here. She’s also reminding Oscar voters that her turn in Oppenheimer was, indeed, this year for their consideration, of course. Set in Florida, Blunt portrays a woman named Liza Drake who is doing everything she can to try to make ends meet. What follows is a “crime doesn’t pay” story where the crime is getting in-demand drugs to people– whether they truly need them or not.

Liza is seen early on working as a stripper. It isn’t who she really wants to be but she needs the money. She has a troubled teenage daughter named Phoebe (Chloe Coleman) and a neurotic mom, Jackie (Catherine O’Hara). Phoebe has unpredictable seizures from time to time which doesn’t help matters and Liza’s sister isn’t the easiest to get along with. When Liza and Phoebe end up at a motel (which looks like the one from 2017’s The Florida Project), things are looking pretty bleak. But, Liza meets a seemingly well-to-do, handsome guy named Pete (Chris Evans). When Pete makes Liza a proposition to make money, Liza can’t help but be intrigued.

So, Pete redoes Liza’s resume (and glorifies it significantly by adding lies) and gives her the chance to go to work for the pharmaceutical company being run by the energetic and full of himself Jack Neel (a fine Andy Garcia). Liza must work her way into doctors’ offices and does things that probably aren’t legal to get her foot in the door of these places. Fentanyl is the drug at the center of the picture. It’s commonly given to cancer patients and supposedly remedies their pain significantly.

Brian d’Arcy James is well-cast as Dr. Lydell who gets hooked into Liza, Jack and Pete’s game. Prescriptions are written and so the vicious cycle begins of patients trying to get the drug and actually getting it illegally from doctors. Liza starts to make excellent money and things improve greatly for her, but at what cost? It’s only a matter of time before the roller coaster will stop but Liza takes the ride alongside Pete to rake in the cash while its possible. Unfortunately, this story doesn’t have a happy ending for these characters.

Yet, the movie works quite well as a cautionary tale. Sometimes, in life, it becomes difficult to see where the lines between moral and immoral truly are. Liza is helping give patients what they want through what she does but the people who get the drugs end up suffering worse in the long run through their addictions to the drugs alongside the fact that they’re not being given what they need but rather what they think they want in the moment. A good doctor isn’t supposed to give in to a patient’s wants but rather to their actual needs.

Blunt is electrifying and transforms before our eyes from a woman living a life of much misery to becoming a successful businesswoman in a position she never would have gotten the legitimate way. Blunt hasn’t had a leading role this good in some time and although the movie sometimes falls into the traps and cliches of a “crime doesn’t pay” story, Blunt emerges victorious with fine work.

The rest of the cast is strong as well. Evans is reliable in his role. He gives many layers to the character of Pete Brenner who seems to be a lot more complicated to Liza than he really is underneath his facade. He too is consumed by the desire to be successful and pays for his actions by the film’s end. Andy Garcia is given a memorable role as the boss who turns everything upside down to make money and Dr. Neel is relentless as a character. Garcia captures his eccentricities to a tee.

Catherine O’Hara hasn’t been this good in some time and creates a truly memorable relationship with Blunt’s Liza that feels relatable and significant. Brian d’Arcy James is also quite good as the doctor who gets duped into making some bad choices. Brian d’Arcy James is a fine character actor and excels in his work within this film. Finally, Chloe Coleman as Liza’s daughter, Phoebe, expresses a wide range of emotions that are very well conveyed on screen. She too has a memorable set of scenes with Blunt that add dramatic tension to the movie.

The Florida locations immerse the audience in the action. The setting feels realistic and adds flavor to the movie. These locations becomes their own character., so to say Though the movie becomes too preachy at the end and I could have done without the framing device of an interview with Pete, it’s quite a ride to see these “pain hustlers” in action.

Pain Hustlers is a fast-paced, entertaining way to cast Blunt in a leading role. She is so believable in the part too. Who else could pull off this role? Not many other actresses come to mind. This is Blunt’s best leading performance in years. She will probably get nominated for Oppenheimer but she’s equally compelling here.

Rating: 7.5/10

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