Side Effects

It reviews better than it plays — admired more than it is enjoyed.

• “By the time the satisfying conclusion rolls around, though, it proves to be much more about the ability of a world-class director to induce such willing suspension of disbelief that even the loopiest narrative developments seem like the most natural thing in the world.”

  Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian · 91

• “He’s taken what, on paper, boils down to an extra ridiculous episode of “Law and Order: Criminal Intent” and passes it off as high cinematic art.”

  Jordan Hoffman, Film.com · 91

• “Ultimately, think of the movie as a puzzle box in which all the pieces fit together wonderfully well. Once you step back and take a look at how it’s all put together, you have to marvel at how cleverly constructed the whole thing is.”

  Randy Cordova, Arizona Republic · 90

• “While the plot may be predictable (and more than a little preposterous) in retrospect, Mr. Soderbergh handles it brilliantly, serving notice once again that he is a crackerjack genre technician.”

  A.O. Scott, The New York Times · 90

• “This clever bag of tricks is made with so much cinematic skill it makes implausibility irrelevant. What happens on screen is unapologetically far-fetched, but it unfolds with enough panache to make turning away out of the question.”

  Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times · 90