Side Effects is a 2005 romantic comedy about the pharmaceutical industry, directed by Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau and starring Katherine Heigl as Karly Hert, a pharmaceutical "detailer", who becomes disillusioned with the lack of ethics in the pharmaceutical industry and has tough choices to make. The film also stars Lucian McAfee, Dorian DeMichele as Karly’s unscrupulous boss, Dave Durbin, Temeceka Harris. The film's title is a reference to the medical term side effects and is based on a true story.

Filmmaker

The film was written and directed by former pharmaceutical sales representative Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau. The movie is a semi-autobiographical account of Slattery-Moschkau's decade of work in the pharmaceutical industry. Katherine Heigl served as the film's executive producer.

Cast

Production

The film was shot in 18 days in the summer of 2004 on a budget of $190,000.

DVD release

In 2009, New Line and Warner Bros. released the film to DVD.

Reception

The film was praised after its premiere at Cinequest Film Festival and subsequent screenings and featured on the cover of USA Today and in the Health section as well as other positive and critical reviews before it was picked up by Warner Brothers. Later, the film received mixed to negative reviews, it received an approval rating of 11% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 9 reviews.