Though Director Steven Soderbergh has recently announced that he will be retiring, “Side Effects” is a movie that will send him out with a bang. The film takes an interesting approach to modern society’s medication reliance. Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura claims that people in such a technologically advanced world are always looking for a quick fix, especially when it comes to medical issues, such as depression, and that’s when the idea to make “Side Effects” came up. The cast may be small in number but it’s large in experience, including Rooney Mara (“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”), Channing Tatum (“Magic Mike”), Jude Law (“Contagion”), and Catherine Zeta-Jones (“The Mask of Zorro”).

The story follows a depressed woman, Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara), who begins taking a number of different antidepressants when her husband, Martin Taylor (Channing Tatum) returns home from prison after four years. Emily experiences unusual side effects on each medication, such as vomiting, sleepwalking, and murdering? When Emily Taylor finds her life in shambles after being accused for a murder she has no memory of, her psychiatrist Dr. Jonathan Banks (Jude Law) finds himself in a bind, questioning if the blame should be on him.

“Side Effects” offers suspense throughout and unexpected twists that leave the audience shocked. Though the viewer feels sympathetic towards Emily, the question still comes up: is our society too reliant on anti-depressants and quick-fix drugs with dangerous side effects or are doctors not thorough enough before prescribing?

Soderbergh gives a perfect combination of action, mystery, and suspense to reveal the characters’ secrets and ambitions, which turn out to be completely different than originally suspected. Both Mara and Law offer talented and believable acting, making the movie not only watchable, but enjoyable and although Tatum and Zeta- Jones play small roles, they fulfill them well and leave the audience members satisfied.

Though at times the plot is shaky, the convincing actors and interesting storyline keeps audiences hooked and leaving the theatre sated.

After directing movies like “Magic Mike”, “Contagion”, “Erin Brockovich”, and the “Oceans’” Series, “Side Effects” offered a much different tone and serves as a wonderful exit for Soderbergh to take from the film industry.

Overall Rating (Out of 5 stars): ✮✮✮✮