David Yates, the filmmaker behind Netflix’s upcoming drama Pain Hustlers, told ComicBook.com that one of the film’s challenges was to decide between the real elements of the profoundly corrupt pharmaceutical industry to keep, and where to supplement with something fictional. The movie, which takes a Thank You For Smoking approach to the opioid epidemic, stars Chris Evans and Emily Blunt in it lead roles, heading up a compelling cast of beloved character actors.
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In Pain Hustlers, after losing her job, a blue-collar woman struggling to raise her daughter takes a job at a failing pharmaceutical start-up, only to get involved in a dangerous racketeering scheme. The film also stars Andy Garcia, Catherine O’Hara, Brian d’Arcy James, Chloe Coleman, and Jay Duplass.
“It was a process of script development, really,” Yates said. “Through the entire drafting of each version of the script we would occasionally go too far with some moments. Even in the editing process as well, there was a version of the film…where the humor was quite broad, and Mark and I, who were editing, added a few too many broad takes from, say, Andy Garcia or Chris, and what we would do is when we would sit and watch the movie, it tilted the movie too far into a comedy. The editing and the script process, it was always about calibration and balance, calibration and balance, and it was tricky to get right. There is a version of this movie that was broader and funnier, but which, by the end, you can’t take the emotion or the message we’re trying to convey seriously at all….So we calibrated it very carefully, in the best way we could, but it was a tightrope walk.”
He used the example of Dr. Lydell, whom he described as “a monster,” but said that Brian d’Arcy James made the character relatable in spite of the terrible things he does.
You can read the full synopsis for the film below.
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. Pain Hustlers is a sharp and revealing look at what some people do out of desperation and others do out of greed. The film is directed by BAFTA award winner David Yates, produced by Lawrence Grey, and also starring Catherine O’Hara, Jay Duplass and Brian d’Arcy James.
Pain Hustlers is set for a Netflix release on Friday. The film is in select theaters now.
