Skip to main content

Dome Pondering Movie Review: Pain Hustlers (2023)

What is it about?

Based on a true story, Liza dreams of a better life for herself and her daughter and turns an opportunity for a bankrupt pharmaceutical company into an ethical conundrum leading to a federal criminal conspiracy. 

Who is in it?

Emily Blunt - Liza Drake 

Chris Evans - Pete Brenner 

Catherine O'Hara - Jackie

Favorite Scene: 

[spoiler alert]

After a character we never met other than through his kindness is known to have overdosed, Liza tries to reach out to the wife and is met with a cold acceptance. 

Favorite Quote: 

"And then you climb a couple tax brackets, and it's the same old grift, only for money, and it smells like gardenias and alpaca shit" 

Review: 

Pain Hustlers was one of Netflix's big pushes and I decided to watch it. Sure, the trailer alone is intriguing drawing immediate comps to Scarface or The Wolf of Wall Street, but more so in the sense that the pharma world was the draw.  

The beginning of this film starts quick and the immediate interviews pull you in. However, once the plot unfolds, you quickly begin to learn feel, and root for this underdog character of Liza Drake played by Emily Blunt. 

The film is easy to follow regarding the wrongdoings, the complexity of the business of pharma, and overall, how it affects innocent people looking for relief. It focuses on the greed and predatory nature of the pharma world. The film did leave a part of me wanting for more as there is so much more complexity beyond the money within the system, however, it is understood the focus on Liza. 

Overall, Pain Hustlers is a good watch. It exposes quite a bit of reality, but you do wish for more. 

Grade: 3/5


Recently Read

Was It Ever Real?

Does time change me? Or, did I evolve through experience? How many signals did I miss? Or, did I choose this fate? Do I understand the wrongs and regrets? Or, did I act with the best interest in the moment? What did they say about me? And, what will they say about me today? Was I appreciated? Or, did I imagine that? What were the opinions in the shadows? And, what were the feelings expressed before me? Is it a misunderstanding?  Or, a matter of not confirming?  Why didn’t it last? Or, was it never meant to? …ever able to? Was it ever real? Some of it? Part of it?

Sunday Sundown Rundown - 2/23/25

3 Up   1. New Old Cookbook - I thought this was really cool. The oldest published cookbook just got a remake and is now available. The cookbook, by Malinda Russell, is 160 years old. There has to be some really good (clean) stuff in that book. It's also Black History Month (are we still allowed to push that?), and there's a lot of history and significance that can be found through food.  2. Frankie Munoz - This dude went from Malcolm in the Middle and decided, I'm gonna be a race car driver! Munoz finished 10th recently in his debut as a NASCAR driver.  3. Yankees Policy - It's about time. The Yankees really were eventually going to find themselves in something MUCH uglier than a narrative surrounding "would George have done this?!" or "Why, this is the Yankee way!". Kudos to Hal Steinbrenner for the move.  3 Down 1. Another Plane Crash - This one in Toronto. A place landed on its roof. What is going on out there? Doesn't help when you read and ...

2025 NBA All-Star Weekend - "Throw this format in the trash"

There's no other way to put this, the NBA has a serious problem on their agenda going forward regarding All-Star Weekend. What was once the standard for All-Star presentations and must-watch television has quickly turned into social criticism and an entity that undoubtedly reminds fans of what used to be.  Simply put, NBA All-Star Weekend is broken.  I don't want to pile on like we expect the talking heads and personalities to do. This is fixable. Like everything else in sports. However, this...what we experienced tonight, is not it.  Other quick thoughts on the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend:  The Skills Challenge was cool when it was first introduced. Now, it's become over-produced. The map of the floor, the gadgets involved, and even the rules...just ask Chris Paul and poor Victor Wembanyama.  By the way, the constant camera focus on both of them following the "disqualification" had such "Principal Office" vibes.  The Three-Point content remains the purest...