Pain Hustlers

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2:12

Pain Hustlers

R

2023

2h 2m

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

23%

Tomatometer

115 Reviews

64%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

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.

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Critics Consensus

Pain Hustlers has some great actors and a worthwhile premise, but lackluster execution dooms this dramatic look at the opioid epidemic.

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Jocelyn Noveck

Associated Press

10/30/2023

2/4

Pain Hustlers feels like a retreading of the same ground covered in other recent works, bringing nothing especially new to the table and, in splitting the stylistic difference between slick/breezy and poignant/authentic, succeeding fully at neither.

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Devan Coggan

Entertainment Weekly

10/30/2023

B-

It's plenty entertaining, but not particularly thoughtful — just enough depth to fill a prescription pad, not a whole book.

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Liz Shannon Miller

Consequence

10/27/2023

C+

Pain Husters manages to avoid feeling like an Adam McKay remake of Dopesick, but its shifting tone never quite hits the right notes.

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Monita Roy Mohan

Women Write About Comics

Aug 20

Pain Hustlers puts the spotlight on the people who were part of a devastating crisis, but its lackadaisical direction and underwhelming performances do the subject matter no justice.

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Maxance Vincent

The Cosmic Circus

Jul 12

2/5

Everything in Pain Hustlers feels unimportant, and its distractingly flashy style certainly doesn’t help. It’s great to see Yates doing something else than Harry Potter, but his first real Wizarding World break doesn’t leave a good lasting impression.

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Clotilde Chinnici

Loud and Clear Reviews

09/14/2024

2.5/5

Ultimately, Pain Hustlers feels like a half-finished product, one that does manage to fully delve into the depths and complexities of the opioid epidemic in the United States.

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J T

@UtahRondo Jan 2

This was a quality movie. I think it was probably 10 or 15 minutes too long, but I thought it told a really important story. Pharma has had some amazing breakthroughs that have absolutely saved lives. But it also has seen many, many instances of people being harmed and even killed because of greed and liars. This was well acted and I would recommend it. The moral of this story is that clinical studies need far more scrutiny and review. And the relationship between pharma and doctors should be extremely limited. Doctors getting paid by pharma for speaking, "research", and consulting is a huge problem.

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Pedro Henrique C

@Pedro2005 Dec 28

Pain Hustlers (2023) The story is quite interesting, I just felt there should have been a bit more emotion in some parts of the film. Netflix produces several films a year, but not all of them are good.

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Ana G

@RT76272466 Jul 5

I really liked it, Emily Blunt is perfect as always and Chris too, pretty solid movie

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Gina R

@GinaG 03/14/2025

I found this movie very entertaining and informative. We've known for years that big Pharma caters to, brides and pay doctors in accepting their drugs and writing prescriptions for them. Believe me, I've seen plenty of drug companies rent out an entire theatre and give doctors all kinds of perks. Trips, money and incredible expensive items. In addition, character played by Emily Blunt is spot on in appearance and demeanor. Drug reps strut like peacocks into these doctor offices to tout their goods. I've even heard them joking and flirting when in the next room It's all a game and the patients are the guinea pigs. I wouldn't trust the FDA as far as I could throw them.

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Pez R

@RT86551428 03/11/2025

Fun! And yet thought-provoking. A good look at greed in the pharmaceutical industry and medical ethics.

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Neil M

@Neil-MacG 02/17/2025

A good watch that is well acted and tells a compelling story of greed.

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David Yates

Director

Emily Blunt

Liza Drake

Chris Evans

Actor

Andy Garcia

Actor

Catherine O'Hara

Actor

Amit Shah

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Pain Hustlers: Trailer 1

2:12

Pain Hustlers: Teaser

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Synopsis

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.

Director: David Yates
Producer: Lawrence Grey, David Yates
Screenwriter: Wells Tower
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: Grey Matters Productions, Wychwood Media
Rating: R (Nudity|Language Throughout|Drug Use|Some Sexual Content)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 20, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 27, 2023
Runtime: 2h 2m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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