Pain Hustlers

“Pain Hustlers” is funny, sad and more than a little likely to make you mad.

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I don’t understand why so many critics seem to have their knives out for David Yates’ “Pain Hustlers” (streaming on Netflix beginning Friday, Oct. 27). It’s reminiscent of and not markedly worse than movies such as “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “The Big Short” and “Dumb Money.”

Liza Drake (Emily Blunt) is a struggling single mother with an epileptic kid named Phoebe (Chloe Coleman). She works as a stripper and lives in a garage belonging to her sister Andy (Aubrey Dollar) alongside their flaky mother Jackie (Catherine O’Hara).

Liza’s luck takes a turn for the better when she meets slick pharmaceutical sales rep Pete Brenner (Chris Evans) at the club. Pete proposes a way for Liza to get out of this place (and he, hopefully, into her pants) by offering her a job. Pete works for the fictional Zanna, founded by the eccentric Dr. Jack Neel (Andy Garcia). Neel developed a fentanyl-based pain reliever known as Lonafen, which was initially used to treat late stage cancer patients.

Liza and Pete play fast and loose with the law by bribing doctors such as Dr. Lydell (Brian d’Arcy James) to write more Lonafen scripts giving Zanna a greater market share. Liza’s more than happy to collect the car, the clothes and the crib, but grows hesitant and remorseful when Pete, Neel and Lydell – with dollar signs in their eyes – facilitate the prescribing of Lonafen to patients with ailments as minor as a headache. She sees firsthand the damage this drug is doing.

“Pain Hustlers” is a fictionalized adaptation of Evan Hughes’ book “The Hard Sell: Crime and Punishment at an Opioid Start-Up.” Adaptation duties were handled by Wells Tower (he’s a man – not a building) and his script is sharp.

“Harry Potter” helmer Yates’ direction is stylish, but I did laugh when Liza uses her ill-gotten gains to get Phoebe admitted to a posh private school. (“Hey, that ain’t Hogwarts!”)

Our primary players all come to play. I was especially impressed by Blunt, who makes Liza relatable and sympathetic even when she’s doing wrong and all the more so once she’s seen the error in her ways. Evans is sleazily amusing and even raps while dressed as a Lonafen dispenser. (This is a meme machine in the making, folks!) Garcia goes gonzo as Neel and makes for an oddly entertaining heel. Coleman and Blunt have solid chemistry and make for a believable daughter-mother combo – their characters’ relationship lends the picture much of its humor and heart. O’Hara’s Jackie is a hoot to boot … no real surprise from the seasoned comedienne. James’ Lydell is a first-class loser and the talented actor makes a meal out of embodying this mope.

“Pain Hustlers” is funny, sad and more than a little likely to make you mad.