Netflix is growing its catalogue of movies by acquiring some of the biggest hits of this year’s film festivals. After Fair Play, it’s time for the premiere of Pain Hustlers, a crime drama about the dark side of the US pharmaceutical industry.
David Yates, who is best known for his work on the Harry Potter and the Fantastic Beast series, directed the film. Pain Hustlers is his first movie in many years unrelated to the magical universe.
Find out what Yates’ new film is about, who stars in it and when it will premiere on the service.
Pain Hustlers release date
Davids Yates’ drama will debut on Netflix on Friday, 27 October 2023.
You can also watch the movie in selected cinemas from 20 October.
Pain Hustlers plot
The film tells the story of a single mother on the edge of a breakdown who decides to take a job offer from a pharmaceutical start-up. Pain Hustler was based on Evan Hughes’ article published in the New York Times and his book titled The Hard Sell.
As the film’s description (via Netflix TUDUM) goes:
Liza Drake (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 (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 (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.
Netflix
Pain Hustlers is meant to be a study of the pharmaceutical industry but also of greed and desperation. As rumoured, the film resembles a mix of Wolf of Wall Street, The Big Short and American Hustle.
As director David Yates said:
I was intrigued by the pharma world, particularly the low-rent end of it, the workaday reps and sales teams striving to make a living in a hugely competitive business of dealing with people’s pain.
Pain Hustlers cast
The film features:
- Emily Blunt – Liza Drake
- Chris Evans – Pete Brenner, a sales associate for a pharmaceutical start-up
- Andy García – Jack Neel, the head of the start-up
- Catherine O’Hara – Jackie Drake, Liza’s mother
- Jay Duplass – Brent Larkin
- Brian d’Arcy James – Dr. Nathan Lydell
- Chloe Coleman – Phoebe Drake, Liza’s daughter
- Aubrey Dollar – Andy
- Amit Shah – Eric Paley
- Willie Raysor – Matt
Pain Hustlers trailers
In the first teaser of David Yates’ film money and madness rule:
Emily Blunt gets really desperate in the official trailer for Pain Hustlers: