Do the ‘Hustle’: Blunt, Evans star in new crime drama
There is something to be said for an empowering woman. Whether in film, on TV, within the pages of a book or in real life, women with drive are an inspiring force to be reckoned with. We’ve seen it with Jennifer Lawrence’s take on Miracle Mop inventor Joy Mangano in the 2015 drama “Joy,” Julia Roberts as the titular water-quality crusader in “Erin Brockovich” (2000), and on both sides — law enforcement and criminal — with Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer in the hit BBC America/ AMC series “Killing Eve.”
On Friday, Oct. 27, Netflix releases a brand-new empowering woman story, “Pain Hustlers.” Not dissimilar to “Joy,” “Pain Hustlers” is the fictionalized account of a true story involving a woman who will do anything to make ends meet.
Loosely based on the rise and fall of a now-defunct American opioid company called Insys Therapeutics, “Pain Hustlers” tells the company’s story by way of an empowering female lead who accepts a job out of pure desperation and stops at nothing to make a name for herself while providing for her family. Like shows such as Hulu’s “The Dropout” (about Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos) and “Dopesick” (about the impact of the opioid epidemic on various American communities), “Pain Hustlers” does not necessarily end well for its main character.
There are several big names behind “Pain Hustlers,” first and foremost of which is Emily Blunt. The “Devil Wears Prada” (2006) and “A Quiet Place” (2018) star portrays leading lady and ill-fated empowering woman Liza Drake, who acts as the lens through which audiences see the action unfold.
Liza is a high school dropout who, in order to provide for herself and her daughter, needs to get a job — any job — as soon as possible. It seems her luck has finally begun to turn around when she lands a job at a local pharmaceutical startup. While the company is already failing upon Liza’s arrival, her determination and eager-to-impress attitude sends her and her new employer on the adventure of a lifetime. Sadly, Liza soon finds herself in the middle of a criminal case involving fentanyl, racketeering and a whole lot of lies.
Working alongside Liza at the company is Pete Brenner, a fast-talking businessman with a deep love of money, played by Chris Evans (“Captain America: The First Avenger,” 2011). Andy Garcia (“Father of the Bride,” 2022) and Brian D’arcy James (“West Side Story”) also take on roles within the fictionalized pharmaceutical company, while Catherine O’hara (“Schitt’s Creek”) and Chloe Coleman (“Big Little Lies”) play Liza’s mother and daughter, respectively.
Jay Duplass (“The Chair”), Aubrey Dollar (“Battle Creek”), Alexis Baca (“The Curse of Abigail Proctor,” 2023), Amit Shah (“The Hundred-foot Journey,” 2014), Hillary Harley (“Queen America”), Alex Mitchell (“Candy”), Selena Anduze (“Wandavision”) and Britt Rentschler (“Uncle Frank,” 2020) also star in “Pain Hustlers.”