directed by:
Doug Bremner written by: Doug Bremner genre: Drama |
I choose to believe that with as much evidence as we’ve been provided to understand the evil ways of Big Pharma companies at this point, the majority of us can pretty much universally agree that they’re absolute monsters, right? We’ve all read some real bad stories – and far too many of us have had our own terrible experiences with them; at some point it becomes undeniably evident that where there’s smoke, there’s fire. I’m unequivocally pro-medicine, pro-science…all that stuff – but I have absolutely no love for the companies that control the well-being of society and the lack of oversight they tend to have. When Amanda Bellaconda (Hannah Fierman) loses a son to the side effects caused directly by a pill he was taking for acne, the viewing side of the screen has likely already thought about how little of a punishment the company making the drug will face, because we’ve become accustomed to this kind of medical injustice. On a personal level, I’ve got a bit of experience here. I had a roommate who used to be on Paxil for her depression, only to find out years later that the drug was often the very root cause of suicidal thoughts and tendencies. It’s scary stuff, right? The average everyday person has no clue about any of the advanced chemical compounds and/or how they affect us – we go to experts, like doctors, for the advice we need, and we trust them to provide it accurately. What we have come to understand is that the motivations behind why medical professionals do what they do are a crucial piece of information that we all need proper access to. It’s impossible to rely on the word of anybody who is getting some significant payday behind the scenes, or a doctor that is busy getting rich off of kickbacks and donor money – people like that clearly don’t prioritize your health. Sadly, the people on a grassroots level don’t have all that much choice either; we get a doctor, and assume that they want the best for us.
“Don’t forget who butters your bread,” says a hired company goon after doctor Jack Forteo dares to defy the existing system and explain the potentially harmful side effects of a new drug. Big Pharma = the corporate mafia, and don’t you forget it. I’ll admit, when I was first reading the synopsis for “The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg,” I immediately questioned how an “acne drug” could be responsible for leading people to suicidal thoughts – that seemed like a far-fetched concept to me. Eventually, I came around on that. A drug is a drug is a drug…and I suppose no matter what it is you ingest or put into or onto your body, there’s a valid reason to be concerned about what research has been done or what the side effects could be. Ultimately, as this movie will go on to explain, what we don’t know could kill us. The premise, or the reality that it’s based on, seems so viciously disproportionate. These kids are just looking to get some help for their face so that their classmates do not ostracize them, and by adding this drug to their lives, they’re now in legitimate danger. Danger that’s often been sanctioned by the people in power. Entirely preventable danger. Dangers that are known & conveniently ignored. Look…I’m a skeptical dude on all fronts. I see a movie like “The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg,” and I’m still not simply going to take what it’s saying as the gospel truth. We’re living in a world where everyone seems to have some kind of hidden agenda, so I still had to make sure that Writer/Director Doug Bremner was coming at this from a place of real concern and not just going full-scale tinfoil hat on us. Don’t get me wrong, our Venn Diagrams definitely overlap in many ways, but just like this very film implies, we can’t merely accept information without at least questioning where it comes from, right? I certainly share Bremner’s desire to poke some holes in the Big Pharma boat – those assholes deserve it. As Forteo (Andy Evans) continues to speak out against the potential dangers of this hit new acne drug, Big Pharma continues to ramp up their pressures on the good doctor. We’re talking about a full-scale crew of people lurking in the shadows, tracking Jack’s every move. Soon enough, he learns that he can’t even have a basic conversation with co-workers, family members, or pretty much anybody else either – everything he does is being monitored in some way. Bremner wisely shifts this story from being about a specific drug and sets his sights on the shady ways that Big Pharma operates. You can tell that the drug, Carinaderm, is merely the vehicle that Doug has chosen to use to express a larger point he wants to make about the evils of how Big Pharma does what they do. He’ll show you how insidious the system has become – Jack’s forced to try and help from behind the scenes, because every time he sticks his head out, someone tells him he can’t say this or that, or that he can’t testify against these corporate behemoths. Doug also shows you how much the corruption of the legal system plays a role in all of this too – they’re so used to being able to twist and bend things on a procedural level in order to achieve their rotten objectives, and you’ll see how that happens as Forteo tries to help. Jack’s clearly a good man, but a solid moral compass is practically no competition for a massive, soulless corporation that is only focused on profits and the bottom line. Having said that, every ounce of justice that has ever been meted out in this world had to start somewhere, and has often come from a single person willing to face impossible odds. Jack’s in a race against time, trying to do the right thing before his own life falls apart at the seams, or he finds himself in some major legal trouble that he won’t be able to escape. I really liked how Bremner was able to show this story from multiple angles, and highlight the threats that arise along the way, from a wide variety of legal proceedings, to medical scenarios, and family issues.
With most of “The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg” resting firmly on the shoulders of Andy, this movie finds a reliable centrepiece very early on, and wisely builds around him. Some of the more extraneous characters, like Red Leghorn (David de Vries), Ryan Singh (Shaan Sharma), and Amanda Bellaconda, worked out really well and contributed memorable moments along the way. Others, like Jack’s wife Isabella (Caroline Avery Granger), didn’t seem like they quite fit this film as much. Looks-wise, Doug isn’t looking to set the world on fire with the scenes he’s shooting or how he shoots them stylistically, but the story doesn’t call for a bunch of wild effects to begin with, and he continues to prioritize the characters and plot. Personally speaking, I’m all for that – I’d rather have a movie that might look a little dull than have a whole cast of characters that don’t fit or a storyline that isn’t compelling enough to entertain us. It felt like there was enough balance to the strengths of “The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg,” though admittedly, there is so much involved in a story like this that it’s very tough to get it all into 90 minutes. It could potentially be nice to spend a few more minutes on the details of this or that as the movie played on, but to his credit, it didn’t feel like Doug skipped over anything that you’d want to have seen included, and it didn’t feel like he was shying away from any of the tough conversations a theme like this comes along with either. You could argue that it’s a bit of a standard legal drama like a “Law & Order” episode, and I get that, but it’s also got the plot of something much more important like “A Civil Action.” All in all, “The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg” is a glimpse behind the curtain to see the devilish wizard of OZ in the medical realm, and I appreciate that, because we should all be informed about the implied perils of Big Pharma’s terrifying business practices. Doug’s movie makes cohesive & cogent arguments; it’s got a pretty solid cast overall, and it has an important story to share at the core of it all. It might not be the most exciting or riveting movie you’ll see this year, but it’s still a good watch. 3/5 stars from me. |
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