American Pain

I thought I knew everything about the opioid epidemic from the Sackler family to the pill mills to the devastating effects of addiction on families and entire communities. What I didn't know was the massive role played by the 2 Florida brothers featured in this documentary. A well constructed film that tells it like it was back in the late 2000's. The filmmakers connect the dots giving you the entire picture of how their clinics infected the entire country adding fuel to an already burning fire of drug abuse. Great care is given to explaining how they operated within the rules but bent them beyond what any reasonable society or jurisdiction should have tolerated. All parties are represented from patients, family, and dealers to law enforcement who fought an uphill battle to shut them down. An eye opening film that will both disgust and enlighten you on how far people will go for the almighty dollar while having no conscience for the damage they inflict.

As "American Pain" (2022 release; 106 min.) opens, we hear from Chris George, caught on tape saying he fears he'll get arrested soon. A voice--over reminds us that Chris and Jeff George put more opioid pills on the street than anyone else. We then go back to their early upbringing in privileged Wellington, FL... At this point we are less than 10 minutes into the documentary.

Couple of comments: this is the latest from Emmy Award winning producer-director Darren Foster ("Science Fair"). Here he looks at how twins Chris and Jeff George brazenly and blatantly exploited a weakly regulated drug industry. Of course they are not the only ones who set up pill mills. But its ilk like that who certainly played more than their part to unleash one of the largest and deadliest health emergencies this country has ever seen, and STILL is dealing with. That the George Brothers thrived in Florida should not surprise you, as state regulation of this industry was in those days (late 00's and early 10's) one of the weakest in the country. And then people are shocked, SHOCKED I tells ya, that things like this can happen. For shame. The documentary flies by in no time, as you watch and you wonder why nobody stepped in until it was too late (and even then...). Comments someone: "Big Pharma, doctors, drugstores, patients, pill mills, everyone knew what they were doing and all turned a blind eye". Turns out that some eyes perhaps are a little more blind than others. (The documentary also exposes Chris George as a white supremacist, Oh, are you surprised?)

"American Pain" premiered at last years Tribeca Film Festival to immediate critical acclaim. It is rated 88% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. It aired on CNN earlier this year and then started streaming on Max, where I caught it last night. If you have any interest in understanding how a national health emergency originates when everyone turns a blind eye because there is crazy money to be made, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

I would not call it a rise and fall since they all are still breathing and not dead in a ditch like most of their "patients" They destroyed pain management for patients who legitimately need medication.

I would not call it a rise and fall since they all are still breathing and not dead in a ditch like most of their "patients" They destroyed pain management for patients who legitimately need medication.

I would not call it a rise and fall since they all are still breathing and not dead in a ditch like most of their "patients" They destroyed pain management for patients who legitimately need medication.

What is it with Broward County Florida? This place is constantly in the news for some kind of belligerent behavior..

Seems like a pretty fun place to be though. Sun, opioids, strip clubs, beaches, babes, etc..

As for the documentary.. Pretty solid, definitely worth the watch. The whole pain clinic thing is wild to me, seems like it shouldn't have ever been legal in the first place (but maybe I'm just missing something?)..

Good cast of "characters", I mean that is what they are in this really!

Because I have to hit the required amount of characters, I just want to mention I was the first to rate (and review)!

On the surface this seems like an interesting documentary, HOWEVER, about 20 mins in you get the distinct feeling the film makers are not so much interested in the devastation the opioid crisis caused as they are about pumping up the main "character"- avowed white supremacist Chris George. If you can stomach the disrespect and get to the end, you'll get to see a nice 10 min snippet about a completely unremorseful Chris starting new businesses after leaving prison. Clueless filmmaking at its worst, wish I could give it zero stars. I really really hope that they didn't completely throw their journalistic values in the garbage by paying that criminal for the rights to tell this garbage story of nepotism covered in white privilege.