Better Living Through Chemistry

"Happiness has no formula"

2014 1h 31m EN

😐

5.9

MID

🥫

24%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.2

IMDB

★5.9TMDB · 328🥫24%Rotten Tomatoes●40Metacritic★6.2IMDB · 15,964

DramaComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A straight-laced pharmacist's uneventful life spirals out of control when he starts an affair with a trophy wife customer who takes him on a joyride involving sex, drugs and possibly murder.

“Happiness has no formula”

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Cast

Sam Rockwell
Douglas Varney
Michelle Monaghan
Kara Varney
Olivia Wilde
Elizabeth Roberts
Jane Fonda
Pharmacy Customer
Ray Liotta
Jack Roberts
Norbert Leo Butz
Agent Andrew Carp
Ben Schwartz
Noah
Ken Howard
Walter Bishop

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Geoff Moore
Writers: David Posamentier, Geoff Moore
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 2% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 12 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Geoff Moore, shot by Tim Suhrstedt. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Nau. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Sam Rockwell and Michelle Monaghan and Olivia Wilde carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Happiness has no formula".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1609479 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Geoff Moore directs. Tim Suhrstedt behind the camera. John Nau scores. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 2% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 12 years ago.
3International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
4Directed by Geoff Moore, shot by Tim Suhrstedt. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by John Nau. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Sam Rockwell and Michelle Monaghan and Olivia Wilde carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Happiness has no formula".
8IMDB entry: tt1609479 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Tim Suhrstedt
Original score: John Nau
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $5,000,000
Box office: $75,143
Return: 2% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Better Living Through Chemistry (2014)
Rotten Tomatoes: 24% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 40/100
IMDB rating: 6.2/10 · 15,964 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

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Community reviews

What people are saying

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★ 7/10
A nice little comedy with Sam Rockwell and Michelle Monaghan playing opposite each other as a struggling married couple. Olivia Wilde enters and 'Bam!', Sam Rockwell all of the sudden turns into a man, wins a bike race, tries to kill Ray Liotta, and wakes up drunk, then stares at Jane Fonda with bleary eyes and tells her he can solve all of her problems.

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