Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Thought-provoking docu about rising amphetamine use.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Take Your Pills
What's the Story?
As our world becomes more competitive, results-oriented, and addicted to social media, TAKE YOUR PILLS explores amphetamine use, from its discovery in 1929 to its current pervasiveness anywhere there are people driven to do better. A wide range of people talk frankly about using amphetamines like Adderall or giving them to their children. Positive effects are mentioned, but questions are also raised. Is taking Adderall no big deal, or does it alienate us from fully experiencing what it is to be human?
Is It Any Good?
Refreshingly free of heavy-handed scare tactics, this documentary calmly and rationally explores rising amphetamine use by asking thought-provoking questions and promoting thorough understanding. A few times, Take Your Pills comes close to scare territory by driving home a sense of overwhelming, unavoidable pervasiveness, which may alarm some viewers. But overall it examines many aspects of amphetamine use without shying away from the benefits of it or trying to create fear. It presents amphetamine use, especially in the way it relates to mental health issues, as something we should discuss openly so that we can decide how we want to handle it as a society and as individuals.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what they learned about amphetamines from Take Your Pills. Did any of the information surprise you? Was there anything that was hard to believe, or that accurately reflected your own experiences or perceptions of amphetamine use?
What's wrong with taking an occasional Adderall to help study for a test, or get a bunch of work done on a tight deadline? Does the documentary talk about consequences? What are they?
Did the movie change your mind about amphetamines or cause you to think about them differently? How?
Movie Details
- In theaters : March 9, 2018
- On DVD or streaming : March 16, 2018
- Director : Alison Klayman
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Documentary
- Topics : History , STEM
- Run time : 87 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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