LIMITLESS
PG-13
105 Minutes
Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Abbie Cornish, Johnny Whitworth
Director: Neil Burger
Writer: Leslie Dixon
Based on a Novel by Alan Glynn
- Bart: You know how they say most people use 10% of their brain?
- Lisa: Yeah?
- Bart: Well now, I'm one of them!
- -THE SIMPSONS, Episode AABF22, 'Brother's Little Helper'
This film is about a genius writer, who is having trouble finishing a project. You see, he is trying to finish a movie review, in a film starring Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro...Ha-ha-ha, not really.
Eddie Morra (Cooper) is burnout writer, which is a bit of stretch for Brad Cooper, but he managed just fine. He has a serious case of writers block. On top of that, he long time girlfriend dumps him. It was a day that couldn't get much worse. Eddie runs into a former brother in-law/drug dealer, Vernon (Whitworth). They catch up on old times at a nearby cafe. Vernon seems interested in the book he's writing. Eddie reveals that he has not started yet. Vernon hands Eddie a pill, an expensive pill, that will help him with his creative issues.
Eddie got started on the book he was writing. Twenty-four hours later, after writing several chapters, his flash of brilliance disappeared. He arranges to meet Vernon at his apartment, but when he gets there, he notices the man is murdered. Clutching a nine iron, Eddie runs around the place, prepared to confront potential intruders. Eventually, he calls the police, then he remembers what he went there for. Frantically searching the apartments for these drugs, he discovers them in the oven, along with a stack of hundred dollar bills.
The film lags in the middle, and one thing that is not limitless is my attention span. From here, this movie unfolds as you would expect. Finishing the book, making tons of money in the stock market, dealing with side effects, and on and off relationship with his girlfriend. This movie predictability is like HOLLOW MAN; your looking at your watch, just waiting for Kevin Bacon to start raping women.
The premise of the movie seemed interesting. Exploring the consequences future smart drugs, and the ethical ramifications. Pushing the limits of what human beings are capable of. As a whole this movie is entertaining enough. And yes, you could certainly fare much worse. This film is just empty calories, like a large bucket of movie theater popcorn, with limitless refills.
Final Verdict 75 out of 100
