Cooper plays Eddie Morra, a writer who doesn’t write, a man who barely appears to shower. Through happenstance, he runs into a former in-law and former drug dealer, only the latter is actually not so former. This is how Eddie comes to start taking NZT. He thinks its F.D.A. approved so we can’t really judge him, but he quickly finds out there is no way this drug is ever going to make it to market. NZT allows you to tap into the 80% of your brain that goes unused every day. The resulting clarity allows Eddie to take everything he’s ever taken in, in his entire life, and make perfect sense of it in seconds. Needless to say, Eddie never intends to get off these drugs and soon finds out he might not have a choice in the matter.
Director, Neil Burger, coasts through LIMITLESS and rarely attempts to access any of his own greater potential. Visual trickery meant to signify the depths of Eddie’s thought processes and amplified abilities come off as not only gimmicky but tacky as well. All the same, the talent is passable (Robert De Niro and Abbie Cornish have scant parts compared to Cooper) and the moral question behind taking the drug to begin with is intriguing, but the climax of this film is so ridiculous and off-putting that it went, for me, from a time-filler to a complete waste of time. It’s ironic really how a film about untapped intelligence could be so utterly stupid. Or perhaps even more so, how a film called LIMITLESS could feel so limited.
I kinda liked it, if only for it's more realistic, romantic & unexpected outcome to someone breaking the rules - he wins. Today's Socialist, PC, state of affairs has us watching success driven protagonists fail over and over again - but not this time. It was by no means a triumph, but seeing that taboo dissolved was pleasant for me. Other than that, meh.... I never expect much from DeNiro, anyways.
ReplyDeleteThis was a fun and smart take on obsession with work and knowing more, but it just ends up into disappointing, predictable territory that was livened up by Cooper's great performance. Good Review!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I have a hard time calling this smart on any level. It asked a couple of interesting moral questions but it was so plainly executed that anything it had going for it, I found was completely squandered.
ReplyDeleteI think it was a cool concept and a decent movie if you are just looking to kill some time and watch something entertaining. There's nothing really deep to it though.. its basically just a guy trying to stay high on drugs.
ReplyDeleteI think it was a cool concept and a decent movie if you are just looking to kill some time and watch something entertaining. If over analyzed then its pretty much just a movie about a guy trying to stay high on drugs.
ReplyDelete****spoilers ahead.****
ReplyDeleteIt was a poorly executed movie, but I did enjoy some of the less touched upon themes of drug use - he goes through all the typical stages. First he discovers NZT, and it's great. Then he keeps taking higher and higher doses, trying to find out how "good" it can get. But suddenly he is confronted with the consequences - skipping memories from such high doses, the problem of dependence and the threat of withdrawal.
He realizes he needs to wean himself off of it and learns how to use it responsibly. And in doing so, NZT helps improve the drug-free version of himself.
All in all I thought they drew interesting parallels to all sorts of drugs, opiates and psychedelics in particular, and raised some interesting questions about whether drug use can indeed be safe or beneficial (the movie seems to imply yes if used responsibly). It questions whether a person on drugs is the same person when sober.
Unfortunately all of those thoughtful possibilities were very bluntly brought up and not explored thoroughly at all.
Basically, this movie is a fantasy (read: pipe dream) movie for anyone who has been in a shitty place and thought about turning to drugs to fix it.
Man's life sucks. Man finds drug. Drug makes life incredibly awesome, man discovers consequences, learns moderation, and triumphs. Simple, poorly executed story but the movie never explores the deeper issues.
****spoilers ahead.****
ReplyDeleteIt was a poorly executed movie, but I did enjoy some of the less touched upon themes of drug use - he goes through all the typical stages. First he discovers NZT, and it's great. Then he keeps taking higher and higher doses, trying to find out how "good" it can get. But suddenly he is confronted with the consequences - skipping memories from such high doses, the problem of dependence and the threat of withdrawal.
He realizes he needs to wean himself off of it and learns how to use it responsibly. And in doing so, NZT helps improve the drug-free version of himself.
All in all I thought they drew interesting parallels to all sorts of drugs, opiates and psychedelics in particular, and raised some interesting questions about whether drug use can indeed be safe or beneficial (the movie seems to imply yes if used responsibly). It questions whether a person on drugs is the same person when sober.
Unfortunately all of those thoughtful possibilities were very bluntly brought up and not explored thoroughly at all.
Basically, this movie is a fantasy (read: pipe dream) movie for anyone who has been in a shitty place and thought about turning to drugs to fix it.
Man's life sucks. Man finds drug. Drug makes life incredibly awesome, man discovers consequences, learns moderation, and triumphs. Simple, poorly executed story but the movie never explores the deeper issues.
The most entertaining aspect of this movie is the irony; An aspiring writer takes a bunch of genius pills and decides to become a politician. I can't tell who squandered more potential here, Eddie, or the writers of Limitless.
ReplyDelete