Review of Limitless (2011) by Walter M — 31 Aug 2012

In "Limitless," the only thing keeping Eddie Morra(Bradley Cooper) from being considered a struggling writer in New York City is his not actually having written anything. Making matters worse is his girlfriend/line of credit, Lindy(Abbie Cornish), dumping him, putting him one step closer to being extradited to his parents' home in New Jersey.(Oh no! Not that!) And then his ex-brother-in-law Vernon(Johnny Whitworth) slithers back into his life, giving Eddie a little pill that simultaneously makes him irresistible to women and expands his mind, so he can actually finish writing something. The downside is that the pill only lasts a day. Plus, when Eddie goes to visit him, he finds Vernon all bruised and bloodied.

"Limitless" is a stylish thriller that in its first half seeks to say a lot about the nature of drug addiction. There is also a lot of conversation on not living up to one's potential which could also be used to describe at least the last couple of decades of Robert De Niro's career(admittedly he is in fine form here). But the second half gets bogged down, as the movie cannot successfully shift gears due to problems that go beyond Bradley Cooper being the smartest person in the room. I am thinking of lapses in logic on the order of no man ever having gotten laid by spewing loads of useless facts. That especially does not work well in a movie that so ardently tries to tie all of its loose ends together in a neat bow at the end. Of course, nothing is ever that simple, because contrary to the movie's line of thought, lots of worthy people do great work below the radar. And while the movie likes its protagonist despite the body count, I am still not sure what to make of him.