Review of Limitless (2011) by Caitlin R — 29 Dec 2012

I give you fair warning before you continue reading; I just took a verbal pill called UPP (Unlimited Pun Power) which can enhance pun memory to 100 percent, instead of the mere 20 percent we punners use. So there will be no pun limit in this review! Before you stray away, I must state that I am joking. I included that "pillacious" entry because that is the main premise of the flick "Limitless". It stars Bradley Cooper as Eddie Morra, a down-on-his-luck struggling writer who runs into his ex- brother law who introduces Eddie to a limitless memory pill that is able to use 100 percent of brain power. Morra, Morra, Morra how do you like it? How do you like it? Even though that sounded more like an Andrea True Connection, the real connection that Eddie has with the drug is precisely to want more of it. The top-secret pill, called NZT, is Eddie's meal ticket to break into the brokerage business and rise to the top; which is what precisely happens. I will not divulge any more info on where the NZT leads Eddie to, but I will say that situations get incredibly zany when a Russian mobster also gets his hands on the pill among other messy situations; so zany in fact that the movie starts losing its semi-validity because of it. And that is where Director Neil Burger got a bit fried in cooking up "Limitless"; however, Burger was king in a few scenes in helming the movie, especially the scenes in displaying the power of NZT in Eddie. As far as the "Limitless" scribe goes, unfortunately I do have to prescribe a dose of authenticity to Leslie Dixon's cluttered screenplay. Bradley Cooper shows he can carry a movie as best as he can with his strong leading performance as Eddie Morra; and it was fortunate that Bradley did not overdose with "over- the-top" thespian antics in his work in "Limitless". Robert DeNiro's supporting work as a CEO executive who recruits Morra for a merger was a bit bland and needed a few uppers. But who am I to criticize the great Robert DeNiro! And Abbie Cornish was very much underutilized as Morra's on-and-off girlfriend Lindy. So yea, my critical bag is mixed when it comes to my "Limitless" reactions. But if you can stand the few highs and several lows of this movie, then I think you might be ready to pop in "Limitless" to your system.

*** Average.