"Limitless" is a very intriguing movie that is marred only by an incredibly idiotic ending that causes it to collapse under its own pretentious weight. That is incredibly unfortunate, as this is a film that is filled with some admittedly interesting twists and turns.
In effect, "Limitless" is a modern day spin on the old Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story. Only instead of Spencer Tracy morphing from a caring physician into a hideously deformed serial killer ["Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (1941)], we have Bradley Cooper playing a loser wannabe writer who is transformed into an incredibly handsome prick that has a startling resemblance to, well, Bradley Cooper. Think of his sophomoric character in "The Hangover" (2009) turning into the conceited preener he played in "The A-Team" (2010).
Cooper plays a character named Eddie Morra, a writer in name only whose only real talents are boozing and procrastination. His beautiful longtime girlfriend, a tragically underused Abbie Cornish, is leaving him for reasons that would be readily apparent to anyone other than possibly Colonel Gaddafi's bodyguards. The only real question is why an intelligent, elegant woman like Cornish would have been with him in the first place.
Mired in depression, Cooper bumps into his ex-brother-in-law, a former drug dealer who now claims to be working for a pharmaceutical company. In a "What the hell" moment, Cooper is offered and downs a pill identified by his ex- relative as NZT, a substance that is not only allegedly FDA approved, but will cause the user to instantly access 100% of your brain as opposed to the customary 20%.
Not only does this not so controlled substance allow Cooper to finish his book in four days, and further to amass a small fortune quickly as stock-trader, but it also transforms him into a macho stud that every beautiful woman in creation will slobber over. To the outside world, Cooper's transformation becomes the subject of envy and admiration, and even the skeptical Ms. Cornish decides to give him a second chance. However, knowing him the best, she quickly begins to sense that something is terribly, terribly wrong with her Dr. Jekyll.
"Limitless" reaches its suspenseful height at this point, as we see Cooper start to gradually unravel. There is a pivotal point where he finds himself standingalone on a bridge in Downtown Manhattan, not knowing what he has done in the past 18 hours, much less how he got to this location. It seems that NZT has some profoundly terrible side-effects, and they are far worse than those you see regularly advertised by the pharmaceutical industry on TV.
Unfortunately, this is when "Limitless" gradually starts to careen off the rails and becomes mired in trite subplots. Robert De Niro appears in a supporting role where his character is little different from his Jack Byrnes in the lamentable "Fockers" trilogy. Here he is the head of some type of investment conglomerate that is trying to use Cooper's incredible intellectual skills to his own financial benefit only to become involved in his downward spiral.
But while De Niro's contribution to "Limitless" is tolerable, what is not is director Neil Burger's decision to have this movie concentrate on Cooper being pursued by a brutal Russian loan shark and his amoral hit-men. Without giving anything away, it leads to a bloody ending that is one of the most idiotically foolish, not to mention unintentionally hysterical, as any you are likely to see in a film this year.
While De Niro was sensational as a right-wing State Senator in Robert Rodriguez's maliciously enjoyable "Machete" (2010), he has shown a disturbing tendency to just go through the motions and pick up a paycheck. Think of the above referred to increasingly embarrassing "Fockers" trilogy; the overcooked "Righteous Kill" (2008); "Hide and Seek" (2005) and the idiotic "Analyze This" (1999) along with its sequel "Analyze That" (2002).
Where is the De Niro that was so spectacular in movies like "Ronin" (1998); "Wag the Dog" (1997); "Heat" (1995); "This Boy's Life" (1993) as well as the many superior films that preceded these? On the other hand, when you look at the years where he made his greatest contribution to film, one has to wonder if time has largely passed him by.
And though Ms. Cornish stands out during her brief appearance in this film, she is clearly an emerging star. For those of you who want to see two excellent films, watch her in both "Bright Star" (2009) and "Stop-Loss" (2008). This is an excellent young actress, and I for one can't wait to see her play Sweet Pea this year in the much anticipated "Sucker Punch."
The question for Mr. Cooper is whether he will play anyone other than himself. Is his future going to be nothing more than making adult women swoon in the same manner that Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner do for teenage girls, or can he break from this mold and stretch himself as Brad Pitt has succeeded in doing? If he really wants to be known as more than a cinematic pretty boy, I'd suggest that he immediately contact Mr. Pitt for advice.
Source: http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/hammervision/2011/03/movie-review---limitless.html
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