Movie Review

Limitless

I always intended to see this movie because I’m a huge fan of Bradley Cooper and finally here was his chance to carry a big movie by himself.  The trailers did not intrigue me.  Actually, they kind of killed my enthusiasm.   But, loyalty to actors I admire plus a general love of film won out and I went to see it and hoped for the best.  I was pleasantly surprised.  I was actually excited as I was watching it.  That’s a rare thing for me.  I wasn’t Hot Fuzz excited or Grindhouse excited (to date, the two best experiences I’ve had at the movies), but I was pumped never the less.  By the time the mobsters broke into his apartment, I was in love with this movie.

            The film is about a procrastinating writer named Eddie Morra.  He gets his hand on a drug called NZT that will unlock all of his potential.  He speeds his way to the top, gets rich, and a makeover (thank goodness).  Unfortunately, there are some nasty side effects that he didn’t count on.  What I wanted out of this was just a chance to see Cooper act, with all the focus on him and that’s what I got.  He really got a chance to show his stuff.  He wasn’t the cocky charmer or the jerky boyfriend.  He got to do some drama and he did it well.  He owned this part and I couldn’t be more pleased with the results.  Hopefully, this will open the door for him to get more leading man roles outside of comedies.  There are really no other performances to mention because the other parts are small and not particularly memorable.  This movie is completely about Eddie and I found myself wondering what Robert De Niro was doing in it.  It’s a very minor role that I wouldn’t have expected him to take.

Acting aside, I like the way the story was told.  It was a very up and down story as opposed to one build up to one climax.  Yes, there were some loose ends and I could probably write a paper on what he did wrong and what I would have done differently, but ultimately, none of that bothers me because I was enjoying it too much.  The direction was very stylized and it verged on distracting at times, specifically the first time Eddie takes the drug.  It sorted itself out though and the multiple long zoom shots through the city were like being on an amusement park ride.  It was very fun stuff.  Though, it would have been more fun if I hadn’t been fighting off a cold at the time.  There is one scene that tracks Eddie through 18 hours that he later forgets and it’s just captivating.  The changing of color tones from dull to bright depending on if he’s on the drug or not isn’t exactly subtle but the film isn’t attempting to be pretentious or deep so that kind of thing works and just adds to the fun of the story.

            I don’t want to give away the ending but it surprised me.  Usually, movies have very clear morals about drugs and I bet on there only being two possible outcomes.  Yet, the film dodged both of them and went off in a third direction.  The movie didn’t set out to teach me a lesson that I’d heard a million times before and I appreciate that.  I hesitate to put it like this, but it almost made the movie more realistic.

            Limitless is a movie I’m planning on buying and I can’t wait until it comes out on DVD/Blu-Ray.  The story itself surpassed my expectations.  Cooper got a chance to play a lead role in a relatively serious movie and he did not disappoint.  I left the theater in a great mood.  This might just be the best movie I’ve seen so far this year.  But, it is only March.