In the 15 years I’ve been writing professionally, I’ve probably spent just as much time staring at computer monitors and keyboards as I have inputting letters and words. For me, writing tends to be slow, laborious work, mainly because I want each word to be the right word, and for each group of words to form the right sentence, and so on.
Science fiction author Eddie Morra faces a similar challenge in “Limitless,” although his problem has more to do with insecurity and laziness than a compulsive drive for perfection.
His apartment is a mess, his relationship with his girlfriend is in a shambles, his landlord is threatening to kick him out, and he looks like he hasn’t showered, shaved or combed his hair since the Dave Matthews Band had a song in the top 10.
Eddie has potential, but it’s buried under a soul-sucking morass of self-deprecation and ennui, so he spends his days putting off work on a novel and avoiding his editor.
Then he runs into his former brother-in-law, Vernon, whom he hasn’t seen in ten years. As the two are catching up over drinks, Vernon slips Eddie a pill he says is the answer to his problem. Eddie looks at the pill dubiously, hears Vernon say something about “clinically tested” and “FDA approved,” and just says no. Vernon takes off, but leaves the pill with Eddie. Figuring he has nothing to lose, Eddie loses his resolve and swallows the drug.
Within minutes, the mystery pill unlocks the full potential of Eddie’s brain. His grey matter on overdrive, he returns to his apartment and begins to write. In a scene that struck a chord with me, letters start to drip from the ceiling like rain and his fingers begin to pound his keyboard at a furious rate.
Therein lies the appeal of “Limitless”: it works beautifully as pure fantasy. Who among us wouldn’t like to be able to accomplish more? Like a magic wand, the pill enables Eddie to finish his novel in four days, learn foreign languages by listening to them, and earn two million dollars on the stock market in one week. He cleans his apartment, gets his girl back and makes powerful new friends.
Eddie also makes bad choices, such as where to get the cash he invests. And as the days pass, he begins to black out for long periods of time and show signs of debilitation.
One day, he’s on top of the world; the next, a loan shark is holding a knife to his throat, the police arrest him for murder, and he looks like a junkie on his last leg. If there’s a moral to “Limitless,” it’s that there’s a dark side to getting what you want.
That said, what I want from a popcorn movie like this is cool visuals, a decent story and good performances. “Limitless” provides all three.
Director Neil Burger delivers the visuals, beginning with a phenomenal opening shot. Imagine a camera that zooms in on traffic as it moves down a city street. Now imagine the zoom going on for miles without pausing for the camera to catch up. I was hooked immediately.
Burger uses other tricks to suggest the state of Eddie’s mind at different times. For example, in one scene, the edges of the screen bulge for a second to indicate his warped perception of time.
Burger also does interesting things with the movie’s audio whenever Eddie enters a heightened state of awareness.
On the story front, “Limit-less” moves along at a nice clip and is never boring. From the moment Eddie swallowed the first pill, I was captivated. How is he going to get more? What will happen when he runs out? Does he realize he’s running low?
Toward the end, there’s a scene of considerable suspense, and even though Eddie put himself in that situation, I found myself pulling for him.
As far as performances go, I can’t imagine a better Eddie than Bradley Cooper. He brings energy, charisma and humor to the role. His eyes do a lot of the work, whether Eddie is his old, schlumpy self, all of his synapses are firing, or he’s crashing. Cooper appeared to have fun with Eddie, which translated into a good time in the theater.
Less interesting is the shady business mogul played by Robert De Niro. Screenwriter Leslie Dixon doesn’t give him anything interesting to do other than make masked threats. Even a great actor like De Niro needs some meat to chew.
It’s ironic that the best way to enjoy a movie about using the full potential of your brain is with your brain turned off. But that’s what “Limitless” offers: a two-hour roller coaster ride that lacks substance but is relentlessly entertaining.
Rated PG-13 for thematic material involving a drug, violence, disturbing images, sexuality and language. Three stars out of four. Next week: “Sucker Punch.” Email David Laprad at dlaprad@hamiltoncountyherald.com.