People Who Matter:
Bradley Cooper: Eddie Morra
Robert De Niro: Carl Van Loon
Abbie Cornish: Lindy
Eddie Morra (Cooper) is a writer - kind of. He has a book contract, but no book. And honestly, no material to write the book. Well, he has the material in his head but no motivation or drive to write anything substantial. His ponytail is very unfortunate, and he is often mistaken for a homeless man. He's behind on his rent and has no money. Add his girlfriend breaking up with him into the mix, and this guy's life really blows. Luckily, his ex-wife's brother is a friendly and completely legit drug dealer, and he offers Eddie a pick-me-up.
The pill is called NZT and it allows the taker access to 100% of his or her brain. The effects are almost immediate: soon, Eddie has talked his landlord into not only forgetting that he hasn't paid his rent, but also sleeping with him. He writes his book in one night, and has it edited and completed in four days. He charms everyone he meets because he seems to know everything. Every memory he has ever had are organized and easily assessable in the newly found portion of his brain.
I love this premise. It takes a regular rags-to-riches tale and spins it in a new way. What couldn't someone do if they had NZT? Eddie chooses to play the stock market game (turning $12,000 into millions in less than two weeks), but you could do so much more than earn (ahem) limitless fame and fortune. Cure for cancer? Why not? New alternative fuel source? Easy. If you could take everything you have ever subconsciously seen or heard, and your brain worked on literally four times as many wavelengths as the average schmuck, you could do anything.
You can't become an overnight millionaire without attracting some attention, and Eddie does. Mostly in the form of an extremely intimidating Carl Van Loon (De Niro). Van Loon hires Eddie as a financial consultant during a big business merger. These two have a very interesting dynamic, constantly in a struggle for power.
Now boasting a four-digit IQ, Eddie is desperate to maintain his current lifestyle. Unfortunately, NZT isn't the kind of thing you can find at your local pharmacy. Thus begins some run-ins with some stereotypical Russian gangsters and general shady characters. Naturally, the demand greatly outnumbers the supply of this miracle pill. However, not everything is what it seems with NZT. Generally in life, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Director Neil Burger does an interesting job of showing how Eddie is on NZT with whirlwind visual effects. I thought they worked really well with the situation. However, in the theater that I was in, one person did have to leave, saying it was giving her "Blair Witch-style motion sickness." I found that kind of funny, because seriously, these flashes aren't nearly long enough to give someone motion sickness.
The conclusion is a little predictable, but that's okay. Bradley Cooper does an excellent job as a struggling writer and then does an excellent job as the man who has everything. Robert De Niro plays the badass he always plays, but he does it so well. Abbie Cornish plays Lindy, the girl who dumps Eddie as a loser and then gets back with him when NZT gets his life together. Limitless is a fun ride, with witty commentary and an interesting story. Definitely one to check out.
8 out of 10
The pill is called NZT and it allows the taker access to 100% of his or her brain. The effects are almost immediate: soon, Eddie has talked his landlord into not only forgetting that he hasn't paid his rent, but also sleeping with him. He writes his book in one night, and has it edited and completed in four days. He charms everyone he meets because he seems to know everything. Every memory he has ever had are organized and easily assessable in the newly found portion of his brain.
I love this premise. It takes a regular rags-to-riches tale and spins it in a new way. What couldn't someone do if they had NZT? Eddie chooses to play the stock market game (turning $12,000 into millions in less than two weeks), but you could do so much more than earn (ahem) limitless fame and fortune. Cure for cancer? Why not? New alternative fuel source? Easy. If you could take everything you have ever subconsciously seen or heard, and your brain worked on literally four times as many wavelengths as the average schmuck, you could do anything.
You can't become an overnight millionaire without attracting some attention, and Eddie does. Mostly in the form of an extremely intimidating Carl Van Loon (De Niro). Van Loon hires Eddie as a financial consultant during a big business merger. These two have a very interesting dynamic, constantly in a struggle for power.
Now boasting a four-digit IQ, Eddie is desperate to maintain his current lifestyle. Unfortunately, NZT isn't the kind of thing you can find at your local pharmacy. Thus begins some run-ins with some stereotypical Russian gangsters and general shady characters. Naturally, the demand greatly outnumbers the supply of this miracle pill. However, not everything is what it seems with NZT. Generally in life, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Director Neil Burger does an interesting job of showing how Eddie is on NZT with whirlwind visual effects. I thought they worked really well with the situation. However, in the theater that I was in, one person did have to leave, saying it was giving her "Blair Witch-style motion sickness." I found that kind of funny, because seriously, these flashes aren't nearly long enough to give someone motion sickness.
The conclusion is a little predictable, but that's okay. Bradley Cooper does an excellent job as a struggling writer and then does an excellent job as the man who has everything. Robert De Niro plays the badass he always plays, but he does it so well. Abbie Cornish plays Lindy, the girl who dumps Eddie as a loser and then gets back with him when NZT gets his life together. Limitless is a fun ride, with witty commentary and an interesting story. Definitely one to check out.
8 out of 10
No comments:
Post a Comment