There is nothing worse than a predictable movie. The plot details revealed by the trailer for Limitless aren't necessarily familiar, but the major components of the unlimited-power-in-a-limited-resource concept is one we are all well acquainted with. In a flick about a pill that gives the taker the ability to do it all — and do it awesomely — it's a pretty safe assumption that somewhere near the end of the second act our hero will run out, his life will go down the shitter and he'll have to learn to love himself without the magic bullet. Throw in a girlfriend who gets all hurt and offended when she finds out about it, an evil nemesis who gets his hands on it, and/or a dead or dying loved one for good measure, and you've got elements of a solid majority of Hollywood blockbusters.
If this doesn't move you to at least a moderate level of rage, we probably can't be friends.
So it was that I started Limitless with a healthy dollop of cynicism before the opening credits even flickered to life. While this is an unfair mindset for a critic to walk into any film with, it somehow made it all the sweeter to have all of my uninformed judgment efficiently dismantled by a script that side-steps (pretty much) all of the anticipated cliches.
The desire to tsk-tsk Bradley Cooper's Eddie Morra for his pill-popping ways is heavily over-ridden by how much fun it is to watch him go. After all, the pill is giving the druggies brains, not brawn or a frivolous high. This is hilariously demonstrated by a gritty Russian mobster (Andrew Howard) who delights in going over new words he's added to his vernacular while he's assembling his torture weapons, and by our hero's first moment of genius — the realization that his landlord's wife hysterically lambasting him for late rent might not be about money.
With the untimely (and darkly comedic) death of his dealer/ex-brother in law, Morra suddenly ends up with a pretty staggering supply of the smart stuff. With ample time to knock it back and figure out how to fully optimize its value, Morra goes from the predictable first steps (getting laid, cleaning his apartment, finishing his novel, getting laid some more) onto the big game — namely a spot in the boardroom with business shark Carl Van Loon (De Niro).
Director Neil Burger (The Lucky Ones) manages to coherently juggle the business drama, with Morra ducking gangsters while winning back his ladylove (Abbie Cornish), building a fortress and bribing scientists. It's a delightful circus of entertainment and shock value.
Limitless is twisty and turny without being confusing, fast-paced without being obnoxious, well-cast, well-played and overall just a lot of fun. Cooper is obviously having a blast and hoping you will too. Chances are good you'll leave the theater smiling and perhaps nursing a vague urge to do some recreational drugs.
And I promise you won't see the ending coming.
This article appears in Mar 17-23, 2011.