SMALLS TAKES THE CLEAR PILL AND ENJOYS THE HIGH LIFE WITH LIMITLESS

What if there was a pill that could make you the ultimate version of your self? This is the intriguing question that the film Limitless raises.

In Limitless we follow Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper), a struggling writer whose life is forever changed when he comes across a new, un-tested super drug called NZT-48 that promises to give you unprecedented access and control of your brain. Within a few months, Eddie is on top of the world. Unfortunately, everyone  seems to want a piece of his NZT and of him. It's up to Eddie to keep control of his life and try to make the NZT he has last...or else he may very well die.

We all have grown up on drugs that promised us certain specific things but never made good on their promises. In Limitless, we are handed a drug that makes outlandish promises but lives up to every single one. However, the drug does come with some great responsibility and some severe side effects like memory loss, and sudden death if you quit it cold turkey. Yes, NZT-48 would appear to be a highly addictive substance but do the pros ultimately outweigh the cons? If you were handed a year's supply and ONLY a year's supply would you take it? Would it be better to be limitless for a year or to live your whole life as wasted potential? I think I would probably take the pill.

The cinematography in this film is superb, perfectly mimicking what a trip on NZT-48 would feel like. The whole movie has a beautiful, surreal, and trippy feel to it. There is an effect the film does during the memory loss/time jump moments  that is particularly effective (The film actually uses this for it's opening credits sequence). Limitless  makes you feel like you are taking this trip with Eddie, and are experiencing what he's experiencing in the film.

This is probably my favorite film and performance of Cooper's. He plays your normal schlub, who is given the chance to rise to true greatness. We can see ourselves in him, and what we could become if given NZT-48. At the same time though, Cooper is far from being just a cypher for the audience. He is a pretty fleshed out character. He is  very smart, witty, and completely confident but at the same time he continues to run into numerous NZT created problems that test his smarts and abilities and part of the fun here is getting to watch Cooper think his way out of his problems (with some assistance from the pill, of course). He is likable and charming here, and this was the role that first proved that he is so much more than Phil from The Hangover.

Limitless does have a glamorous portrayal of drug use, and I can say that in real life drugs really are not all that glamorous. However, this is a fantasy ultimate drug and a fantasy film so the decision to glam it up here actually helps the film and increases the joy of watching it. The film does gain points for showing the flip side of NZT-48 though, that it creates an addiction in the user and that it has some pretty severe side effects. The glamorous portrayal of NZT-48 mixed with some shown consequences of the drug help to create a pretty even portrait of the super drug. NZT-48 is a dangerous drug that has literal limitless potential, in the right hands so much good can be done but if it ever got into the wrong hands....things can go very bad very fast. Eddie is tasked with protecting his stash of the drug, and we root for him to protect it from those who would use it for the wrong reasons.

Now, onto the problems of Limitless. For starters, the film suffers from any true threat to Cooper's character. The trailers seem to peg Dr Niro's character as the main villain, and while he does do a good job here, his role is minimal and he only really becomes a threat during the last 10 minutes of the film and even then that conflict is taken care of quickly and easily. The film's real big threat is a loan shark that Eddie tangles himself with, and while the man is certainly a piece of shit it doesn't seem like he would be as big of a threat as he ends up becoming, and when he finally does reach main baddie status it feels weird. It never seems like Eddie wouldn't be able to outsmart this douche. Limitless also suffers from an ambiguous, and incomplete ending that kind of just ends and leaves viewers with a feeling of just ok.

In the end, faults aside, Limitless is still a pretty superb film. It's a drug fueled dream fantasy that turns into a dark thriller that's got kind of a noir-sh vibe. It's wholly unique and unlike anything I have ever seen before. While the film doesn't fully explore it's many fascinating themes, it does leave more than enough room for discussions amongst friends after the end credits roll. Limitless is almost a modern super man/super-hero fable. It's a fascinating,  pretty, and super fun film that gives you one hell of a trippy head rush. I've seen it around 5 times and enjoyed myself thoroughly each viewing. I couldn't more highly recommend this film if I tried.

4.5/5 Stars