Limitless

Would that I could say there was a single moment when you might stop and think—just for a moment—how truly stupid this movie is. In actuality, though, Limitless is a film that grabs hold of absurdity early on and never loosens its grip, practically flaunting its own audacious silliness every step of the way. Nevertheless, there are a handful of moments that stand out from the rest, seeming, perhaps, to plumb whole new depths of ridiculousness. You’ll know them when you see them: One involves an ice skate, and the biggest one of them all might go down in history as the all-time worst homage to Twilight and True Blood.

But then, of course this movie is stupid. Its premise is about pills that give you preternatural smartness—an inherently dumb idea, or at least one that would require a particularly deft touch in order to be anything other than pure escapist malarkey. In a way, it reminds me a little bit of Face/Off—wherein two men literally switch faces—or perhaps the kind of plot device Philip K. Dick might have written.

M 72 Bradley Cooper stars in Relativity Media's LIMITLESS.

Bradley Cooper as Eddie Morra

But this isn’t quite Face/Off, and screenwriter Leslie Dixon is no Philip Dick. With Face/Off, as with Limitless, there was such a spectacular pile-up of stupidity that it was hard to take any of it seriously, but the film did flirt with some interesting ideas about identity in the modern world. Limitless, though it may carry the seed of an intriguing sci-fi concept, blows any real-world resonance it might have had with an ending that makes it perfectly clear: This movie is about nothing in particular. Greed, genetic engineering, drug abuse—these are all themes the story could have mined, and in the end they are all treated with utter ambivalence.

And yet … it’s hard to dislike this movie. It’s hard to not be carried right along, even if you do pause occasionally to ask how anyone could have ever thought this was a good idea. For as much as Limitless flaunts its flimsy premise and its complete rejection of logic, it’s still quite a ride—a stylish, funny thriller that knows it’s not Shakespeare (or even Blade Runner) and simply goes for it. Everyone involved with this picture seems to be working hard to make it rousing, escapist entertainment. That counts for something.

M 399rv1 Abbie Cornish stars in Relativity Media's LIMITLESS.

Abbie Cornish as Lindy

The story is basically this: Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) is a loser, mooching off his girlfriend Lindy (Abbie Cornish) and staring blankly at a computer screen instead of writing the book he’s always talking about. Through a rather spectacular series of coincidences he ends up in possession of a big bag of clear pills, which give him a massive boost in intelligence—so much so that he is able to learn Italian in a week, make millions of dollars playing the stock market, become a minor New York celebrity overnight, and win the attraction of business tycoon Carl Van Loon (Robert DeNiro).

Any potential side effects of these mysterious pills are, of course, unknown to Eddie, at least at first. What is known is that there’s something very sinister about the new world in which Eddie has become involved. His first clue: Obtaining the pills from the home of a man who has just been brutally murdered. After that, it seems like everyone he meets has some strange connection to this narcotic.

M 102 Robert De Niro stars in Relativity Media's LIMITLESS.

Robert DeNiro as Carl Van Loon

But don’t think about it too much; the movie certainly doesn’t want you to. Eddie struggles with drug addiction, a lust for power and control, and concepts of true self throughout the film, and in the end he doesn’t seem to learn any lessons at all. He briefly gets Lindy to take the pills, something that is promptly forgotten, and he talks in one scene about doing something to leave his mark on the world, but that never really plays out either. There’s no moral to this story, really, no resonance with real-world issues. And that’s a missed opportunity.

Still, Neil Burger directs with style to spare; it’s colorful, funny, edited to have its own unique cadence, and paced to constantly push viewers for it. There is a voiceover narration throughout, with some really clunky verbiage, but Cooper really sells it, and it works in spite of itself. Cooper carries this movie from the first frame to the last, and it’s hard not to view it as his grab for big stardom (bigger than The Hangover and The A-Team). If it succeeds, it will be well-earned; he clearly wants this to be a crowd-pleaser, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Meanwhile, one might wonder why DeNiro continues to slum it in stuff like this, but, late in the movie, he gives a brief monologue that makes it clear: He’s having a good time, relishing every word.

M 295 Director Neil Burger on the set of Relativity Media's LIMITLESS.

Director Neil Burger on the set

Limitless is a fun movie. You won’t care about how silly it is, or how easy-to-spot its twists are, because they still feel suspenseful. It’s a worthwhile date night thriller.

Talk About It

Discussion starters

How does the film portray the consequences of drug abuse? What, do you think, is ultimately its perspective on drugs?
Lindy tells Eddie that when he’s on drugs, he’s not his real self. How do you think this might apply to other, real-world addictions—be it to drugs or to something else?
Eddie refers to his actions as a form of “self-improvement”—but what do you think his real motivation is?

The Family Corner

Parents to Consider

Limitless is rated PG-13 for thematic material including a drug, violence, disturbing images, sexuality and language. The entire plot hinges on drug abuse, and though the film does portray some of the adverse physical consequences, its ultimate stance on drug use seems fairly ambivalent. There is a fair amount of violence, including some rather grisly and bloody images—severed hands and the like. Language is fairly typical for a PG-13 thriller—four-letter words sprinkled throughout the film—and the sexuality involves a couple of scenes in which people are seen falling into bed together, disrobing; nothing explicit is seen, though there are some suggestive sounds. There is also a scene of a woman removing her top, though we only see her bare shoulders.