MESSAGE IN THE MOVIES

Limitless Rated PG-13

Photo © 2011 Relativity Media
Movie Review by Rev. Bruce Batchelor Glader

Eddie Morra (Cooper) is struggling with writer’s block and his publisher is starting to get frustrated with him. Eddie’s girlfriend (Cornish) has walked out on him too, also frustrated with his stuckness.  As fate would have it (and in the movies, where would we be without fate?), Eddie runs into Vernon (Johnny Whitworth), the brother of his ex-wife (Anna Friel), who tells him about NZT, a street drug that will expand the activity of his brain from the 20 percent or so that is actively used on a daily basis to powers beyond imagining.  Vernon is ready to deal and the best thing is, the first taste is free.  “These pills sell for $800”, Vernon mentions in passing.  Eddie pockets the pill and moves on.  In short order, Eddie takes the drug, finishes his novel in four days, masters foreign languages with ease, beats the house in casino gambling, figures out Wall Street, attracts the ladies and piques the interest of a high-rolling investor (Robert De Niro).  Eddie manages to cadge more pills, but problems ensue when side effects begin to take place and his own life may be at risk. 

Limitless is a well-made movie with a good performance by Bradley Cooper and visual style to spare.  The digital camera picks up brighter colors and sharper focus whenever the drugs kick in.  The film also seems somewhat satirical in showing the selfish and limited ways Eddie puts his improved brain power to work.  Just because we can use more of our brain doesn’t make us any smarter – just dumber in more creative ways.

I wished that the film had been a bit smarter; I didn’t feel like I had to work my brain very hard to keep up with it.  In fact, I kept wondering why Eddie’s possession of the drug made him such a celebrity.  He’s not the first person in the movie to use the drug and he is not involved in manufacturing the drug.  But, since the story is told from Eddie’s point-of-view, he’s the hero. 

Obviously, there are many drugs (including steroids, speed and caffeine) that enhance productivity for short periods of time and then create dependency.  Limitless has the look of a cautionary tale about drug abuse.  By film’s end, you realize that the movie has no moral agenda whatsoever (one of my pitchforks must be meted out for this oversight).  In a world that has suffered recently with failed banks, partisan politics, and broken promises, it’s about time we had a moral agenda, don’t you think? 

Pitchfork/Halo Ratings:
Two halos
A great looking entertainment that fails to provide provocative storytelling.

Four pitchforks
Much substance abuse, implied sexual promiscuity, extreme violence, and no moral point of view.

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