MOVIE OF THE WEEK (3/18/11): LIMITLESS

"With this hair, this light beard and physique, I will sign every contract you put in front of me, Hollywood!" Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) applies his newfound focus for profit after taking an experimental drug that makes his abilities - and their potential to lead him into trouble - LIMITLESS.
Credit: John Baer. © 2011 Dark Fields Production, LLC All Rights Reserved.

KEY CAST MEMBERS: Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, Robert DeNiro, Johnny Whitworth, Andrew Howard, Anna Friel, Thomas Arana and Donna Goldstein

WRITER: Leslie Dixon (Screenplay), Alan Glynn (Limitless novel, originally The Dark Fields)

DIRECTOR: Neil Burger

WEB SITE: IAmRogue.com/Limitless

THE PLOT:Based on the Alan Glynn novel of the same name (originally titled The Dark Fields), Limitless stars Bradley Cooper as Eddie Morra, an aspiring author with a severe case of writer's block mixed with a general lack of motivation. Eddie realizes he's got to get his act together when Lindy (Abbie Cornish), his girlfriend, returns her keys to their apartment.

And of course, this is when his former brother-in-law (Johnny Whitworth) runs into him on the street and introduces him to a clear white pill -a new experimental drug dubbed "NZT" - that changes his life.

The pill changes Eddie's life drastically, enabling him to use all of his brain's capabilities (as opposed to the 20 percent generally believed by scientists that people currently can access). Now, with every synapse firing rapidly, Eddie becomes a one-man enterprise, taking Wall Street by storm. His rapid prominence eventually attracts the attention of Carl Van Loon (Robert De Niro), a mogul looking for someone to help him broker the biggest corporate merger ever. There's just one little problem ...

Eddie HAS to keep taking NZT to utilize its powers ... And not only does he have a limited supply, there are plenty of people who are willing to kill to get their hands on it and whoever might have it within their possession.

THE TAKE: Now, unless a movie is a documentary or based on true events, it is a work of fiction. Now, while most rational people realize this, a movie like Limitless makes it important to re-emphasize that point as the concept central to the film - a drug that makes you essentially smarter than others because you have expanded brain power they don't have access to - is one that you're either going to be "all in" or out in within the first 20 minutes. If that idea is just too unbelievable for you, you might as well save your money and go see something like Red Riding Hood. (And if you didn't realize that was a joke, you are reading the wrong movie blog.)

Now, if you buy in to the concept, you will likely buy in to Limitless as a whole. The film allows Cooper a chance to prove he can carry a film and do more than just admit a good, boyish charm (although that is largely what he does throughout most of the flick). Cooper brings a very good sense of humility and relatable appeal to the character of Eddie, even though there are times when you second guess his character's actions. Likewise, the film's supporting cast is fairly strong in their roles to add a depth to the story in terms of bringing out the depth of Eddie's plight once he falls into peril. But make no mistake: Limitless is Cooper's movie to carry, and while his performance is not dynamic, he succeeds in the task he sets out to accomplish.

Side note: I don't know what's happened to Bobby De Niro, but he would have to be considered the film's weak link. It's almost like he's playing his Machete character in Limitless, but not realizing that the character isn't supposed to be as comical as he is. Then again, maybe that's what he intended, but as they say, good intentions don't always make for good movies.

Co-writer/director Neil Burger deserves a lot of credit for the film's successes, as he is able to keep the story moving and making the most out of the story. While some sequences may seem a bit, oh, I don't know, been there, seen that, there are some very well done scenes that more than make up for those that don't.

PARTING SHOT: While it's not without its flaws, Limitless lives up to most of its potential in delivering an entertaining experience that will trigger the happy synapses in your brain more often than not.

RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):