Limitless Neil Burger
By Serena Whitney
The DVD rental everybody has been waiting months for is finally here and Neil Burger's supposedly "smart thriller," Limitless, proves that the wait wasn't worth it. The first half-hour of Limitless demonstrates much potential as the audience is introduced to Eddie (Bradley Cooper), a poorly dressed, struggling writer who can't get his life in order. After his long-time girlfriend (Abbie Cornish, aka the next Charlize Theron) dumps him, he runs into his ex-brother-in-law, Vernon (Johnny Whitworth), who introduces him to a drug called NZT that will improve his writing abilities. The drug not only allows Eddie to focus on his novel, but also gives him new cultural appetites, the ability to learn languages in seconds and, surprisingly, the need to become a stockbroker on Wall Street. Of course, Eddie becomes sloppy and overly addicted to the "smart" pill, ironically enough, and then has to deal with the mob, as well as his frequent health issues. Ridiculous, Crank-inspired moments ensue. Viewers with the ability to use only ten-percent of their brain cells will most likely lose interest with the film after Eddie declares his writing passion is boring and way before Robert Deniro enters the picture with his cash-grab extended cameo appearance. Only viewers who worship Bradley Cooper like he's the male Carrie Bradshaw will be able to endure the B thriller following Abbie Cornish's hilarious fight sequence with Tomas Arana in a skating rink. In spite of the fact that Limitless has an intelligent premise (and features mucho eye candy moments of Johnny Whitworth), it unfortunately is littered with far too many dumb plot turns to be an enjoyable watch even on a lazy Sunday afternoon. The DVD features include a quick behind-the-scenes featurette, a half-assed, not-so-alternate ending that had clips featured in the trailer and an audio commentary by the director. The commentary is quite amusing, considering the fact that the director Neil Burger points out that all the sex scenes were cut out for a PG-13 rating. How he was able to get away with his main character drinking a pool of blood in a PG-13 film is beyond me. (Alliance)
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