Limitless

Eddie Morra is hitting the rock bottom of his life. He is an unsuccessful New York writer who finally landed a book deal only to blow the deadline without so much as a page written. Oh, and he just got dumped by his girlfriend. As he stews in the detritus of his life, he happens upon his ex brother-in-law, Vernon. At first it seems like just another bad thing going on, as Vernon does little more than mock Eddie for where he is in life and treat him like a second-class guy. Then, Vernon tells Eddie about a drug his company is developing that allows one to access 100% of their mental capacity and encourages Eddie to try it. Feeling as though he has nothing to lose, Eddie gives it a shot, but he soon learns the great benefits may well come with great and grave consequences. So, Eddie must decide: does he brave the dangers in order to live life as this heightened version of himself or does he go low risk and accept that the ‘real’ him is good enough? Nothing in life is free, but is he willing to pay the price for what he seeks?

What can I say about Limitless? Well, it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t all that good either. That sentence pretty much sums up the state of mainstream film in 2011. It’s not like it’s poorly made, but it’s hardly engaging or groundbreaking and is easily forgettable. And so, Limitless was well shot, well acted, completely devoid of surprises and wholly forgettable. Let me sum it up by saying the flick was adapted to the screen by Leslie Dixon, who is an immensely successful screenwriter, whose most famous works include Mrs. Doubtfire, Overboard, Loverboy and the Jamie Lee Curtis/Lindsay Lohan version of Freaky Friday. So, was it bad? No, but it’s about as fulfilling and satisfying as cotton candy.

SA