Limitless

by N Howell
(Vancouver, BC)

Limitless Possibilities, Not All Of Them Reached


Limitless is one of those moralistic, kick in the pants types of movies that leaves you feeling slightly downtrodden on life’s possibilities, and even more so guilty about any bad habits one may have. As the audience we follow Eddie Mora (played by Bradley Cooper), a former brilliant writer who is down on his luck in terms of writers block and his failed relationship to his girlfriend Lindy (Abbie Cornish). His luck begins to change, however, when bumping into a former acquaintance that provides him with a drug that allows him to access all parts of his brain – a drug with limitless possibilities. Director Neil Burger takes us on an “acid-trip” adventure-park ride through Eddie’s rise to the top of the social and economic ladders, due to this newfound cure-all drug, NZT.

Released in 2011, Limitless covers all bases necessary for the modern audience when it comes to flashy action scenes, and guilty pleasure success moments; but the story is one that our culture has been transfixed on telling since the dawn of film. The question of this story being “what happens when something seems too good to be true?”. The question is originally answered in Alan Glynn’s book “The Dark Fields”, and translated to the big screen for us thanks to the vast pocketbook of Universal Studios. In Burger’s adaption of the story, we see Eddie’s rise to the top climax when business hot shot Carl Van Loon (played by Robert De Niro) offers him a once in a lifetime financial opportunity. The drug has opened up so many possibilities! The excitement of finally making it takes a swift 180 degree turn when Eddie finds out that the drug he’s been abusing has been killing all of its users. Consistent with Burger’s tendency to create movies full of dark suspense and intriguing twists, one can’t help but consider Limitless to be another typical “Burger” staple. Similar to the Illusionist (2006) and The Lucky Ones (2008), strong lead characters, impressive visuals, and a story following intrigue and darkness are all front and centre in his newest film, Limitless.

The film is a slap in the face reference book to today’s performance obsessed society. Neil Burger plays homage to the harsh reality of enhancement drugs, and perhaps most directly the use of ADHD drugs such as Adderall and Ritalin. Used often as performance enhancements in academic situations, the drug provides an ‘edge’ to those that use it. Likewise, Eddie Mora becomes this “super-writer” due to the NZT pills he’s acquired. The pill is displayed as this crystal clear object, as pure and clear as one becomes after taking it. The movie itself seems none too different than the effect of these pills. Featuring two hours of moralistic face slapping and over the top special effects, we are treated to a brief pleasurable high, only to come crashing down to reality at the end of the movie. So, what is the purpose of this perfect reality drug reference? Part pop-fanatic action movie and part drug-addicted thriller, the movie provides its audience with a necessary shock of reality: when something seems too good to be true, it probably is.