The "Miracle" of Drugs

    I’ve been told by many people throughout my life to stay away from quick fixes; they are very rarely legitimate, those that are legitimate require much time and effort to glean your rewards, and though they may seem perfect for you at first, they lead to destruction in the end. The only road  to true success is perseverance, commitment, and - you guessed it - toil. Now, what do I mean by these ‘quick fixes?’ They appear in many different forms, and come from many different places, like flashing ‘Free Laptop’ ads on your computer, a daily lottery ticket for you to scratch with hidden hope for luck, or - in Eddie’s case, from the movie Limitless - a dose of MDT.

    Limitless takes us into the world of Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper), who can take pride in only two things: a laptop and a book contract. Eddie seems to have hit rock bottom in life - he owes rent, he looks in dire need of freshening up his looks, his relationship with Lindy (Abbie Cornish) is dying, and to top it all off, he has an approaching deadline to finish a science fiction novel, and there is not a word on his manuscript due to writer‘s block. That is, until he runs into ex-brother-in-law Vernon (Johnny Whitworth) and allows the man to introduce a miracle pill called MDT into his life.

    The clear little drug that Eddie takes stimulates his brain beyond anything that a human can imagine. It is said that we as humans can only use a small percent of our brains. With MDT, however, Eddie is able to use 100% of it as long as the drug is in his system, making him utterly focused and utterly aware of every detail happening around him. With the gears in his head turning in overdrive, he is able to finish his book in no time, rebuild his love life, learn a language or two, and move up in society as his job interests shift from novels to the stock market.

    A small pill that can rapidly change your life for the better - a quick fix, wouldn’t you say? Unfortunately, as what comes with all ‘quick fixes’, the pill does have side effects. These side effects may include vomiting, dizziness, constipation, or any other side effect you can name, but there are worse side effects as well - side effects that quickly bring Eddie into a world of chaos and of danger.

    Frankly, I haven’t seen Bradley Cooper since I first watched The Hangover, and I’ve forgotten what I good actor I think he is, especially for a movie like Limitless. Not every actor can portray both of the personas in Eddie Morra as he goes from a street rat to top dog in the world, but Cooper seemed to fit the part well.

    The movie also features Robert De Niro, who plays the character Carl Van Loon, a very authoritative man in the financial world who sees Eddie rise in recognition and hires him. I’ve seen a lot from this actor, and I’ll be honest, I was quite surprised to see him in this film, but enjoyed his appearance in it, nonetheless.

    I loved watching Limitless, especially in the cool darkness of a movie theatre, but I will say one thing: there seemed to be a few holes that were left gaping in the movie. What I mean by this is that I was unable to connect all the dots. I was able to connect most of the dots, but not all of them. Some aspects of the plot seemed overlooked, to me. Regardless of this, I was still left with furrowed brows, intently engaged with the screen as I watched the length of the movie. If you are one of those movie-watchers who enjoys picking out the plot’s predictability, then you may have to pay a bit more attention to Limitless, as there were times where I was taken aback by sudden plot twists, which I thoroughly enjoy.

    Neil Burger has done a wonderful job in directed Limitless, and has given me a wake-up call to the world once more. There are indeed no quick fixes in life, even if they come in the form of a clear pill. However, if you enjoy modern movie twists, Bradley Cooper, progressive screen effects or writers with writer’s block, then you’ll enjoy Limitless.