Plot complicated by Limitless ideas

by Mary Kay De Guzman

Though it is not true that human beings do not use the full capacity of their brain power, the film Limitless directed by Neil Burger takes on the challenge of having a person be able to tap into the 80% of the mind that is left unused. Based on the novel The Dark Fields by Alan Glynn, the film chronicles a man’s life at the moments before and after he begins taking a special drug that taps into the brain’s full potential.

In Limitless, Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) is a copywriter stuck on his blank document as he attempts to write a book. He remains in his room, unkempt and uninspired, until his significant other, Lindy (Abbie Cornish), admits that their relationship is not working out. Morra then finds himself depressed as he walks down the street, where he runs into his ex-wife’s brother, Vernon (Johnny Whitworth). Though Morra is unexcited to see him, Vernon takes a special interest in Eddie and offers him a new drug that could enhance his life: NZT. Vernon leaves him with a sample, and Morra ends up taking the pill, which brings a whirlwind of conflicts into his life.

The simplicity of the story--a man’s struggle to deal with the internal and external effects of an all-powerful Adderall-type drug --seems to get lost in everything happening around him. Everything just seemed to belong in a 30-minute episode in order to further push the impact of Morra’s struggle. The morals of being careful knowing the side-effects and knowing your limits seem to get lost in the cinematic blurs.

Simply put, Limitless should have limited itself to less Hollywood and more focus on the story at hand. There seems to be a limitless supply of imagination and concepts mashed into one movie. If anything, the film should be limited to the Blu-ray and DVD players that can handle the story’s constantly unresolved mood swings.