Starring: Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, Robert DeNiro, Anna Friel. Directed by Neal Burger. Drama/Sci-Fi. Synopsis: A struggling writer who is also unlucky in love tries an unknown drug given to him by his former brother in law and finds that it results in his being ultra focused and able to process all information that he has ever taken in. He puts this to good use initially, but his increasing reliance on the drug, as well as those who don't want him to have it soon pose life threatening problems.
Caught this one on the big screen the other day and glad I did. With the exhorbitant cost of the theather experience these days, I'm fairly admannt about really enjoying a flick I'm going to pony up the big bucks for like I did for Limitless.
Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper Failure To Launch, Midnight Meat Train) is a struggling artist-writer-living in New York City who has just been dumped by his girlfriend. (Abbie Cornish Stop Loss) It sounds like a bummer, and it is, but being the movies, you know there might just be a chance for him to redeem himself, and wouldn't you know it, there is and he does.
As can often happen to most of us (at least on the big screen) when we're scraping rock bottom, a chance pass by on the streets of Manhattan can lead to big things and it does here for Eddie as he bumps into his ex brother in law (Johnny Whitworth) who both gives him some dirt on his ex-wife and, most importantly, gives him a clear pill that he promises will make Eddie feel better.
Eddie is skeptical but he does take the plunge and, if you can believe it, this turns out to be one of those rare times when your ex-brother in law is right. After taking the pill, Eddie is able to focus to an extreme degree as well as instantly organize and recall anything and everything he's ever learned instantly and coherently. Obviously, he is going want some more of this mystery drug, which he finds out from his ex-bro-in-law is named NZT. His first indication that this is a drug made or desired by some unsavory people is when his brother in law is murdered within minutes of seeing Eddie. Fortunately for Eddie, and the plot, he is able to find a healthy stash of NZT and a wad of cash to get things going.
As you might guess, this kind of thing can really help a guy out and Eddie quickly has his book finished and is making money exponentially as a day trader. As you might guess this makes him kind of an instant celebrity and Eddie enjoys the additional friendship and increased attention from females.
As Eddie becomes a well known phenom in the financial world, he catches the eye of Carl Van Loon (Robert DeNiro Taxi Driver, Men Of Honor) a multi-millionaire businessman with his eye on making billions in a huge corporate merger who wants Eddie to be his ace in the hole.
All isn't completely rosy, as you might guess, as there are some scary people who seem to know about NZT; the guy who seems to be following Eddie literally all over town as well as the Russian loan shark (Andrew Howard) What's worse is Eddie realizing how dangerous it can be to take too much NZT and how low the crashes can be.
This is brought home in one of the more powerful scenes in the movie, where Eddie meets with his ex-wife (Anna Friel Irish Jam) who sets him straight on the realities of NZT and why he should get off of it.
Look, there is little in this flick you haven't seen before, though probably in different variations or incantations than a miracle drug. What makes this work so well is how well the story is put together and, more importantly, we really empathize and root for Eddie, which is a testament to how good of a job Cooper did here because the whole question, in my humble opinion, of whether or not you'll like the flick is if you like the main character, at least as some level. It also helps having an all timer like DeNiro as your major secondary character but, make no mistake, this is Cooper's movie and he does well.
I also thought Burger did a good job with the pacing of the movie, and casting was excellent in the aforementioned minor roles, but I should also mention two well known (their faces anyway) character actors who do well in their short screen time Robert John Burke (Thinner, Cop Land) and Ned Eisenberg (A Civil Action, Primary Colors).
There is an ambiguous ending in terms of the 'did they live happily ever after' question, but I like that type of ending when its done well. My big complaints about the film are what I think is a big plot hole in the first meeting scene with Van Loon and an unresolved issue of a murder possibly involving Eddie. I thought those two things kept the flick from being excellent, but maybe I'm just being picky.
Definitely worth the night out or the matinee.
Directed by George Tillman, Jr. Starring: Robert DeNiro, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Charlize Thereon, Powers Boothe, Aunjanue Ellis, Hal Holbrook,David Keith, Michael Rapaport, Carl Lumbly, Lonette McKee. Drama/Biographical/Historical. Synopsis: The story of Carl Brashear, who enlisted in the Navy as a teen shortly after World War II and rose up through the ranks to become the first African-American Navy diver, Master Chief Diver, and also the first amputee to serve in that capacity. 
