What happens when your best simply isn't good enough?

Rating: MEHHH

Two of my friends have a simple reply for the title question: "Your boss would yell at you." Either that, or you'd get fired. And then you'd be a loser and live on the street, asking people for change, and going "GOD BLESS!" whenever someone gives you that nickel (or quarter, if you're lucky).

But of course, that wouldn't make an interesting movie. Instead, the movie focuses on how you can be better than your best -- through taking a drug that lets you access all of your brain, making you an enhanced version of yourself (or to put it in nerdier terms, it makes you go Super Saiyan).

In the start of Limitless, we are joined by Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper), in a scene that looks like he's about to jump off a building into his death. Before we see whether he died from the fall, however, the film flashes back to the time before it all started -- when Eddie was just a normal human being. The pre-drugged-up Eddie was the epitome of a loser: he was a writer who can't seem to get away from writer's block; he was overdue on rent for his tiny apartment in Chinatown; and to top things off his girlfriend dumps him after she's been promoted to an editor. Just as when it seemed Eddie's life has hit rock bottom, an old acquaintance of his gives him a pill -- a miracle "FDA approved" (or so the acquaintance claims) drug called NZT that allows Eddie to tap into the previously unused part of his brain and allows him to be the perfect human being. The effect of the first pill soon wears off, and like any drug addict, Eddie's solution is to take more NZT, even increasing the dosage for a better effect.

Eddie's life soon turns around. His girlfriend wants him back, he finishes his book, and he becomes a genius investor who makes Warren Buffet seem like a novice as he goes from ragtag to riches almost overnight. So now that he has the power to whatever he wanted, he does what any man with a lot of power does: try to get more power. And this 21st century, power means sleeping with women, ripping off Wall Street giants, and pissing off some very dangerous people.

A.O. Scott has already made the comparison between NZT and Adderall and how being smarter doesn't mean being a better person, so I'll refrain from boring you by repeating what he already said. However, I also thought that NZT symbolized drugs and alcohol abuse. Though the latter two substances aren't performance enhancing in any way, it's not a stretch to compare Eddie's behavior with that of a stressed out high school/college student undergoing a lot of pressure. As a (many would call lame) person who has never touched any form of drug at all, I can't comment too much on this aspect, but word on the street is that drug addictions begin by starting from something simple, thinking "gee, how much more can my life suck?" Such was the attitude when Eddie swallowed his first pill, but before he knew it, he was addicted his enhanced self, and was willing to do anything to for another dose of NZT. Oh and there's a small problem if he stops taking it abruptly: he dies.

Don't get me wrong though, the movie makes no effort to preach to the audience the dangers of drug use. In fact, the ending sends a bit of a mixed message. But that was fine with me, as it was rated PG-13, so if you didn't know that drugs are bad for you before watching it, then you probably won't get very far in life anyway. Overall, the movie was pretty fast paced, exciting, and had enough twists to keep my attention for its duration of 1 hour 45 minutes. In other words, if you're bored and looking for some entertainment, Limitless would not be a bad choice. However, it lacks the deeper philosophical message of The Adjustment Bureau (reviewed here) nor the exciting action sequences of Battle: Los Angeles (reviewed here), so I would recommend it, but cautiously. It was good, but not that great, just... MEHHH.