Disc of the Week (7/19/11)

While few of this year’s mainstream films have been all-around great, even fewer have been absolute atrocities. None have had a great deal of ambition, but there have been quite a few movies in the first half of this year that succeed at being little more than empty-headed popcorn entertainment. As far as high concepts are concerned, few have been as fascinating as Limitless, which is a slick and stylized film all about a wannabe author (Bradley Cooper) whose life changes once he starts taking a special little pill. At the beginning of the film, he’s an impoverished slob who has just lost a girlfriend in Abby Cornish. But when he gets his hands on the drug NZT, he suddenly begins to meet his full potential as a human being. He finishes his book, becomes a stock market wiz, and the ladies begin to take notice. It’s a fun premise to think about, even if the movie doesn’t do too much of this thinking.

In fact, Limitless is almost entirely all looks and no brains, but it’s a fun ride nonetheless. Cooper in particular gives one of his better performances, as he well-portrays what it would be like to become addicted to a drug this powerful. It’s a bit of a shame the film concerns itself more with the other people who want the drug rather than the actual consequences of ingesting it, but as a David Fincher-lite action film it is very effective. It works mostly because it never loses its forward momentum, and the numerous flaws don’t become too obvious until the credits finally roll. If you missed it in theaters, Limitless is the perfect film to sit back on the couch with.

Of this week’s new releases, Limitless is the only film really worth checking out, but the ’80s nostalgia comedy Take Me Home Tonight might be good enough if you’re looking to kill 90 minutes or so. I didn’t identify with it very much, but I can’t deny it had its moments. (However, none of them were Dan Fogler’s.) However, as it was filmed all the way back in 2007, it’s a movie that feels dated in more ways than one. Perhaps that’s why the film made no money at the box office.