"Limitless"

I can see the appeal of this movie, especially in our society today where we have this expectation of instant gratification, this sense of self-importance, and some form of entitlement to materialistic things. The fact of the matter is that behind the fun story, flashy camera work, and oh-so-charming Bradley Cooper, "Limitless" is a story about a drug addict who gets all he could ever want instantly under the guise that this is the human body's potential when focused, motivated, and "working hard." Let's just throw away the fact it's his dependency on this illegal drug that allows him to do such and that "working hard" in this movie is defined as putting in long days of work for about two days. But wait! Bradley Cooper is already smart, he had it in him, we all have it in us, this drug just helped him access it, and Robert De Niro is a crazy coot who believes in hard work, experience, and earning what you get, so let us portray him as the bad guy at the end by having him blackmail our handsome lead character who has weaned himself off the drug and still has this gift in him which makes every other choice he made up to this point justified. It's too bad you have to use such a stylish, enjoyable, and enticing package to deliver such silly message. And by silly I mean ridiculous, absurd, and dumb. I understand the entertainment value in such a movie, I myself was entertained. But it's hard to be entertained when this entertainment is a-moralistic at best.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1219289/