THE REWATCHABLES · January 4, 2022
A 2011 thriller / action directed by Neil Burger, covered in the complete Rewatchables archive.
ON THIS EPISODE
FROM THE CONVERSATION
WHY IT WORKS
WHAT DID NOT WORK
SCENES THEY KEPT COMING BACK TO
Eddie narrates his failure from a ledge, creating a strong hook and immediate stakes.
About 24 minThe drug takes effect and Eddie rapidly becomes fluent, sharp, and stylish.
About 24 minEddie appears to discover he can fight and unexpectedly handles multiple attackers.
About 24 minAbby Cornish’s character is chased in the park, and the hosts like the momentum and tension.
About 32 minEddie survives by drinking NZT-laced blood and the plot turns into a crazier crime movie.
About 32 minEddie outplays Carl Van Loon by predicting events and diagnosing his health.
About 32 minWHERE THEY DISAGREED
Bill SimmonsKeanu Reeves, Jeremy Strong, Jake Gyllenhaal, or Tom Hardy could have worked, but some choices are too intense or too much.
Shea SerranoCooper is ideal because he can be smart, handsome, and slightly self-parodic.
Bill SimmonsYes; it should have been harsher, sexier, and more violent.
Shea SerranoNo; the PG-13 rating makes it easy to watch on TV with family around.
Bill SimmonsHe feels a bit on autopilot, though still effective.
Chris RyanHis restraint fits the movie and gives gravity to Carl Van Loon.
Bill SimmonsSome of Eddie’s monologues are dubious when examined closely.
Shea SerranoThe movie’s fun enough that the logic does not matter much.
Calls it timeless, major, and one of the most impactful action movies of the last decade.
Opening minutesSays the premise alone is enough and he would absolutely take the pill.
Opening minutesFrames it as an entertaining derivative of other movies that works even as a Xerox version.
Opening minutesSays the best part is the pill-kick-in stretch and wants to watch it for much longer.
About 8 minWants to watch the guy clean his apartment and generally act brilliant for a long time.
About 8 minLikes the hook of starting with Eddie on the ledge and the four-digit IQ voiceover.
About 24 minSays Cooper had the charm and social currency to make audiences want to see him in this role.
About 8 minThinks De Niro is somewhat on autopilot but still good enough to bring authority.
About 48 minSays the movie is fun because everyone imagines using the pill exactly the same way.
About 16 minArgues the movie should have been rated R to fit its sex-and-drugs premise.
About 48 minPrefers the softer rating because it makes the movie easy to watch casually with family around.
About 48 minSays the CBS TV version should have worked but didn’t, likely because it missed the streamer moment.
About 40 minThe movie’s core pleasure is watching an ordinary guy immediately become brilliant, stylish, and effective.
Opening minutesThey connect the film to modern optimization culture, but note that the movie turns that impulse into a drug fantasy.
About 40 minThey read the movie as a throwback to an era when movies glorified money, influence, and elite status.
About 16 minThe hosts think it belongs to a disappearing class of mid-budget, star-driven movies that you can stumble into and watch for an hour.
About 24 minLimitless is based on the novel The Dark Fields by Alan Glynn.
About 32 minLeslie Dixon is credited with the screenplay and had a producing role.
About 32 minThe film was retitled Limitless in December 2010.
About 32 minThe movie made about $161.8 million on a $27 million budget.
About 32 minThe visual effect for NZT is described as fractal zooming and contrast changes.
About 40 minThe NZT pills are hidden in the oven.
About 32 minA TV adaptation of Limitless ran on CBS and was canceled after one season.
About 40 minChris uses it as the model for the movie’s 'certified copy' feel.
Opening minutesUsed as another example of a certified-copy movie, this time of Heat.
Opening minutesReferenced as the original that Den of Thieves copies.
Opening minutesCited as the project that first showed Cooper’s comedic charisma.
About 8 minUsed to explain Cooper’s rise to stardom before Limitless.
About 8 minMentioned as a movie Shea saw because Cooper was in it.
About 8 minReferenced for the 'Neo' style of suddenly seeing and doing everything.
About 32 minUsed as a comparison for the fun of a premise that becomes less interesting near the end.
About 40 min · medium confidenceUsed to illustrate an older era of movies that glorified money and power.
About 16 minReferenced in the same discussion of ambition and power fantasies.
About 16 min · medium confidenceUsed to explain older, looser rating standards for violence.
About 48 minReferenced as a more overtly violent comparison for why Limitless should have been R.
About 48 minMentioned in relation to actor work and a planned prestige podcast.
About 48 minUsed to place Will Smith at his peak for a hypothetical casting swap.
About 56 minSuggested as a movie Bradley Cooper could plausibly play in if swapped with Cruise.
About 56 min · medium confidenceThe hosts repeatedly argue that Cooper’s mix of handsomeness, humor, and likability is what makes the movie work.
About 8 minThe hosts speculate about whether they personally would take the pill, each giving a comic personal anecdote.
About 8 minChris repeatedly compares the movie to other movies that are derivatives but still entertaining on cable.
Opening minutesThey keep returning to the image of Eddie suddenly dominating conversations in restaurants and business meetings.
About 24 minThey note the face actors make when NZT kicks in and how it visually signals the power surge.
About 32 minThe hosts refer to Vern, Gennady, and the running bad guy by shorthand nicknames instead of formal names.
About 24 min · medium confidenceBill jokes that action movies would be better if they ended the moment the villain dies.
About 32 min“I have an actual recipe for grandeur.”About 16 min
“I tabbed it today and I was limitless.”About 24 min
“These bitches can't guard me.”About 8 min
“I see everything, Carl.”About 32 min
“You haven't been bored blind at the fundraisers.”About 48 min
MAKE IT A MOVIE NIGHT
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
Three movies to watch before Limitless, and three to watch next.
ON THE MIC
Bill SimmonsThe Rewatchables
Chris RyanThe Rewatchables
Shea SerranoThe RewatchablesREWATCH FAVS
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