Inconsistent but very fun

Rating: 7/10 (20 March 2011)

I went into this film expecting nothing. After watching "I am Number Four" I really expected the worst. I was pleasantly surprised. It has flaws, but it's a very fun ride. It's implausible, but it makes you think. I chose this movie because De Niro was in it, and I thought, "If De Niro did it, it can't be all bad." Brad Cooper plays a desperate slacker who's about to crash and burn. Then a drug dealer acquaintance offers him an untested drug that will help him. The movie is a little long, but Cooper's character runs through a maze of women, addiction, loan sharks, and various scenarios with charisma before climaxing into a violent confrontation with the loan shark, who wants more of the drug, and De Niro. It's a great roller coaster, and De Niro's big shot Donald Trumplike character makes it top notch. There are some scenes where you're wondering how things tie in, and there's the standard jab at the sleazy lawyer, but in the end you just don't mind. This one is worth the ten spot. A future meme.