Crystal Clear, Except when it's not

Rating: 5/10 (20 March 2011)

Greetings again from the darkness. First, I absolutely love this premise. The idea that, by taking a pill, we can simultaneously access all parts of our brain and process information at hyper-speed is fascinating, and a terrific idea for a movie. As it turns out, that terrific premise loses much luster when the center of action is a egomaniacal, smirking doofus played by a strutting Bradley Cooper.
The set-up portion of the film is fairly interesting. Cooper plays a stone-walled loser of a writer whose career-minded girlfriend (Abbie Cornish) wisely dumps him as he offers up very little in self-defense. A seemingly random street meet of his ex-brother in law leads Cooper to a whole new world brought on by the magic of NZT. He quickly realizes he can recall every detail he has ever seen or read and he process information quickly and clearly. He finishes his book and learns multiple languages, plays the piano, etc etc.
The film takes a wrong turn when he realizes his ability comes in handy in the stock market, as well as blackjack. But obviously if you were in this situation, the first thing you would do is contact a Russian loan shark and take out a giant loan ... and then forget to pay it back. What? You wouldn't? Well then, don't expect to have a movie made about your life.
Director Neil Burger (The Illusionist) brings a wonderful visual touch to Cooper's mind and an awesome telescoping zoom rush through the streets of NYC. That was actually my favorite part of the film.
The film misses quite a few opportunities to be as smart as Cooper's character is supposed to be. Either the Russian loan shark or the ultra-rich businessman played by Robert DeNiro could have led to Faustian themes that would have provided endless opportunities. Instead, we don't even get a real battle of wits between the parties. Quite a disappointment.
Overall, the film is entertaining enough, but a letdown over what should have been. Watching Cooper strut and DeNiro sleepwalk are not enough for me as a movie goer.